Leo F. Armbrust

Leo Francis Armbrust, Sr., passed away on Friday, August 31, 2012, the day of his 84th birthday. He resided in Sebring, Florida. He was a loving husband to his wife of 63 years and was a beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Friends and neighbors knew him as a giving, caring, Christian man, always ready to lend a hand to anyone in need. He will be greatly missed by the countless lives he touched. Leo was born on August 31, 1928, in Hamilton, Ohio. At the age of 22, he became a fourth generation baker and operated Armbrust Brother's Bakery, founded by his great grandfather. In 1951, he was awarded the Anheuser Busch Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. After moving to Florida in 1959, Leo eventually became facilities supervisor for Immaculate Conception in Hialeah as well as at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida for a total of 29 years. Leo and his wife, Pauline, retired to Sebring, Florida in 1992, where he enjoyed many years hosting family members and friends in their home on Lake Josephine. He was a parishioner of St. Catherine Catholic Church and a cherished member of his neighborhood and community. Leo holds a Masters in Baking from the American Baking Institute in Chicago, was a charter member of the Monkey Mutual Aide Society, and was a fourth degree knight of the Father Andrew Brown Assembly in Hamilton, Ohio. Leo was preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Helen-Sheyer Armbrust; his three sisters, Mary Welsh, Dolores Kramer and Marjorey Laney; and brother, John "Buzzie" Armbrust, killed in action on Iwo Jima. He is survived by his wife, Pauline E. (Schick) Armbrust; his sister, Laverne Colligan in Hamilton, Ohio; his two sons, Reverend Leo F. Armbrust, Jr. and John Henry Armbrust (Pauline); two daughters, Mary Kappes Dirr (Darien) and Margaret Helen Brown (Eric); eight grandchildren, Kevin Kappes, Jr., John Kappes, James Kappes, Gregory Dirr, Erica A. (Brown) Soto and grandson-in-law Odeviz Soto, Stephanie Brown, Courtney Armbrust and Nicole Armbrust; and five great grandchildren, James Kappes Jr., Anastasiya Kappes, Taylor Kappes, Ashley Kappes and Felix Soto. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, September 6 at 11:00 AM at the Church of the Epiphany, located at 8235 S.W. 57 Avenue (Red Road) in Miami, Florida. Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home Sebring, FL 863-385-0125 www.stephensonnelsonfh.com