- Date Of Birth: April 7, 1918
- Date Of Death: August 29, 2015
- State: Michigan
Leona Margaret Caldecourt went home to her Heavenly Father on Saturday, August 29, 2015. She passed away at her home in Midland, MI, at the age of 97, with her family present.
Leona M. Caldecourt was born on April 7, 1918, in Beaverton, Michigan, to Chris Asch and Lydia (Steinhaus) Asch.
Leona was raised in Beaverton, Michigan. She and her sisters and brothers grew up on the family farm in Beaverton, where they all worked together to provide for the family during very difficult times. The family was very involved in their church as a place of worship and as a place to socialize, The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Beaverton, MI, was their home church.
Leona graduated from Beaverton High School in 1936 and then attended Bay City Business School for a secretarial education after high school. During that time, she lived in the family home of her cousin and best friend, Mae Collet. Leona then was employed by the Dow Chemical Company as a teletype operator until she started her family. Leona was always proud that during her single, working years, she was able to save and purchase her piano and her Chevy Coupe.
Leona met Victor J. Caldecourt in 1943 at a church social gathering in Midland. Victor also worked at Dow Chemical as a physicist. They had a short courtship and were married on July 11, 1943. They were married for 69 years.
Leona and Victor resided in Midland, and in 1946, their first child was born. They made plans to build a home on Patterson Road in the Bullock Creek School area and lived there many years where they raised their four children.
Leona had several interests and hobbies which included church activities with her family and friends (RLDS Church, later called The Community of Christ). She enjoyed participating in the LaDaSa circle group, organizing worship centers, working on dinners, singing in the choir, and playing the piano for church and choir. God was the anchor of her life, and she taught the Christian faith to her children. She also enjoyed sewing and going to their cottage, camping with family, and camping and hiking with their special friends, the Pearson’s and the Reynold’s. One of her favorite outings was going out to eat with family – especially the buffets!
Family was very important to our mother and father. God and Jesus have them now, but we miss them both so much. We love you Mom, we love you, Dad! We will all be together some day with you again!
Leona’s husband, Victor Caldecourt, pre-deceased her in May of 2012. Her siblings, Margory Asch, Ilene Houle, Vyril Asch, and Col. Alfred Asch also pre-deceased her. Daniel Asch, her half-brother, survives her. In addition, several nieces and nephews survive her.
Surviving are Leona’s children: Sandra (Roy) Dunlap of Midland, Kathy Kemp of Midland, Joanne (Dennis) Burghardt of Sanford, and Alfred (Terri) Caldecourt of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Surviving also are grandchildren, Brian Dunlap, Kelly Bauer, Laura Neal, Eric Scott, Edward Scott, Megan Caldecourt, Joshua Caldecourt, Nathaniel Caldecourt, Greg Burghardt, and Kevin Burghardt; and 11 great-grandchildren.
A special thanks is extended to the dedicated caregivers who took care of our mother (and father, also, when he was with us) in their home for several years. The caregivers made Mom’s (and Dad’s) quality of life so much better during the difficult years when they could no longer care for themselves. Thank you also to Grace Hospice for their care of our mother during the last year-and-a-half of her life.
