Ione Leete

Evelyn (Ione) Larson was born on January 5, 1939 in Elkader, Iowa. She was the oldest of five children born to Harrill and Dorothy Larson. She died on June 10, 2021 after battling a long illness. She had lived in Hawkeye, Iowa since 1965 and was a resident of Maple Crest Manor in Fayette, Iowa from June 2017 until her death.

On February 4, 1961, she married Robert (Bob) Leete in Elgin, Iowa. They had two children, Lisa and William (Bill). During her career, she worked at Ma Bell telephone company offices in Elkader and Oelwein, the West Union Elementary School as a teacher’s aide, and as a bank teller at the Hawkeye Bank. She retired from the Hawkeye Bank in December 2001.

Ione, as she was best known by family and friends, loved to golf, read, play cards and was always up for a game of any kind with family and friends. The Leete family card game was ‘Huckly-Buck’, where the rules/stakes changed every time it was played. Other favorites over the years were Uno and Phase 10. She loved to travel with her family and enjoyed many trips to visit her son and daughter-in-law in Chicago, Illinois as well as her daughter and son-in-law in Whitmore Lake, Michigan. Holidays at either of those locations were always special. She was a member of the Hawkeye United Methodist Church.

Survivors include her husband Robert (Bob) of Hawkeye; children, Lisa (Lowell) Hanson of Whitmore Lake, Michigan and Bill (Annie) Leete of Chicago, Illinois; brothers, LeRoy (Danice) Larson of New Hampton, Iowa and Larry (Lanette) Larson of Colorado Springs, Colorado; sister, Kathy Nagle of Charleston, South Carolina and Carol Scherf of Garnavillo, Iowa; brothers-in-law, Bruce Leete of Clintonville, Wisconsin and Mark (Robin) McMillan of Newport Beach, California; as well as a number of nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by  her parents, Harrill and Dorothy Larson; grandparents, Olavas and Betsy Larson; step-mother, Mabel Larson; sisters, Laura Scott and Beverly Fischer; and brothers-in-law, Arthur Scherf and Henry Fischer.

A memorial service for Ione and Bob Leete will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 25, 2022, at the United Methodist Church in Hawkeye with Lay Servant, Mona Christie officiating. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Friday, June 24 at Becker & Son Funeral Home in Hawkeye and for one hour preceding services at the Church on Saturay. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be sent to the Hawkeye Methodist Church, the Hawkeye Public Library, or the Fayette County Food Shelf.