Leo Elton Linck, 79, of the Santa Cruz California Mountains, passed away peacefully on December 9, 2010 with his beloved family by his side after a brief, unexpected illness. He was born on July 16, 1931 in Phoenix, Arizona, the son of Charles and Grace Miller Linck. Leo grew up in rural Everest, Kansas. He lived on a farm with his seven brothers and two sisters. He graduated from Everest High School with the Class of 1950. After two years at Kansas State he joined the U.S. Navy where his flying career began. He served during the Vietnam Era and Korean War achieving the rank of Lt. Commander. On March 20, 1954 he married his high school sweetheart, the girl down the lane, Shirley Blasi, a union which lasted for 56 years. They eventually moved to California and built their dream home in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains known as "The Crock of Gold". There they raised their four children. Leo was a commercial pilot for TWA flying for nearly thirty years out of the Kansas City and San Francisco airports. Work hard, play hard was a motto he lived by. He rode his bicycle across Kansas twice, once with his daughter and once with two of his grandsons. He was the president and served on the Board of Directors of the Laurel Water League for many years. He was a 4-H Leader, a member of the TWA Pilot Association, served on the Horton Hospital Board, past president of the Polled Herefords Association and was part of the Iris society. Leo was awarded the 1st Brown County Soil Conservation Wind Break Award. He had a small Christmas tree farm, raised chinchillas and traveled the world. He soared in his Piper airplane once flying part of the family to and over the Grand Canyon. Shirley and Leo delighted in exploring the country in their RV. Leo was an avid gardener and was a man who enjoyed spending time with his family. When he "retired" from the airlines, he built another house in Kansas and started a second career as a farmer/rancher on a farm he named Summit Farms. There he raised registered polled Herefords and practiced soil conservation by growing native prairie grasses. He eventually sold the farm and moved back to California to be closer to his beloved grandchildren. He retained his Kansas roots and continued to live in Kansas and California for his remaining years. Leo is survived by his wife Shirley Linck of Santa Cruz, California; daughters, Valerie Straub (Bill) of Sebastian, Florida, Sandra Tiner (Robin) of Santa Cruz, California, sons, Gary Linck (Jackie) of Troy, Kansas, Wayne Linck of Santa Cruz, California; six grandchildren, Chris, Ryan, Scott, Chance, Rees and Delaney. Leo is also survived by his brothers Leroy Linck (Dorothy) of Horton, Kansas, Glen Linck (Katherine) of Huron, Kansas, Mark Logan of Atchison, Kansas; sisters, Betty Grace Leitch (Glen) of Everest, Kansas, Charlotte Reed (George) of Carbondale, Kansas and sister-in- law, Barbara Linck of Everest, Kansas. Preceding Leo in death were his parents, brothers, Charles Jr., Bernard, Dennis and Lawrence. A Prayer Service will be at 7:00 P.M. on Friday at the Dishon-Maple-Chaney Mortuary in Horton, Kansas. Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at the St. Leo's Catholic Church in Horton, Kansas. Burial will be at the All Saints Cemetery northwest of Everest, Kansas. Memorials may be made to a favorite charity of your choice and may be sent in care of the mortuary. A special message may be sent to the family at www.dishon-maple-chaney.com