Our mother, Leone Therese Anderson, passed away peacefully on December 15, 2019, surrounded by family. Mom had been the quiet & steady center of the tornado that was her life with Dad & six kids. She had always nurtured, protected & given them a meaningful shove when required.
Mom was born at home May 30, 1930, on the Coggon, Iowa, farm where she grew up. She is now reunited with her parents, Patrick C. & Edna King McEnany, her adored older siblings, Margaret Mary Dolan, Donald McEnany & Helen Klein, and her infant daughter Maribeth Anderson. We know the first in line to greet her was her devoted husband, Richard.
After attending Clarke College, she was active in the friendship & service sorority Epsilon Sigma Alpha, and served as President of the Iowa state chapter. Mom worked at Collins Radio Company (which became part of Rockwell International) in Cedar Rapids. It was there that she met Richard Warren Anderson, the affable Electrical Engineer who assisted on the complicated parts of a technical manual she was writing. Married in 1956, Dick & Leone spent the next five decades in Iowa & then Richardson, TX collaborating on the complicated life of parents to six children, all who blessedly grew to be functional, productive adults of whom she was very proud.
Mom worked for Sears in Plano for over 20 years & took wonderful care of Dad until his death from dementia in 2003. She spent the rest of her life in Carrollton with her daughter Teri, son in law Russell DeGrow & grandchildren Keith & Elaine. We will be forever grateful to them.
Leone is survived by daughters Trish, Jeanne, Teri & Cathy (Roberts); their respective spouses, Dale Morgan, Andy Caulo & Russell DeGrow; sons Kurt & Ty & their wives Diana & Julie Anderson. “Mi” will be missed by her 14 grandchildren: Laura Heusler, Drew Morgan, Stevie & Joe Caulo, Keith & Laney DeGrow, Erin, Brooke & Abby Roberts, Haley Reynolds, Katie Anderson, and Meg, Kevin & Scott Anderson. They are joined by “grands in law” David Heusler, Cristie Morgan & David Reynolds. Elyse Jane Heusler is fortunate to have been loved by her great grandmother with the beautiful white hair. She also leaves numerous nieces & nephews for whom Aunt Leone was the final tie to her generation.
We would like to thank her caregivers, Tracey & Karon, for the compassion they demonstrated. Mom & all of us appreciated them more than they could know.
We are sorrowful, but also happy that she is in a place of love, peace & rest. Get some sleep, Mom.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on December 27, 2019, at 1:00 pm, at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plano. Prior to Mass, a rosary service will be held beginning at noon, followed by a brief visitation; interment to follow at Ridgeview West Memorial Park in Frisco, Texas.