Leona Eleanor (Skones) Larson

Leona Elenore Skones Larson, age 93, most beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother, was reunited with our Lord and all her family in Heaven on Friday Feb. 5 ^th 2016 at the Marias Care Center.  She passed peacefully of natural causes surrounded by the love of her family.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Wednesday, February 10, at Whitted Funeral Chapel in Shelby.  Funeral services will be held on Thursday, February 11 ^th at 11 a.m. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Shelby.  Inurnment will be at the Mountain View Cemetery at a later date.   There will be a reception for friends and family at the Lutheran Church Hall following the service.

Leona was born June 15, 1922 to Martina and Mikal Skones in Dodson, Montana which was near the Skones homestead in Turner, MT.  She grew up on the family farm with one sister and three brothers.  She started her music education at a very early age and began teaching her younger brother Maurie how to play piano when she was just the age of twelve.  He later went on to become a Doctor of Music directing the Choir of the West at Pacific Lutheran University, while she went on giving piano lessons to close to a thousand students over 78 years.  She attended Elementary through High School in Turner, then went on to Havre and received two year Education degree. She taught in Jordan where she would teach Clara Brown in 8 ^th Grade, her future best friend and mother in-law to her son who would not be born for three more years.  Her next teaching job would be in Charlo, Montana where she would meet her husband Gerald through his sister Betty, who was Leona’s high school student.  Gerald and Leona married in Seattle and settled back in Charlo on the family dairy farm where they started their family of ten children.  During this time they followed Gerald’s construction jobs, which would continue in Charlo and move to Cut Bank, Chinook, Turner, Harlem, Galata, Shelby, Missoula, and ultimately back to Shelby for the rest of their family consumed lives.  Leona was heavily involved in church no matter where she lived, having raised her entire family close to our Lord.  She played the organ at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church for 28 years as well as participating in the church choir and teaching Sunday school.  During this journey she continued to educate piano students and taught at several county schools as well as Hutterite Colonies, as Leona’s passion for teaching music had grown well beyond the political realm.

During her time in Missoula she attended The University of Montana to finish her Bachelor’s degree in Teaching and graduated in 1973.  She did this while working at the Missoula Library and also raising five children at home.   After graduating she continued to teach and was also the Principal at Lolo Public Schools before returning to Shelby.  Construction opportunities brought the family back to Shelby where Gerald eventually opened a custom cabinet and appliance store on Main Street.  During retirement years they both enjoyed the family and closely knit community that they would have such a positive effect on.

Leona always made sure no one ever went hungry.  If you came to visit she would  put together a 5 course meal before you knew it,  and you would eat, hungry or not.  Piano students always had brownies or cookies and juice to greet them and they didn’t have to knock on the door when they arrived. Everyone knew her routine and it worked for all.

Leona is preceded in death by her parents, Martina and Mikal Skones, Siblings Alice Brownfield, Bernard Skones, Marvin Skones, and Maurice Skones, Husband Gerald L Larson, Sr, daughter Kathlyn Larson, son David Larson, son Michael Larson, granddaughter Sofia Larson.  Survivors daughter Charlotte (Tennison) Doney, son Jerry Larson, Jr. (Nyla), daughter Judy (David) Dunk, son Jim (Bridget) Larson, daughter Lila (Lee) Scholl, daughter Cindy (Dale) Doane, and daughter Tina (John) Hagman, 21 Grandchildren, 30 Great Grand Children and 3 Great Great Grandchldren.