Skeens, Leann 1960-2016

SKEENS, HOHENSEE, MATAYA, PETERS

Posted By: Ruth Maring - Volunteer
Date: 12/6/2016 at 15:45:40

Leann Skeens, 55, formerly of Calamus, Iowa, went home peacefully to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Tuesday, October 25, 2016, following an extended illness.

She was born November 20, 1960, the first child of the Rev. Lowell "Bud" and Norma Hohensee in Maquoketa. Leann attended elementary schools in Prisinghar and Allison. She went on to her high school years in Calamus graduating in 1979. Leann participated in many Calamus high school musicals and played in the band. During those years she worked as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. She enjoyed water skiing and traveling on vacations with her family. It was a unique and enjoyable experience for her to have a German exchange student, Martina Girth, live with the family for her junior year.

Leann confirmed her faith in March of 1976 at St. John's Lutheran Church rural Greene, with her father, Pastor Hohensee officiating. She had been active in Sunday school and church during all of her childhood. Leann attended classes preparing for her confirmation day and continued her walk of faith by participating in high school church youth activities. She attended Wartburg College in Waverly studying to be an elementary teacher. Leann graduated with honors with a BA in Christian, preschool and Elementary Education. During her college summer breaks Leann enjoyed being a camp counselor at Riverside Bible Camp in Story City. Also during college years she met, dated, and became engaged to John Skeens.

After her college years, Leann married John Skeens July 23, 1983, at Faith Lutheran in Calamus. They moved to Ankeny where she taught 7th grade Reading while John worked on his PhD. At the same time Leann worked on her Masters in English from Iowa State University which she completed in 1989. Leann and John moved to Switzerland where John finished his research while Leann took time off to have their first child, Carl in 1988. While living in Meyrin near Geneva, they went on weekend outings to downtown Geneva where they enjoyed the sights, beautiful parks and watched the American tourists go by. They attended an old small Lutheran church in the old town of Geneva on Sundays.

Leann and her family moved to Houston in 1990 where they settled while John worked on research at Rice University. They welcomed their second child, Sarah in 1991. Leann and John were both in the choir at St Matthew Lutheran church in Houston. They also enjoyed going to the beach in Galveston and also the Houston Zoo and Parks. They would take Carl to ride the train at the park after church on Sundays. While in Houston, Leann also took a job working as a half-time teacher at a Jewish grade school.

In 1992 the family moved to Warrenville, Illinois. Leann worked to take care of Carl and Sarah while John worked at Fermilab for Rice University. In 1993, Leann and her family moved to Glendale Heights, Illinois where she became a pillar in her church community at Family in Faith Christian (FIF) Church. John took a job working on Hearing products at Bio-logic systems (now Natus Medical). Leann worked at home to raise the growing family. She was a founding member of the FIF church and in the beginning was the church council secretary. Through the years at Family in Faith she has been a song leader in the church worship team band, taught Sunday School classes, served with ABBA preschool, led and participated in bible studies and participated in the prayer teams. She especially enjoyed doing special music on several occasions with her husband John at various services.

In 1997, Leann and John welcomed their third child, Elisabeth "Lisa". At the same time Leann went back to school and attained her Masters of Library Sciences from Dominican University in 1999. She worked part-time at the Lombard Public Library in the Youth Services. Leann then took on a full-time position at the Lisle Public Library as the Program Coordinator in Youth Services. After several years at Lisle, she then took on a position working as the Youth Services Director/Manager at the Roselle Public Library. Leann loved working with children encouraging them to read books! This was her main aim, to get kids to read. Some of her favorite library work was planning the programs, managing portions of the book collections, book discussions, community outreach, storytimes and facilitating the library Reader Theater Program.

Leann was an avid reader. She read adult, history, romance, documentaries, children's fiction; she read everything. She enjoyed time with her and John's extended families and their own children. Later in life she also enjoyed time with her children's spouses and especially her grandchildren. Leann loved celebrating holidays at her house. She also loved her pets, walking her dogs and lounging with her cat. Leann loved music especially singing hymns and praise music and song leading at church.

Surviving are her husband John; their three children, Carl (Tara) and their daughter, Erin, Sarah (Rafael) and their daughter, Anela and Lisa "Elisabeth"; her mother, Mrs. Norma Hoensee of DeWitt; her brother, Jay L. Hohensee and his wife, Kim of Broomfield, Colorado; her sister, Lorraine Mataya and her husband, Mark of Urbandale; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Those preceding her in death were her father and her grandparents, Henry and Reka Peters and Milton and Marie Hohensee.