Obituaries

Leo J. ‘Shag’ Barens, age 87, of Dimondale, MI, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at home with his loving family at his side. He was born December 5, 1937 in a private home in Rudyard, MI to Dave and Bessie Barens.

Leo is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Donna Rae (Thomas), sister, Margaret Shute, sister-in-law, Barbara (Leville) Barens, children, Dan (Laura Antonelli) Barens, Carrilee (Shane) Hoose, Dennis (Yvonne Matthyssen) Barens, and Melanie Zweidinger, as well as 8 grandchildren and their spouses, and 14 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, David and Elizabeth “Bessie” (Steele) Barens, brothers Joseph (Joyce Bush) (Ruth Uponen) Barens and Charles Barens, sisters Dorothy (Stan Eckley) (Ron Fletcher) and Sally (Lou) Ceccacci, brother-in-law, Homer Shute, In-laws, Fay and Rosetta “Etta” (Rader) Thomas, and son-in-law, Mark Zweidinger.

Funeral arrangements will be at Skinner Funeral Home, 315 S. River St., Eaton Rapids, MI, on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 11:00 AM. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM and starting at 10:00 AM on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rudyard Community Center, PO Box 277, Rudyard, MI 49780.

Leo had several loves of his life: his wife, Donna Rae, his family, his hometown of Rudyard, MI, and his love for the outdoors. He also had a strong appreciation of a good work ethic. Leo’s work ethic and resourcefulness arose at a very young age. Having come from a family of six children, money was scarce and being broke bothered Leo, so while in elementary school, he put together a shoe shine box and began shining shoes for a dime outside various establishments like the Rudyard Co-op, Wes Tilson’s Barber Shop, and various restaurants. At the time, he also worked on the farm of Charlie Grey and twice a week Mr. Grey would drive Leo to Leon Loveless’s house so he could catch a ride to town in the evening to shine shoes. Becoming an entrepreneur at a very young age set the course for Leo’s path in life.

Leo’s strong work ethic continued throughout his life. As a young boy, Leo would often catch a ride to the Soo Locks with his neighbor, Lee Johnson, to help bring produce and goods to the sailors on the freighters. In high school, he worked at his father’s Amoco gas station and played basketball and baseball. During that time, he was very proud of the two “no-hitters” he pitched: one against Cedarville in 1955, and the other against Brimley in 1956.
After graduating high school in 1956, Leo’s well-established dedication to work paid off. The foreman at US Steel Corporation recalled Leo helping as a young man and offered him a job as a sailor on the freighters on the Great Lakes. Leo felt very fortunate to be recognized for his earlier ambition and worked out of the Soo Locks for US Steel for three years on three freighters: the Percival Roberts, Jr., the Joshua A. Hatfield, and the John Hulst.

After attending high school together and dating after graduation, Leo knew he wanted to spend his life with Donna Rae, and while working as a sailor, he asked her to marry him. They were happily married on January 4, 1958 and started a family while living in Rudyard. From there, Leo ventured into construction at Kincheloe Air Force Base, in Kincheloe, MI, primarily in housing and development. In 1965, they moved to Holt, MI, where Leo became co-owner of Lansing Poured Walls and worked in the concrete construction business until his retirement. It was in Holt, MI that he and Donna Rae planted their roots and raised their four children.

As an adult, Leo was also very generous with his time, talents, and resources, and contributed to building a sense of community in numerous ways. While living in Rudyard, he was a volunteer fireman and a member of the Rudyard School Board. Years later, in 1992 and in honor of his parents, Leo donated his time to pour and finish the concrete floor for the new Rudyard Township Park Pavilion. Until this year (2024), he attended every Rudyard Summerfest held there, enjoying the time reminiscing and visiting with family and friends. Leo jumped in once again when, on several occasions after the RHS basketball team clinched the conference title and districts, he organized pancake breakfast fundraisers as well as a $100 Club to pay for the team bus and hotel so they could participate at regionals in both Marquette and Houghton, MI. In 2016, Leo and Glenn Cornwell, along with the assistance of numerous volunteers, donated their time and poured the new parking lot for First Presbyterian Church in Rudyard. Additionally, those that knew Leo knew that he enjoyed driving and would often drive friends to other parts of the country, simply enjoying stories shared in the company of a friend.

Leo was also an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling. While hunting with his dad, he shot his first rabbit at nine years old and his first deer at eleven. Leo owned several hunting cabins and travelled three times to Saskatchewan, Canada to hunt for a prize buck. He was proudest of his largest buck, a 27 point, and got his last buck in 2022 at the age of 84. Leo also enjoyed several fishing trips to Canada, and would often have to fly in a small plane and then hike to remote fishing spots. He usually preferred to drive when he traveled, but it was the love of fishing that would motivate him to fly for these trips. This was a sacrifice for him and demonstrated the extent of his dedication to the sport of brook trout fishing.
While spending many long hours in hunting blinds, Leo would pass the time reading books and writing letters to loved ones. He also enjoyed writing poetry. Leo enjoyed a number of literary topics, both fiction and non-fiction, and would spend time in the off-season researching how to better his hunting and fishing knowledge. Leo was also a big fan of Michigan State Basketball (Go, Izzo!) and the Detroit Tigers and attended numerous games for both.
Leo was married to the love of his life, Donna Rae, for sixty-six years and was passionate about the life they built with their children. Passing on his love of the outdoors and sports, it was no surprise that his children participated in them as well. Numerous memories were made during hunting seasons spent at the cabin as well as playing various sports together. Leo coached some of their little league basketball teams, and often on Sunday afternoons they were found playing in a competitive family game of basketball where he taught them not only how to play, but also to play with integrity and always give 120%. While supporting his children in their numerous endeavors, Leo was often found watching from the bleachers at their various events. On several occasions, he brought their whole teams out to eat in celebration of winning championship games.
Towards the end of Leo’s life, and unable to travel back to Rudyard, he enjoyed numerous phone conversations with his only living sibling, his 90-year-old sister, Margart Shute, and treasured her visit from the Upper Peninsula with her daughter this summer. While in Hospice care, Leo was also thankful for conversations and visits with family and friends, and even his cardiologist, who became a friend, stopped by to visit.

Leo will be remembered for his big heart, generosity, and for being a friend to many. His humor and love of life graced us all and kept us smiling. Leo had hoped he would be remembered for making a difference in the world, and those that knew him would no doubt say, “You did, Leo, you did!”

The family would also like to thank the Hospice team from the University of Michigan Health - Sparrow, as their support and kindness was greatly appreciated during these last several months.