Philippi, Leon F., (1927-

Leon Frederick Philippi was born on January 19, 1927 on his parents' farm near Bruning, Nebraska, the third of four children (two boys and two girls; the other children were Ernest, Elda and Lois). Leon's parents, Fred and Laura (nee Springer) Philippi, were strong Christians and raised their children in the values of hard work, scrupulous honesty, and generosity. These traits were tested and strengthened during the harsh years of the Great Depression, when dust storms, drought, and uneven markets threw the family increasingly on its own resources and on the generosity of various neighbors. Leon's sister Elda was born handicapped as her mother had contracted rubella during the pregnancy; Elda would remain with her parents for the rest of their lives.

By 1940 the family farm was heavily mortgaged to relatives, who foreclosed and evicted Leon's family. Later, when these same relatives squandered their holdings and became needy, Leon's parents took care of them. As Leon later wrote, his parents' action in this case taught him "not to seek revenge or get even. The Lord will take care of the matter." Fred Philippi moved his family onto his parents' now-vacant farm, where he started anew and benefited from the better crops of the 1940s. Soon he was able to buy out his siblings and prosper. He became a man of strong faith from the 1940s onwards, and though he was never ordained he became well-versed in scripture and emerged as a strong lay leader within the church.

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