ICBA Past Chairman Leland Manford Stenehjem Jr. died at his home in Phoenix, Ariz., on Feb. 28 at the age of 78.
The former president and chairman of First International Bank and Trust in Watford City, N.D., served as ICBA chairman in 1996-1997. He was the first second-generation ICBA chairman, following his father’s service as ICBA chairman 32 years prior.
After serving in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corp., as an aide to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and as a clerk of the U.S. Court of Military Appeals in Washington, Stenehjem returned to North Dakota. There he practiced law, served as the North Dakota banking commissioner, and led the state’s Office of Management and Budget before leading First National Bank of Fessenden, which would later become First International.
Stenehjem’s survivors include his wife, Sue; sons Troy and Rusty Hartmann; grandchildren Sam, Brady, and Olivia Hartmann; brother Stephen L. Stenehjem; sister Joan Rustvang; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, April 6, at the Living Water Lutheran Church at 9201 East Happy Valley Road in Scottsdale, Ariz. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in memory of Leland M. Stenehjem Jr.
ICBA expresses its deepest condolences to Stenehjem’s family and gratitude for his tireless service on behalf of the nation’s community banks.
