The Reverend LeRoy Ness, who served God, his country, and numerous congregations across America and the globe, died at his home in New Canaan on February 20, 2020. He was 85. The cause was heart failure. Reverend Ness was a Lutheran pastor and an Army chaplain. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1986 as a colonel, having served at posts and assignments in the United States, Germany, Iran, Norway, and Vietnam, where he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. In Vietnam, he was awarded the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Bronze Star. He was eager to attend to the needs of troops on the front line. While visiting a forward position that was under enemy fire, a soldier asked him why he was there, as he did not need to be. He replied, “I’m here because you are.” On one occasion, he took his commander’s helicopter to visit troops isolated by an enemy attack. The Viet Cong recognized a command helicopter and detonated a mine just as Chaplain Ness was to alight from its strut. The helicopter was damaged, and the commander was angered, but Chaplain Ness survived. Colonel Ness retired from the Army having served in its third ranking chaplain’s post at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. After retirement from the Army, Reverend Ness served at Lutheran churches in Staten Island, Kingston, and Rhinebeck, NY. He and his wife Evelyn moved to New Canaan in 2014, and for a time he was the interim pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church. He was an active member of the community, participating in the Men’s Club, frequenting the YMCA, attending veterans events, helping at the ABC House and joining the Sons of Norway. Leroy Thane Ness was born in 1934 on a farm outside of Brookings, South Dakota, to Clarence and Hilma (Anderson) Ness. After attending a one-room schoolhouse and Brookings High School, he graduated from Concordia College, in Moorhead, MN, where he met his wife Evelyn. He earned a divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He later earned a master’s degree from Indiana University. He graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the United States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA. It was the Lutheran Church that sent him to the Army, to fill its quota in the chaplains’ corps, but it was an inspired choice. Reverend Ness thrived in the Army. As a pastor, Reverend Ness never hesitated to roll up his sleeves and to take on hard tasks, from cleaning gutters to counseling the addicted. He delighted in serving breakfast to his congregants. He tirelessly visited shut-ins. He left every congregation that he led larger and more energized than when he arrived. He was generous with his time and his money. Reverend Ness is survived by his wife Evelyn (Dahl), daughter Elizabeth (Tobey), sister Olive (Alexander), and grandchildren Emma and Beatrix Tobey. A funeral service will be held on February 28th at 11:30 a.m. at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in New Canaan. Should friends desire, contributions may be sent to the ABC House of New Canaan, CT. Their mission is to offer young men the opportunity to learn in an educational program that will affirm and nurture their academic talent, participate in the arts, community service, athletic and other extra-curricular activities; and to develop confidence and independence as they prepare for their future. 64 Locust Avenue, New Canaan, CT, 06840.