William Edmund “Honey” Leubner, 91, of Skaneateles, died on June 16, 2020, of heart disease.
He was born July 13, 1928, in Marietta, N.Y., to German immigrant parents, Edmund and Bertha Leubner, and was very proud of his German heritage.
“Honey” was a farmer all of his life. He grew up on the Leubner family farm in Marietta, then owned his own dairy farm on Benson Road in Skaneateles. He married Narcissa Ann Bainbridge on March 1, 1953. Together they worked the farm and had six children, Jeffrey (Sue), Pamela (Emil), Christopher(deceased), Kathleen, Jason, and Cynthia. The farm prospered, and grew to one of the largest and most successful farms in the area in the 1970s. Ed was always trying new farming techniques, seeds, and cultivation methods. He was not afraid to try and succeed, or try and fail, which is one of the many great lessons he passed along to his family. When Ed retired in the late 1990s, he sold the farm and moved to Weeks Road, where he lived until his death.
Ed loved trees, and planted hundreds in his lifetime. He loved animals and wildlife, and would bring home orphaned raccoons, fawns and crows from the fields. He would catch and surprise his children with bats and mice he found in the barn. He leaves behind his beloved beagle, Bailey.
Ed also loved to travel. Florida was Ann and his preferred destination during the harsh Central New York winters, but he also traveled to Germany on several occasions, and met his German relatives and family there. The highlight was visiting the village where his mother was born and grew up, Ersrode, and staying in the same house his grandfather had taught in as a school teacher in the 1880s.
Ed loved old cars, and owned a Model A Ford similar to the one his father owned. He often took his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to get ice cream in his Model A.
Ed will be remembered by his family for his great sense of humor, his strong work ethic, his love of all things German, his sweet tooth, his big heart, his honesty and his faith in Christ. He fought the good fight, he finished the race, and will spend eternity with his beloved wife Ann.
He is survived by his brother Fred Leubner (Alice), his sister Marie Watts, five of his 6 children, 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
The services will be private at Robert D. Gray Funeral Home, Skaneateles. Ed will be laid to rest at St. Joseph’s Mausoleums in Auburn.
To send condolences, visit robertdgrayfuneralhome.com.
