Leona C Barcus

Leona C. Barcus, 83, of Sioux City passed away Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014.
Services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Burial will be in Banner Township Cemetery at Lawton, Iowa. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. today, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home.
Mrs. Barcus was born on Oct. 10, 1931, in Colome, S.D., the daughter of Charles and Ida (VanOverschelde) DeSmet. She graduated from Colome High School and then graduated from Southern State Teachers College in Springfield, S.D., with her teaching certificate.
She taught at country schools until she married Rex D. Barcus on June 3, 1950, at St. Isadora’s Catholic Church in Colome. During their marriage, her husband worked at Fullerton Lumber Co. and they lived in Colome, Winner, Wessington Springs, Corsica, and Kimball, S.D., as well as in Lohrville and Anthon, Iowa. Leona worked as a bookkeeper for Fullerton while living in Anthon.
In 1977 the couple moved to Tyndall, S.D., where they owned and operated the Coast to Coast Hardware Store until 1986, when they moved to Sioux City. In Sioux City, she worked at Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center for several years before she retired in 1996. After retirement, she babysat for several of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and volunteered at the Bargain Center.
All of her life she was extremely active in the Catholic Church as a member of the Catholic Daughters of America, serving as a sacristan, usher, hosting showers for members of the church, and CCD teacher.
During her life she volunteered as a Boy Scout leader in Anthon and as an EMT in Anthon and Tyndall. When she was not working or volunteering, she enjoyed baking pies, collecting tea sets, dolls and plates, reading and collecting books of all kinds, listening to music, singing, playing piano, sewing, embroidering items such as dish towels and pillow cases that she could give to her family, shopping, rummage sales, writing letters, traveling, keeping a diary, watching "Days of Our Lives" and eating chocolate. She also enjoyed saying the rosary every day. She was extremely proud of her family and enjoyed spending time with them. She always made sure that everyone got a birthday card on their birthdays and everyone got a special Christmas present from her every year.
Survivors include two sons, Jerry and his wife, Theresa (Putzier), of Sioux City, and John and his husband, Dr. William Crone, of Winston-Salem, N.C.; four daughters, Kay and her husband, Richard Sands, of Lawton, Iowa, Yvette and her husband, Jerry Stratton, of Moville, Iowa, Lori and her husband, Rick Diamond, of Warrenton, Va., and Tracy Barcus of Virginia, N.C.; 21 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; two brothers, Louis DeSmet and his wife, Valda, and Claire DeSmet and his wife, Modenna; one sister, Imogene DeSmet; a brother-in-law, Mark Huber; and three sisters-in-law, Loretta Stroud, Marylyn DeSmet and Margo DeSmet.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 50 years; her parents; her parents-in-law; three brothers, Julius DeSmet, Charles DeSmet Jr. and Joe DeSmet; three sisters, Madeline Watzel, Sadie Krizan and baby Marie DeSmet; and several brothers and sisters in-law.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons, Jarret Sands, TJ Stratton, Adam Barcus, Anthony Diamond and Matthew Barcus; and her great-grandson, Blake Stratton.