Leona M. (Langstraat) De Vries, 87, of Peoria, passed away Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at Jefferson Place in Pella. Funeral service was at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Peoria Christian Reformed Church. Interment followed in the Peoria Cemetery. Memorials are suggested for the Peoria Christian School Foundation.
Leona Mae (Langstraat) De Vries was born Mar. 7, 1932, at home on a farm three miles south of Oskaloosa. She was the third of five children of Henry and Nellie (Kelderman) Langstraat. Each day, she walked one and one-half miles to a one-room country school where she graduated from eighth grade. She started working at Kresge’s Five and Dime in Oskaloosa and later in a restaurant. Early on, she learned how to count back change and was always thankful for the fact that she had her calculator in her head.
In 1948, Leona and five other people from the Pella and Oskaloosa Protestant Reformed Churches went to a Young People’s Convention in Grand Rapids, MI. Little did she know that her husband-to-be was driving them in his relatively new Nash car. While at the convention, Leona and Harold Henry De Vries started dating, and Nov. 24, 1950, they were married and planned to start farming.
In June 1951, Harold was drafted into the United States Army. Leona was able to accompany him in Fort Knox, KY, where they lived together until 1952 when Harold was deployed to Korea. While Harold was stationed in Korea, Leona lived with Harold’s parents, Wiebe and Gertrude (Bennink) De Vries, and did housekeeping for others. During this time, she faithfully wrote him letters, prayed for his safety, and gave birth to their first child whom Harold did not see until nine months later.
In March 1953, Harold returned home safely and was reunited with his family. They began farming and Leona kept busy with a large productive garden including an abundance of canning and freezing of fruits and vegetables. While washing dishes, she spent many evenings assisting the children with memorizing the catechism, memory verses, mathematics, and spelling words. She spent countless hours doing the laundry and ironing for a family of ten. In later years, she sewed quilts and embroidered dish towels for the children and grandchildren. Her famous chocolate chip cookies became a favorite treat for visiting children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Within 14 years, Harold and Leona had eight children, six sons and two daughters: Harlan Wayne, Larry Eugene, Dennis Lee, Patricia Joy, Bryce Allen, Wavern Glen, Kevin Ray, and Kimberly June. The family eventually grew to include 19 grandchildren, followed by 50 great-grandchildren. Traditionally, the entire family of nearly 100 members gathers each year for a Christmas celebration.
Leona and Harold went on several memorable vacations to visit family and friends. They traveled to Alaska, California, Florida, Washington, and British Columbia to enjoy the ocean, mountains, and other scenery.
They have been faithful members of the Peoria Christian Reformed Church in Peoria. Leona attended many Bible studies and did volunteer work including making Dutch letter dough as a fundraiser for the Peoria Christian School.
Leona suffered a stroke in 2017 which necessitated that she lives at Jefferson Place in Pella.
Leona lived a life of faithful service to her Lord and Savior and was a devoted wife and mother. Although not highly educated, the faith lessons she taught were etched into the hearts of her children.
Leona is survived by her children and their families: Harlan (Donna) De Vries of Orange City, Larry (Rosie) De Vries of Pella, Dennis (Bev) De Vries of Pella, Pat (Stan) Dykstra of Pella, Bryce De Vries of Peoria, Wavern (Bev) De Vries of Pella, Kevin De Vries of Lynden, WA, and Kimberly (Brian) Vander Berg of Sioux Center.
Leona is survived by two brothers: Henry Junior (Cynthia) Langstraat of Otley and Terry (Coral) Langstraat of Melstone, MT; along with brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: William Dieleman of Bella Vista, AR, Syburn (Judy) De Vries of Pella, Gertrude Visser of Grand Rapids, MI, Joyce Heynen of Hull, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Henry De Vries on Sunday, May 19, 2019; a great-grandson, Collin De Vries; her parents; a stepfather, Gysbert Ryken; her sisters: Agnes and husband, Ray Van Weelden, and Emily Dieleman; her parents-in-law, Wiebe and Gertrude (Bennink) De Vries; a stepmother-in-law, Gerdena De Vries; and brothers-in-law Bob Visser and William Heynen.
