Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 271995
Title: C. Leland Brand
Date: 6/14/1921-11/25/2025
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 6/14/1921
Summary: Leland Brand, 104, of Taylor, ND, passed away November 25, 2025, at his home, with his family by his side. A prayer service was held December 3, 2025, at Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson, ND, with Pastor Mike Pretzer officiating. Burial will take place at a later date. Carl Leland "Lee" Johnson was born on June 14, 1921, on a ranch 12 miles south of Taylor in Stark County, ND. His parents were Carl A. P. Johnson and Henrietta Connie Larsen. Leland was the youngest of four children born to this union. His mother, Connie, passed away when Lee was 2 ½ years old. He and his sister Charlotte then went to live with their uncle and aunt, Samuel and Catherine Johnson Brand. Lee's father remarried, and Florence (Johnnie) was born to this union. Lee was raised on the Stone Hammer Ranch a few miles south of Taylor where he became an avid horseman and hunter. He graduated from Taylor High School and attended North Dakota Agricultural College (NDSU) in Fargo, majoring in agricultural engineering. He participated in ROTC and track, breaking the school record in the hurdles. Lee's love of flying started early in his life, and his expertise led to his becoming an instructor in a Navy flight school in Minot, ND. That is where he met Gail Jewel Dasher. They were married on October 6, 1944, and moved to the Stone Hammer Ranch at the end of WWII. In addition to ranching and farming, Lee remained an active pilot doing acrobatics, crop spraying and coyote hunting. He was active in the community of Taylor, playing baseball and supporting all of the activities in the Taylor schools. He and Gail raised four daughters, Jo Carol, Lynn, Nancy, and Barbara (Dub). A very difficult time in their lives was the 1968 death of Jo Carol in a commercial airline crash. Lee had a broad range of interests and enjoyed following the activities of his daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, whether they be music, athletic, or equestrian. Lee's passion was flying. He was a contract pilot for the federal government, primarily hunting coyotes. He was the first president of the ND Flying Farmers organization, and he served as a commissioner of the ND Aeronautics Commission. He was an inaugural inductee to the ND Aviation Hall of Fame. Most memorable was his mercy flight that saved the life of a baby who was sick with pneumonia but whose family was snowed in and unable to get him to the hospital. Leland's life summary as a pilot can be viewed on YouTube, "North Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame Leland Brand the Flying Farmer." At 104 years old, Lee outlived three of his siblings, Arthur Johnson, Paul Johnson and Charlotte Johnson Brand Bollyn. Also preceding him in death were his wife Gail, daughter Jo Carol, and son-in-law, Dennis Dohrmann. Continuing his legacy are his sister, Florence, daughters Lynn Tool, Nancy Kleingartner, Barbara Dohrmann, 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. Lee lived his life to the fullest, never wanting to waste a minute. He was a voracious reader and life-long learner. Lee grew to admire Native American culture, and he spent years searching for arrowheads and other Indian artifacts. His favorite charities were those benefitting Native American youth. He especially appreciated the Crow belief that there is no end to life; there are no goodbyes, because we will see each other again. An Apsaalooke Tribal belief that Lee wanted shared at his funeral is, "Don't weep too long, for I have returned to my Creator....I am in the minds and hearts of the many lives I have touched."
Red ID: FND_I_79490 Image ID: 547526 Image Notes: FND001 271995

Collection: FND001 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Date: -

Summary: The North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program is sponsored by the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association. The life stories of deceased North Dakotans are featured in an archvied collection. Current partners in the project are Eastgate Funeral & Cremation Services, Bismarck Evans Funeral Homes, Carrington and New Rockford Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home, Williston Fulkerson Funeral Home, Tioga Fulkerson Funeral Home, Watford City Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home, Williston Nero Funeral Home, Bottineau Parkway Funeral Service, Bismarck Springan Stevenson Funeral Home, Stanley Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson These funeral homes provide recent obituaries to the Foundation, where staff and volunteers format, edit and archive each memorial. The memorials are posted, and copies are sent to the family for their input and approval. The listing currently features more than 13,000 memorials, and is constantly updated as new memorials and histories are received.

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