Died: 4 May 2016

Scheunemann, Leona A. (nee Wilkens), 92, of West Bend, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, 4 May 2016, at the Waterford of West Bend.

Leona Alma Wilkens was born on 14 January 1924, to Otto and Augusta (nee Nitzsche) Wilkens. She was the youngest of four children born on the Wilkens’ homestead in the Town of Farmington. She was baptized, confirmed and married at St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Newburg where she also attended Christian grade school. Along with her siblings Art, Elmer, and Arline, she helped her parents on the farm. She worked at an egg plant in Cedarburg, at the Aluminum factory in West Bend during war time inspecting gun shells and briefly at Amity before planning her wedding. On 27 April 1946, she married Hilbert Scheunemann. Together they farmed and raised their family in the Town of Farmington. They enjoyed square dancing and traveling with their “Trip Friends”. Their marriage was blessed with three children, Curtis, Conrad and Carol. All the children helped with the work on the farm. Leona had a large garden and many flowers. She canned and cooked for extra guests at different times. Much of her time was spent working on the fields and seeing the beauty of nature around her. Stones fascinated her. She often ended up taking a few home. An animal lover, she cared for horses, sheep, dogs, and cats. She also liked milking cows. She made her own milking stool. She worked at all kinds of needlework and picture albums. Leona loved singing and was a member of St. John’s choir and Ladies Auxiliary. Continuing into her later years she visited many shut-ins. She cut lawn and swam at the YMCA until her late eighties. Her love for history prompted her to write her own story “Farm Roots Run Deep 1 & 2”.

Those Leona leaves behind to cherish her memory include three children, Curtis (Nancy) Scheunemann, Conrad (Darlene) Scheunemann and Carol (Douglas) Frank; six grandchildren; Kevin (Karen) Scheunemann, Steven (Lacy) Scheunemann, Nathan (Dana) Scheunemann, Lisa (Philip) Miller, Jeremy (special friend Karen) Frank and Ryan (Morgan) Frank; 6 step-grandchildren, Lee (Kris) Voge, Lisa (Ralph) Guernsey, John (Lisa) Voge, Frank (Robyn) Voge, Teresa (Kevin) Young and Jacqueline Schiebel; 8 great-grandchildren, Dylan, Alyssa, Kaitlyn, Peyton, Stuart, Nicole, Megan and Griffin; a brother-in-law, Louis (Alice) Scheunemann, many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Leona was preceded in death by her husband, Hilbert in 1998; her parents, Otto and Augusta Wilkens; a granddaughter in infancy, Angela Scheunemann; two brothers, Arthur (Adeline) and Elmer (Esther) Wilkens; a sister, Arline (Waldemar) Luft, and three nephews, Glen, Fred and Martin Wilkens.

A Funeral Service for Leona was held at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, 2016, at St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church, 623 Congress St., in Newburg. Rev. Kurt Schaser officiated and burial followed in the church cemetery.

Leona is a 5th generation descendant of Friedrich and Rosina Seidemann and is pictured on pages 47, 54, and 55 in the 4th edition of our family tree book. She is also listed on page 111 of that book with her family information. Her genealogy line is as follows: Friedrich, Traugott, Emma, Otto, and Leona. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.