Leona M. (Myers)Thomas

Leona M. (Myers)Thomas, born August 8, 1935 in Conrad, Mont., passed away on June 9, 2019. She was the second of three girls. Only a year apart, they grew up on the farm in Ledger where her father staked claim near the end of the Homestead Act. She attended Central School, a one-room schoolhouse, until attending Conrad High School.

She married her high school sweetheart, Lee Thomas, on September 16, 1953 in Conrad. They lived and worked on the farm of Lee’s parents, Jim and Mary Turk, until he joined the U.S. Border Patrol in 1957. In his 28 years with the Patrol, they were stationed in Harlingen, Texas, Browning , Malta, Mont., and Grand Forks, ND. They spent their retirement in Phoenix, Ariz. Leona then moved to Loveland, Ohio in 2003 to be near their daughter, Elaine Sharp, after Lee passed away.

Leona had that pioneering, self-sufficient spirit. She mastered many homemaking skills, with very little she couldn’t do. She grew a garden every summer full of flowers and vegetables. Flowers she arranged from that garden won show competitions. Leona created recipes to prepare the wild meat that she and Lee hunted, and canned fruits and vegetables. She decorated cakes for weddings and special occasions and her pies were blue ribbon winners. She was a masterful seamstress, making everything from formal gowns to sport coats. She could fix the plumbing, paint the house, upholster and refinish the furniture. After the children were grown, she volunteered at the hospital, sang first soprano with Sweet Adelines and acted in community theatre.

Leona was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Laurel Holly, parents Charles Roland “Rolly” Myers and Lillian (Beard) Myers, her sisters Alice VanDessel and Inez Johnson, and her husband Lee Thomas. She is survived by her children Elaine Sharp of Loveland, Ohio, Dan (Joan) from Fargo, ND and David (Erin) from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Leona was blessed with 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Friday, June 14th, 2019 at 2 p.m. at Lakeview United Church of Christ, 8639 Columbia Rd, Maineville OH 45039. A small fellowship reception followed until 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in her memory to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, your local hospice, or the Border Patrol Museum. Leona’s ashes will be returned to Hillside Cemetery in Conrad to rest with her husband.