Leona Eleanor Conway, 07 May 1920 – 16 Jan 2013

CONWAY, KIMMICK, KANKE, DORWEILER, MORWITZER, WHITEHILL

Posted By: Sandy Ficken (email)
Date: 1/24/2013 at 13:56:08

Leona Conway, 92

Mass of Christian burial for Leona E. Conway, 92, Emmetsburg, was held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at Holy Family Catholic Church. She died Jan. 16, 2013, at the Ruthven Community Care Center.

The Rev. Richard Ries officiated at the service.

Burial was in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Emmetsburg.

Martin-Mattice Funeral Home, Emmetsburg, was in charge of arrangements.

Leona Eleanor Conway was born May 7, 1920, in Marengo, the daughter of John and Nora (Kanke) Kimmick. Her father was killed in an accident when she was a young child. She and her mother moved to West Bend, where her mother did domestic work for Chris Dorweiler. Leona attended school in West Bend and graduated from West Bend High School in 1940. Chris Dorweiler adopted her later in her life.

She married Lawrence Conway Nov. 24, 1943, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Ayrshire. The couple had one son, William H. Conway. The couple farmed near Ayrshire for 18 years before moving to Emmetsburg. She then began taking classes to become a certified nurses assistant. After becoming certified, she began working in local care facilities until 1968, when she became employed at Lakeside Lutheran Home. She worked there until retiring at age 72.

Her husband died in an automobile accident in the fall of 1968.

She was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church, Emmetsburg. She raised large gardens each summer and canned the produce she grew. She also loved caring for her flowers and had a green thumb, no matter what kind of plant she was growing. While living on the farm, she enjoyed raising chickens and collecting eggs.

She loved spending time with her grandchildren and was a child at heart. She looked forward to Jacqie bringing bags of puzzles and games to her home so they could spend hours (which often turned into days) playing together. She was always ready to take a ride somewhere and often said “When the wheels pull up, I’ll be gone. Work will always be there.” Even though she said this, Leona never sat still if there was work to be done. She was constantly busy doing something and she was definitely not afraid of hard work.

Conway is survived by one son, William H. and Rose Conway, Emmetsburg; two grandchildren, Jacqie Conway, Emmetsburg, and William E. Conway, Sioux Falls, S.D.; one step-granddaughter, Corinna Morwitzer, Marshalltown; great-grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; her adoptive father; one brother, Carroll H. Kimmick, and two step-grandsons, James and Jacob Whitehill.

The Williamsburg Journal Tribune, 24 Jan 2013