LaVonne Marie Leonard

She was born on December 26, 1942, in Wadena Minnesota to Lyle and Lilian Hendershot. LaVonne grew up in Rochester, Minnesota where she attended John Marshall Senior High School, Rochester Junior College, and then went on to Wartburg College in Iowa where she graduated with her degree in elementary education. While at Wartburg, she met the love of her life, John Leonard. They were married in the Wartburg Seminary Chapel in 1966. John became an Army officer in 1967 and did a tour in the Vietnam War. While John was deployed, LaVonne taught school in Iowa. After his Army service, John and LaVonne moved to his native Wisconsin where they settled in Milwaukee where LaVonne worked at a bank and as a secretary for a law group and still taught school as a substitute teacher. John and LaVonne lived in a high-rise apartment in downtown Milwaukee which gave them access to work and cultural events. They later moved to South Milwaukee where they enjoyed nature, hiking, and cross-country skiing. John and LaVonne relocated to Greeley, Colorado in 2020 and were happily married for over 50 years.

LaVonne is preceded in death by her parents, brother Larry Hendershot, sister Linda Hendershot and her husband John. LaVonne is survived by her nephew, Michael Hendershot and niece, Jennifer Johnston of Colorado; nephew, Mike Emery of Wisconsin; nephew, Dan Emery of Minnesota; niece, Amy Skains of Montana; and niece, Christine McGuire of Wisconsin.