On Wednesday, July 5, 2023, Dr. Leslie Harold McFarling, 74, passed away in the company of his wife and children. He was continuing his fight with cancer at the time of his passing. Les was the eldest son of Harold Ellsworth and Mona Avonell (Christensen) McFarling, born on November 15, 1948, in Hot Springs, South Dakota. The Family moved to a ranch near Gann Valley, SD in 1950 and remained there until after Harold’s death in 1977. As a young boy, Les enjoyed life on the plains of South Dakota. With beautiful pale blue skies, plentiful sunshine, and the forces of nature; he gained humility as a rancher that shaped the man he became.
He attended grades 1-8 in Gann Valley, SD, followed by high school in Wessington Springs. He enrolled at the University of South Dakota from 1967 until 1974, where he earned his Bachelors, Masters, and PhD degrees. He held deep appreciation for the sacrifices his parents made to provide him with an education, as well as for the invaluable academic opportunities presented to him by his professors and mentors in graduate school, Dr. Norm Heimstra and Dr. Vern Ellingstad.
Les met Kathryn (Kitti) Trudeau at USD in 1968, and they were married in 1969. They were blessed with two sons, Mark (1970) and Ryan (1974). Their marriage ended in divorce in 1990, but their respect for each other as individuals endured.
While at USD, he was a member of ROTC and was a Distinguished Military Graduate, receiving his commission in August 1971, entering active duty in June 1974 and serving at the Academy of Health Sciences at Fort Sam Houston, Texas until his honorable discharge in 1978 at the rank of Captain. After leaving the Army, the family moved to Virginia where Les worked as a contractor and selfemployed consultant until 1992 when he became an Army civilian.
Les’s professional milestones include serving as Director of the Army Substance Abuse Program, managing a contract research firm, contributing to GPS implementation in US Army helicopters, designing control implementation of US Army howitzers, managing overseas construction projects, and authoring and publishing books, scholarly articles and papers in the field of Psychology. His impactful career spanned across various regions of the US, Central America, Asia, and Europe.
Les met his current wife Alisa Harvey in 2000 and they were united in their marriage in 2001. This marriage was blessed with a stepdaughter Virginia and a son, Skylar (2002). Les and Alisa have continually made their home in Manassas, Virginia.
Les was predeceased by his parents, both sets of grandparents and numerous aunts and uncles. Les is survived by his wife Alisa Harvey, sons Mark McFarling, Ryan (Julia) McFarling, and Skylar McFarling, stepdaughter, Virginia Hill, his brother, James (Faith) McFarling, niece, Samantha (Ben) Nelson, and nephew Lee McFarling, numerous cousins, whom he had a closeness with, and nieces and nephews.
Services will be held on Friday, July 14th, under the direction of Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street Manassas, VA 20110, (703) 257-6028. Viewing at 2pm followed by the service at 4pm. Interment will be held Monday, July 17th 10am at Quantico National Cemetery, 18424 Joplin Rd, Triangle, VA 22172. Contributions in Les’s memory may be made to the American Lung Association at lung.org.
