A memorial service for Frank Leupold, 78 years old, of Cottonwood, Arizona, and formerly of the Lakes area, will be held at 10:00am, Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Refreshments will be served after the service. Visitation will be on Friday, June 13, 2025, from 5:00 – 7:00pm, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake.
Frank Wilfred Leupold was born on July 24th, 1946, to Charles Henry Leupold and Adene Sadie (Kerstetter) Leupold at the Holy Family Hospital in Estherville, Iowa. The good Sisters at the hospital didn’t give him much of a chance to survive as he was small, wizened, and looked like a monkey. However, Frank fooled them as he survived though he kept the monkey trait of holding his bottle with his feet. During his youth he was active in 4H and MYF. As he progressed in school while studying 5th grade geography, he suddenly realized that learning was fun and applied that throughout his life earning him the nickname of “curve breaker”. In high school he was active in debate, the countywide 4H and MYF councils, honor society, band, and plays. His science project as a Junior led to a representative from Harvard visiting the family farm and requesting that Frank skip his Senior year of high school and begin studies at Harvard. His folks didn’t want him so far from home, and Frank didn’t want to miss his senior year, so it came to naught. After graduating high school Frank attended Cornell college where even though he began in pre-med he got bitten by the theater bug, spent summers working at the Summer Theater, and graduated with a B.A. He then went to the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts. From Texas Frank moved to Boston to teach theater at Holy Cross College. From teaching Frank joined the city of Boston in caring for the less fortunate. Still carrying the theater bug, Frank moved to L.A. to use his talents in lighting plays. He was then hired to document the hip hop group LAL Brothers as a videographer. The group was invited to perform at the American Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the embassy personnel and their children. Frank took part of a summer to come home to his hometown of Superior to document the town’s centennial making the video, “Superior People”. Frank’s last move was to Cottonwood, Arizona where he helped to establish and host Alateen meetings. During the last years of his life he enjoyed the Sedona Film Festival, traveling to foreign countries and visiting old college and high school friends, and of course baking Christmas cookies for others. He left this life on April 25, 2025, at the age of 78 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He is survived by his brother Bill Leupold and wife Julia (Blythe) Leupold of Orleans, Iowa, His nephews John and wife Erka (Wolleson) Leupold of Okoboji, Iowa, Jerod Leupold and his wife Brittni (Laub) Leupold of Iowa City, Iowa and his three nieces Addilin Leupold, and Anthea Leupold of Okoboji, and Murphy Leupold of Iowa City, Iowa.
Turner Jenness Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
