Ralph Mark LeBlanc, 87 of Fertile, Minnesota died Saturday, April 23rd at Fair Meadow Nursing Home. Ralph was born on the home farm near Erskine on October 31st, 1934. He was one of eleven children born to Philip and Clara LeBlanc. He attended country school and Erskine High School before leaving home at 16 and moving to Minneapolis. He eventually landed a job at Honeywell.
While in Minneapolis, Ralph met Lois Rude of Fertile and they were married in 1957. They started their family in Columbia Heights. They had four children – Sherry, Mark, Cathy, and John. They started their own business, LeBlanc Real Estate in 1967. In 1971, they decided to move to and raise their children in the Fertile area.
Ralph was one-of-a-kind and never at a loss for words. He cared deeply for people and made it a point to invite people for meals and holidays who would otherwise have been alone. His sense of humor was contagious. He enjoyed fishing, hunting with his brothers, nephews, and boys, and playing cards. He was arguably the best card player in Fertile.
In 1996, Ralph suffered a career-ending stroke and Lois became the quiet and driving force behind LeBlanc Real Estate. Over the next ten years, she became a small business success story and turned over the company to their daughter Sherry Coauette of Crookston.
He was a member of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Fertile. As a committed leader to the Agassiz Valley T.E.C. (Teens Encounter Christ) program – he served on over fifty T.E.C. retreats. Ralph and Lois were influential in starting the first non-Catholic T.E.C. program called Red River Valley T.E.C. in 1979. Ralph was a friend to many in need, whether struggling with loneliness, alcohol addiction or suffering from a stroke. In fact, he helped organize a stroke survivors’ group that continues to meet and he regularly reached out to stroke survivors through his own personal, telephone ministry.
Ralph is survived by his four children, Sherry (Dennis) Coauette, Mark (Ann) LeBlanc, Cathy (Steve) Godtland, John (Michelle) LeBlanc, brothers Daryl (Ardyce) LeBlanc, Vernon (Mary) LeBlanc and Larry (Joan) LeBlanc. He lit up when his grandchildren and great-grandchildren would come and see him. Ralph and Lois loved being an uncle and aunt to their sixty-plus nieces and nephews.
AFS student, Gottfried (Ana) Ransmayr of Vienna, Austria has been a family member since 1976-1977 when the LeBlanc family hosted him for a year. John (Julie) Givogre of Eagan, Minnesota was a close friend and important to both Ralph and Lois.
Ralph was preceded in death by Lois who passed in September 2020, his father Philip LeBlanc, mother Clara LeBlanc, sisters Aimee Brotzler, Francis Mayer, Jeanette Marie LeBlanc, and brothers Loren, James, George, and Steve.
A celebration of life has been planned for Saturday, April 30th, 2022, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Fertile, MN. Friends of Ralph and the LeBlanc family are welcome to attend the visitation at 10:00 a.m. followed by his service at 11:00 a.m. Lunch will be served. Interment will be in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, Fertile, MN.
Please view our guestbook and share condolences online: https://www.eriksonvikfh.com/obituary/ralph-leblanc
The funeral home will record the service and make it available on their site within a week of the service. You can leave a message and view the service for no fee after they post it.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
Fair Meadow Nursing Home
Attention: Angie Leiting
300 Garfield Avenue S.E.
Fertile, MN 56540
Arrangements with Erikson-Vik-Ganje Funeral Home
Fertile, Minnesota
