Leon Brinkman, 78, of Glencoe

Leon Brinkman, 78, of Glencoe, died Thursday, May 21, 2015, at his home.
Memorial services will be today (Wednesday) at 2 p.m., at Christ Lutheran Church in Glencoe with the Rev. Katherine Rood officiating. The organist will be Peggy Hatlestad. Congregational hymns are “On Eagle’s Wings,” “Peace, Like a River” and “Blessed Assurance. The recessional will be, appropriately, “Take Me Out to the Ballpark.”
Joe and Cal Brinkman will be the urn bearers. Military honors are by the Glencoe VFW Post 5102. Interment will be in the First Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery in Glencoe.
Leon Arthur William Brinkman was born Dec. 10, 1936, in Glencoe. He was the son of Arthur and Ella (Meyer) Brinkman. He was baptized as an infant on Jan. 3, 1937, and confirmed in his faith as a youth, both at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Glencoe.
He received his education in Glencoe and was a graduate of the Glencoe High School Class of 1954.
Mr. Brinkman entered active military service in the U.S. Army on Dec. 9, 1955, and was honorably discharged Nov. 30, 1961.
On Oct. 21, 1961, he was united in marriage to Lorna Breyer at Bergen Lutheran Church in Bergen Township (Lester Prairie). Their marriage was blessed with three children, Gregg, Amy and Bruce. The couple resided in the city of Glencoe until 1966, when they bought and moved to a farm southeast of Glencoe, where they farmed, raised their family and continued to reside through 53 years of marriage.
Mr. Brinkman owned and operated his farm for 40-plus years. He was a member of Christ Lutheran Church, the American Legion Post 95, and the VFW Post 5102, all of Glencoe. He served on the Glencoe Township Board as a supervisor for many years.
Baseball was an integral part of Mr. Brinkman’s life. He played while at Glencoe High School, while in the U.S. Army, and for the Glencoe Chiefs while starting a family. He acted as player/
manager for many years, and was instrumental in the resurrection of amateur baseball in Glencoe through the start of the Glencoe Brewers. Mr. Brinkman coached the American Legion Post 95 baseball team from 1976 until 1992, including coaching them to a state championship in 1991 for Division II. In 1987, Mr. Brinkman was honored with induction into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, and also worked tirelessly as a regional baseball commissioner and state baseball tournament host for many area locations, most importantly the state tournaments he helped secure location for in Glencoe.
He is survived by his wife, Lorna Brinkman of Glencoe; children Gregg Brinkman of Glencoe and Bruce (Jana) Brinkman of Winona; grandchildren, Joe and Cal Brinkman; sisters, Arlaine Farber of Annandale and Carol Axt  of Hutchinson; and sister-in-law, Jeanette Brinkman of Glencoe; and many other relatives, friends, and ballplayers.
Mr. Brinkman was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Ella Brinkman; his brother, Earl Brinkman; and his daughter Amy.
Flowers may be sent to Christ Lutheran Church, and any honorariums will be sent to Christ Lutheran Church and the Disabled American Veterans’ fund. Additional information may be retrieved from, and condolences may be sent using the Facebook page www.facebook.com/
Leon.Brinkman.7, or searching for “Leon Brinkman Memorial” on Facebook.