Cortland “Corky” James LeeJoice, 72, of Esko passed away on Nov. 15, 2020 in St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. He was born July 10, 1948 in Cloquet to William and Lillian (Pentila) LeeJoice.

He graduated from Cloquet High School in 1966. Corky married Marcia Bergstedt on Jan. 4, 1969 in Esko. They made their home in Minneapolis for a short time before returning to Esko. While in Minneapolis, Corky worked at Control Data. After returning to Esko, he worked at A&W in Cloquet. In 1978 Corky went to work at Conwed, and retired from USG in 2010.

Corky was a member of Apostolic Lutheran Church in Esko, Ducks Unlimited and the National Rifle Association. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and being outdoors. He also enjoyed spending time with his fur grandbabies, Bella and Lilly.

Corky was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived and will be sadly missed by his wife of 51 years, Marcia, son, Cory LeeJoice, and daughter, Nicole (Daniel) Bass, all of Esko; sister, Janice (Russell) Berglund of Carlton; five grandchildren, Alyssa (Thomas Diedrich) Lamirande, Lindsey Lamirande, Adelynn, Benjamin and Samuel Bass; nephew, Jamie Berglund; niece, Sarah (Jonathan) Houareau; and many other family and friends.

Visitation: 12 p.m. until the 2 p.m. funeral service Thursday, Nov. 19 in the Atkins Northland Funeral Home, 801 14th St., Cloquet. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery. Masks and social distancing are required. From the funeral home parking lot, the service can be heard on FM 98.3. A videorecording of the funeral service will be posted on the funeral home website Thursday afternoon. Letters and cards of condolence may be sent to the family care of the funeral home. To sign the guest book and offer an online tribute, see http://www.atkinsnorthlandfuneralhome.com.