Leanne B. (Garmatz) Terhaar

Leanne B. Terhaar, age 58 of Brooten, died Saturday, May 9, 2020 at home surrounded by her family under the care of hospice. A memorial service for Leanne will be held on September 12, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. at the Open Door Christian Church, Decision Hills Campus at 12720 51st Street NE, Spicer MN 56288. Face masks will be required as well as social distancing. Arrangements are with the Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Brooten.

Leanne Bernice (Garmatz) Terhaar was born to Leroy and Diane (Landwehr) Garmatz on July 24, 1961 in Elgin, IL. She was the eldest of four children. Leanne attended St. Peter Lutheran School in Arlington Heights, IL until the age of 15, when her family moved to a farm near Verdi, MN where she transitioned from Chicago life to country life, graduating from Verdi High School in 1979.

Following high school, Leanne attended Alexandria Technical College, where in 1982 she earned a degree in Mechanical Drafting. Prior to graduating she was hired by Watkins Aircraft Support Products (WASP) in nearby Glenwood, MN, where she worked for 16 years. Leanne had a few jobs over the years, but her favorite was her current job at Glacial Wood Products in Brooten.

In 1996, Leanne was united in marriage to Nicholas John Terhaar of Brooten. Nick adopted Leanne’s three children, Dennison, Dustin, and Grace, and the two completed their family with the birth of their daughter, Kimberly. Leanne and Nick made their home on a farm outside of Brooten, MN where she loved to sew, bake, garden, remodel, craft, and watch her grandchildren. Her Christian faith was an integral part of her life. Leanne took several trips to Haiti where she helped design and rebuild homes and a church. Haiti held a special place in her heart.

In recent years, Leanne found joy in remodeling her home and refurbishing pieces of furniture. She had an incredible talent for woodworking and building. She eventually decided to go back to school for architectural drafting, completing a year at Wahpeton School of Science. She bought a fixer-upper in Glenwood with dreams of remodeling it into a safe place for at risk women and children. She wanted to tackle all the work on the house from painting to electrical. On January 17, 2020, Leanne’s lifelong dream was interrupted by a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. She graciously accepted God’s will and passed away peacefully on May 9, 2020, surrounded by family.

In addition to her husband, Nick, Leanne is survived by their three children, Dennison Terhaar of Centerville, UT, Grace (Josh Anderson) Terhaar and their children, Carter and Jackson Anderson, of Glenwood, and Kimberly Terhaar of Brooten; her mother, Dianne Jemming; a sister, Beth (Pete) Bickel; two brothers, Steven (Cintia) Garmatz and Nathan (Anna) Garmatz; mother-in-law, Virginia Terhaar; sisters-in-law, Andrea Dalluge and Gretchen (John) Pyle; brothers-in law, Gregory Terhaar and Daman (Kiyoko) Terhaar; as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her son, Dustin Terhaar in 2010; her father, Leroy; and her father-in-law, Kenneth Terhaar.

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