Leslie S. Halonen

Leslie S. Halonen, age 57 of Greenfield, Minnesota passed away peacefully at home on April 13, 2020, surrounded by family.

Les was born in Golden Valley, Minnesota to Paul and Lorraine Halonen on May 19, 1962. He started school in Cokato, Minnesota.  In 1974, the family moved to Outlook, Saskatchewan where he graduated from Outlook High School in 1980.

Upon graduating high school, Les got his start in construction. In 1984, he started Halonen Bros. Construction along with his brother, Keith and Perry in Outlook, Saskatchewan.

He married Kari Seppala on July 13, 1985, and they began married life in Outlook, Saskatchewan.  In March of 1995, they moved to Greenfield, Minnesota where they continued raising their family of nine children together. In Minnesota, he continued his career in construction specializing in finishing carpentry. In 2005, he formed Ox-men Tool Co. which he owned and operated up until the time of his death.

Les was a jack-of-all-trades. His areas of expertise ranged from construction to sewing.  He could fix a problem faster than you could tell him about it. Les was blessed with an innovative mind and was always dreaming up new inventions to make life easier.  At the time of his death he had 24 inventions.

Les had no trouble occupying his time.  If he wasn’t working, he enjoyed spending time with family and friends.  He was an avid sportsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing and being outdoors. Les was a gear head, enjoyed riding motorcycles, and jet skiing.  In his younger years, he had a passion for muscle cars and often dreamed of customizing another car.

Les had two priorities in life which were his family and his faith.  He was a member of the Rockford Laestadian Lutheran Church of St. Michael, Minnesota.  His main goal in life was to make it to heaven’s shore and he did all he could to help his loved ones on their pathway as well.

Anyone who came into contact with Les always left with a with a smile on their face.  He had a calm and steady nature that was always refreshing. He would drop anything for any of his loved ones.  Les was someone you could always lean on and be uplifted by. His optimism for everything in life was contagious. Some of his last words to his loved ones were, “All smiles tomorrow.”

Les is preceded in death by his father, Paul Halonen; stepfather, Raymond Hillukka; sisters, Helen and Arlene Halonen; father-in-law, Karl Seppala.

Les is survived by his loving wife, Kari Halonen; children, Derek (Ashley), Bethany (Tyrone) Byman, Jason, Dustin, Kelsey, Megan, Amber, Troy, and Jenna; mother, Lorraine Hillukka; mother-in-law, Inez Seppala; brothers, Nealen (Jean), Keith (Rebecca), and Perry (Melanie); 11 grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

A public memorial service for Les will held at a future date.