Leta Maloney, 90, died on Friday afternoon, May 4, 2007, in Tuscola, Illinois, her home since 1946. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, May 7, at Hilligoss-Shrader Funeral Home, 705 South Main Street, Tuscola, IL. Funeral services, conducted by the Rev. Kenneth Roedder, will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, at the funeral home. Burial will be in Tuscola Township Cemetery.

Leta Ethel Dunn was born, on Nov. 8, 1916, in a sod house on the farm her parents had homesteaded near Otis, Colorado. She was the youngest of the four children of Ellis and Lora Stumbaugh Dunn. Leta's father died when she was 12, and her mother later married John Green.

As there was no money to enroll full-time in teachers' college when Leta graduated from high school during the Depression, she attended classes that summer to enable her to teach in a country school in the fall. Teaching was a job she dearly loved and which she pursued until her retirement in 1976. Before Tuscola had a public kindergarten, Leta organized private summer classes for five year olds. From 1947 until she retired, she taught second grade at South Ward Elementary. Former students still reminisce about the authentic Indian dances they learned in her class, as well as the butterfly and seashell collections she shared with them. Attending college almost entirely in the summer, Leta completed bachelor's and master's degrees and most of the requirements for a doctorate in education from the University of Illinois. She was one of Tuscola's Teachers of the Year.

Leta was also extremely active in Tuscola Woman's Club, Alpha Delta Kappa, an education sorority, the Tuscola Education Association (all of which she served as president), the Douglas County Retired Teachers Association and the DAR. She was proud to trace her ancestry to figures in the American Revolution.

According to a note Leta left for her family, she was especially proud of three things related to her club work: successfully establishing state-wide a program to honor women with 25 and 50 years of service to Woman's Club, something she had initiated in the Tuscola Club; writing news articles and maintaining a media book that won many district and state awards; and serving as literature chairman for the local club for 14 years. She was the club's "Jewel" chairman, presenting 50-year awards to more than 35 women and qualifying for one herself. During one of her terms as president, the Tuscola Woman's Club won an award for recruiting the most new members of any club in the state.

Leta and Glen Eugene Maloney were married on Dec. 28, 1941, in her parents' home in McCook. At that time, Gene was an industrial arts teacher at Chrisman. During World War II, he worked as a civilian instructor for the Air Force, first at Chanute Field and later in Lincoln, Nebraska, Willow Run, Michigan, and Renton, Washington. In 1946 the couple moved to Tuscola, where Gene taught industrial arts for 26 years and also served as athletic director and JV coach. They built their home on East Pembroke Street in 1950, and it was the scene of many dinners and pinochle parties for a group of faculty friends. Gene retired in 1972.

In retirement, the couple fulfilled their love of travel with trips throughout the United States and to Hawaii, Japan, Europe, Russia, the South Pacific, Greece and Turkey. Accompanying them on many of these adventures were long-time friends Frieda and Johnny Morris. A trip to Switzerland with Leta's niece, Marcia Traner and her husband, Mickey, was especially exciting, as they visited the castle near Oberhoffen on Lake Thun that had been the home of Leta's ancestors since the 1300s. After each trip, Leta compiled massive scrapbooks that have been donated to the Tuscola library.

Another great joy of their retirement years was Gene's participation in Senior Olympics in Missouri and Illinois. Leta was his biggest fan as he won countless medals in his eighties and nineties and qualified for national competition.

Leta and Gene celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1991 with a surprise party at Liga's Restaurant. Their 60th, five months before Gene' death at age 93 on May 30, 2002, was a quiet dinner with family members. Leta had been a resident of Tuscola Health Care Center since 2003.

She is survived by: nieces, Marcia (Mickey) Traner, North Platte, Nebraska; and Patty (Howard) Williamson, St. Louis, Missouri, and Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin; a sister-in-law, Opal Dunn, McCook, Nebraska; great nieces, Dasha (Brian) Dooley, Antioch, California; and Lynn Hicks, St. Louis, Missouri; a great nephew, Michael (Theresa) Williamson, Cypress, Texas; great-great nieces, Michelle Williamson, Dallas, Texas; Megan (John) Vance, Murray, Kentucky; Rebecca (Reed) Artim, Fort Worth, Texas; Mary Williamson, Austin, Texas; Katie Hicks, New Rochelle, New York; Cheryl Williamson, Austin, Texas; Lauren Crowder, St. Peters, Missouri; and Jacqueline Williamson, Cypress, Texas; a great-great nephew, Jeremy (Amy) Crowder, St. Louis, Missouri; a great-great-great nephew and two great-great-great-nieces, Jacob and Taylor Crowder, St. Louis, Missouri; and Madison Vance, Murray, Kentucky; and a great-grandson-in-law, Tim Crowder, St. Peters, Missouri.

Leta was predeceased by her brothers, Loral, Lyle and Audlie Dunn, a sister-in-law, Dorothy Maloney Lewis, and a great-niece, Lisa Williamson Crowder.

The family is grateful for the loving care given to Leta by Dr. Randall McGeff and the staff at Tuscola Health Care Center and especially for the wonderful service provided by Marj Campbell, a loyal, compassionate friend, who spent time with Leta every day during her years in the nursing home when her family was far away.

Memorials may be given to organizations of the donor's choice.

Condolences to the family may be sent to hilligossshraderfh.com