Darlene 'Dee' A. Leaman

Darlene Dee A. Leaman, age 77, of Mason City, died Tuesday, November 10, 2009, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City. A memorial celebration will be held from 2:00 PM 4:00 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009 in the fellowship hall at St. Johns Episcopal Church, 120 1st St. N.E. with Rev. Wendy Abrahamson. Friends are invited to come and share memories with family and each other. Inurnment will be at Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to Hospice of North Iowa or Una Vocis.

Dee was born on February 26, 1932, to Edward E. and Anna (Sodawasser) McNary in Mason City, Iowa, the second of five daughters. She and her sisters Jean Schutz (Earl) of Mason City, Jeanette Ream (Jack) of Omaha, Shirley McNary of Mason City, and Susan Bruns (Clarence LeRoy) of Northwood and her cousin Harold Cook of Mason City were always very close. She married Jack Leaman in 1952 and they have four children: Jeffrey (Holly Briggs), Danna (George Greene), Jay (Kristine) and Duree (Ross Wyatt). There are eight grandchildren: Caree (Cass) Davis, Kaylin (Jason) Bosworth, Brett (Mandi) Ries, Tiffany (David) Lauer, Ted (Crystal Nielson), Larke, Nick, and Tyvon. There are seven great grandchildren: Jaycee Scholl, Tyler, Kallon, and Jaydin Bosworth; Carter and Colden Davis, and Charlee Nielson.

Dee graduated from Mason City High School (Class of 1950), studied at Santa Barbara City College, the University of Iowa, North Iowa Area Community College, and Iowa State University, where she completed a Bachelors Degree with honours in Sociology in 1980. Language, reading, teaching, and learning were a rich part of her professional, community, and family life, which she delighted in sharing with others: she studied Spanish and taught English as a Second language to Spanish-speaking immigrants to the United States; she was a literacy tutor and worked as a librarian at Mason City High School, Albuquerque Public Library, Colorado Springs public schools, MacNider Art Museum, and Hamilton College in Mason City. She was a long-standing member of Mason Citys Monday Club. She shared her passion for books and reading with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Geneology was both a professional and personal interest. As a librarian, she loved helping with family history research, and she spent a lot of time researching her own family history. Not coming to a finishing place was one of her few regrets.

Outside of her family and her work, she volunteered much of her time and enthusiasm to church, school, and broader community activities and causes. While her children were growing up she was much involved in church and Sunday school, Scouting, and the P.T.A. She supported her musical grand-children through the Instrumental Music Boosters Board of Mason City High School. She was an active member of the MCHS Alumni Association, the League of Women Voters, and N.O.W. As one of the founding members of the Mason City Foundation, she had an instrumental role in the preservation and restoration of the Meredith Willson Boyhood Home and development of The Music Man Square.

Dee lived in Mason City until she married Jack. She created warm and welcoming homes for her family and friends wherever they lived: Ames, Iowa (1952-1954), Denver, Colorado (1954-1955), Bartlesville, Oklahoma (1955-1958), Santa Barbara, California (1958-1966), Mason City (1966-1973), Des Moines (1973-1975), Iowa City (1975-1977), Mason City (1977-1979), Ames (1979-1981), Albuquerque, New Mexico (1981-1985), Colorado Springs, Colorado (1985-1990), returning to Mason City in 1990. The home she and Jack made together on Sunset Lake in Mason City is a cherished and happy gathering place for family and friends. She was happy to be home again.