Leona Ness

Leona Louise Ness, 92, 0f Brainerd, MN passed away on March 18, 2018 at the Edgewood Vista Assisted Living Facility. Services for Leona will be at 11:00AM, Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at First Presbyterian Church of Brainerd with Pastor Mark Ford officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Interment will be 2:00PM, at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Little Falls, MN.

Leona was born to Archie and Lillian Noel. She was the seventh child born to this family and was raised by her Great Aunt Louise Hilliard in Lengby, where she attended elementary school. She attended high school in Fosston, graduating in 1943. Leona worked in Bemidji and was briefly married to Leonard Anderson who was lost at sea during WWII. She married Russell Ness on July 14, 1946 and raised two sons, Mark and Bradley. She graduated at the top of her class from the Rogers and Binner Beauty School in Minneapolis. She was self-employed with her own beauty salon for over 10 years and a resident of Brainerd for 71 years. Leona was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Brainerd since 1951 and served in many capacities, including Sunday School teacher, Women’s Debra Circle, and had served on the Board of Deacons. She was also a community volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Leona enjoyed entertaining family and friends, poetry and letter writing, needlepoint, knitting, quilting, thrift shopping and antiquing. She especially cherished time with her grandchildren, Andrew, Emily and Kirsten.

Leona is survived by her husband, Russell; son, Brig. Gen. Mark R. Ness (Jill), grandchildren, Andrew of Minneapolis, Emily of Woodbury, and Kirsten of Alexandria; step-grandchildren, Ben, Tom, and John Ramsland. She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Dr. Bradley D. Ness; and step-mother, Louise Hilliard; and the following members of her childhood adoptive family; Bill and Eva Stave; cousins, Darrel and Bud Stave; Ardelle Danks, Marion Boisjolie, and Maryln Abeldgaard. Also, preceding her were many stray cats whom she adopted over the years. Memorial donations are suggested to be given to First Presbyterian Church.

Leona deeply loved God, her husband and her family. She took great pride in her “welcoming home” and the gracious giving of herself to others. She always said that doing laundry was her “best thing” and certainly kept her family “clean and pressed” in so many ways throughout her valued life. Services have been entrusted to Brenny Funeral Chapel in Baxter, MN.

Visitation one hour prior to service. Interment at Minnesota State Veteran's Cemetery near Little Falls.