Leona Evangeline Marymee

She was born Leona Evangeline Lingwall to parents Frank Olaf Lingwall and Sara Kristina (Tolin) Lingwall on April 3, 1924, in North Platte, Nebraska. Leona was the last of nine children born to the couple, who emigrated from Sweden to the United States.

Leona’s oldest brother, Martin, was age 27 at the time of her birth. Her closest sisters in age, Esther and Ellen, enjoyed having a younger sister and the trio were considered a blessing as they aided their aging parents.

She attended local public schools and graduated from high school, then spent a year at college. She later worked as a legal secretary to attorney and future Nebraska governor Robert B. Crosby.

In January 1943 Leona boarded a train from snowy North Platte and headed toward Corpus Christi, Texas to marry her beau, David Marymee, who was stationed there while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. After his discharge in 1946, the couple returned to Nebraska where Dave taught and served as a principal in public schools.

Daughter Cindy was born in North Platte on July 8, 1954. Son Mark was born in North Platte on July 25, 1958. Shortly after that, Dave accepted a teaching position at the newly completed Tennyson High School in Hayward, California and the family crammed into a Nash Rambler for the long drive westward.

The Marymees bought a house in the Cabrillo neighborhood of Fremont in 1959 and Dave and Leona lived there for more than 50 years. Dave and Leona were founding members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Fremont, where she sang joyfully in the church choir for many years.

Their youngest son, Tim, was born in Fremont on September 29, 1963.

Leona was a homemaker for more than 40 years and also worked as a school secretary in the Newark Unified School District throughout the 1970s.

She honored her Swedish roots on Christmas eve by frequently serving potataskorb and ostkaka, a Swedish cheesecake topped with lingonberries.

Her beloved husband, Dave, passed away on July 23, 2013. Leona lived in Union City and Fremont until her death on December 14, 2019.

She is survived by daughter Cindy of Fremont, son Mark of West Bloomfield, Michigan, daughter-in-law Carla of Antioch, California, son Tim, and daughter-in-law Evelyn of Kirkland, Washington, and the second light of her life, grandson Evan Marymee of Fremont, California.

A memorial service celebrating the life of Leona Evangeline Marymee will be held in early 2020 in Fremont. Details will be forthcoming.