- Date Of Birth: March 31, 1936
- Date Of Death: June 23, 2021
- State: Iowa
Lea Marie Stermer, 85, passed away at Scottish Rite Park in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 23, 2021. Lea was born in Butte, Montana, on March 31, 1936, to John Likarish and Bernardine Scott Likarish. Though Lea was an only child, the household was full of family, including her grandmother, great aunt, and great uncle. It was a multi-generational home that was full of love and fun.
The family made several moves over the years, following Lea’s father and his work for the Great Northern Railway. Havre, Montana, Spokane, Washington, and finally St. Paul, Minnesota, were steps in the family’s journey. St. Paul was where Lea graduated from high school and went on to the University of Minnesota to major in Dietetics.
She married Don Bjorlin in 1959 and had two daughters, Blair and Lynn. Lea worked as a dietitian at various hospitals in Minnesota (Waseca, Mankato, Faribault, and Winona) and in Iowa (Des Moines and Ames). In 1972 Lea married Levi Stermer and added his six children to the family.
In 1984, Lea went back to school and earned a Master of Health Administration while working at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. The timing was very convenient, as it was the year that she and Levi became empty-nesters since both girls were off at college.
Lea retired from Mary Greeley Medical Center as Director of Dietetic Services in 1999. In her retirement, she enjoyed traveling, painting, metaphysics, P.E.O., and being a grandmother. The 27 years spent in Ames, Iowa, were the longest she had lived in any one place, and she always looked fondly at her years there.
A chance meeting with an artist from Ames brought her into the fold of a group of painters. She enjoyed her Mondays during retirement which was filled with painting and friendship. In Lea’s apartment at Scottish Rite Park, she had over 25 of her paintings hung for everyone to enjoy.
Her favorite retirement activity was being a grandmother to Libby and Nile. “Gigi” and her grandchildren spent many hours at the Des Moines Science Center, Blank Park Zoo, the carousel in Story City, and the Iowa State Fair, in addition to lots of weekends at her home in Ames.
The move to Scottish Rite Park in Des Moines was brought on by health reasons but was a blessing in disguise. Aside from being only ten minutes away from Lynn, Lea met some wonderful people and developed new friendships. The affection and care she received while there were tremendous, and made her final years (and especially months) very peaceful.
She is survived by a daughter: Lynn Bjorlin of Des Moines; a daughter and son-in-law, Blair and Dave Wagner, of Coralville; and two grandchildren: Libby Wagner of Eugene, Oregon, and Nile Wagner of Iowa City. Six stepchildren also survive Carol, Barb, Donna, Joanne, Joe, and Norma, as well as many step-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Levi, and her parents, grandmother, great aunt, and great uncle.
