If you ever wanted to get a haircut and be entertained by someone with a great sense of humor and full of great stories, Leo Hayunga was that someone.
Leo Hayunga, longtime resident of New Richland, died in Yuma, Arizona on Jan. 13 of this year at the age of 81. While Hayunga was known as the storyteller himself, the Waseca County community will have the chance to hear many stories about Leo at his celebration of life May 7.
Skilled barber
Leo was born in 1942 in Waseca and attended Sacred Heart School. For eight years, he proudly served in the United States Navy, and was a member of several military associations afterwards.
Hayunga held many jobs in his life, including a police officer in Waseca, a truck driver in Owatonna, and most notably, a barber. Hayunga was a skilled barber, with having many shops throughout his career, including one north of New Richland.
He took great pride in his work and had loyal clients who appreciated his attention to detail. Hayunga was also known for being neat himself, with his friend of thirty plus years Mike McNeil pointing out his appearance.
“He always kept himself so neat, his hair and clothes were always well kept,” said McNeil.
But Hayunga being a skilled barber was just an added bonus to what the real reason why his clients always came back to him: his friendly demeanor and wit.
“He could talk forever,” Hayunga’s old neighbor, friend and client Lloyd Hawks said. “He could talk smart and he’d give right right back if you have him any.”
Passion for mules
While he loved being a barber, there was one passion Hayunga loved more than anything: horses and mules. In his early years, Hayunga went on many trail rides and kept his love for horses and mules up until his death.
Hayunga lived on a farm just outside of new Richland for many years, where he kept his horses and mules along with his trailers for them. With his carriage and sleigh, he rode around the neighborhood, inviting friends and neighbors along for the ride.
“He’d have a hayrack and us and a bunch of other neighbors would bring coolers onto the hayrack and have a good ole’ party,” said Hawks.
Hayunga even rode around for events such as weddings, reunions, and parades. Hawks also mentioned that Waseca County would hire Hayunga from time to time to dig up alongside the road with his mules, since it couldn’t be done with the vehicles the county had.
Hawks was close to Hayunga due to them being neighbors with each other. Hawks helped Hayunga with barn work and would sit and talk with him for hours after getting a haircut from him.
Hawks is also close to Judy Hayunga, Leo’s wife. With them being neighbors in New Richland, Lloyd and Judy would ride together when they both worked at EF Johnson in Waseca.
Life after the farm
While Leo and Judy did not have any children together, Leo was close to Judy’s two daughters. Leo was a proud step-father and loved being a grandfather.
After living in the country for many years and tending to his barn and animals, the Hayunga’s decided to sell their place out in the country and move into town in New Richland.
The mules that he had at the time were sold and moved to South Dakota. But Leo kept in touch with the people that bought them and he traveled to the state a few times to see them.
To get away from the cold, the Hayunga’s bought a place in Yuma, Arizona at a campground to stay at during the winter months six years ago. When they first started going south for the winter, they drove down there but the last couple of years they started to fly.
Last days
As Leo’s health started to deteriorate, the Hayunga’s moved from New Richland to Burnsville to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren. But they still kept going to Arizona since they loved it there, with Leo showcasing his friendly demeanor down there.
In December of last year, Leo was at the VA hospital in the cities. McNeil visited him at the hospital a week before the Hayunga’s left to go south for the winter.
“He was in no shape to be on an airplane, but he flew down there anyway,” Mcneil said. “He was determined to go to Arizona.”
Two weeks after the Hayunga’s arrived in Yuma, Leo passed away, but memories of him will not be forgotten.
“I will always remember one New Year’s Eve night where we rode around on his bobsled,” McNeil said about himself and other neighbors of Hayunga. “It was a beautiful night, and he had the team and farm toys to entertain us.”
Hayunga’s presence will be missed by his family and friends, spanning across Minnesota, South Dakota, and Arizona. His celebration of life will take place at the Waseca American Legion on May 7 from 1-6 p.m.
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