Leona Van Slyke

Born: July 3, 1933   Died: March 11, 2016

Leona Fay VanSlyke, 82, of Lenoir City, TN, was surrounded by her family when she passed away Friday, March 11, at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville.

Leona is survived by Steven Arnold VanSlyke, her loving husband of nearly 64 years; and her sister, Iona Kimmell, of Weatherford, Okla. She is also survived by her daughter Pamela Lance, and her husband Clark, both of Long Valley, NJ; granddaughter Christina Lance, of Summit, NJ; and granddaughter Mallory Dodd, her husband Andrew and son Jack, all of Nashville, TN. Leona was a devoted member of West End Church of Christ in Knoxville. Throughout her Christian lifetime, she proudly supported her husband as an elder's wife, taught children's Bible classes and wrote Bible educational materials. She was always at home in the kitchen, where she loved to tinker with recipes to find the perfect cake or casserole. She greatly enjoyed painting landscapes, reading historical fiction, doing jigsaw puzzles on her computer and doting on her beloved great-grandson, Jack. Steve and Leona were both long-time supporters of Christian higher education, particularly Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN. Steve served on the Board of Trustees for 15 years, and both of their granddaughters graduated from the university. She was born Leona Fay Winsett on July 3, 1933, in Park Hill, OK, to Frank and Oda Winsett. Her father passed away when she was a young child, and her mother remarried to Cecil Starks. Steve and Leona were married March 29, 1952, in Pasadena, Texas, and enjoyed a marriage that then took them to Sacramento, CA; Oklahoma City, OK; East Lansing, MI; Wheaton, IL; Knoxville, TN; and finally Lenoir City, TN.

Leona was preceded in death by her parents and her stepfather.

Visitation will be held Monday, March 14, from 12:30-2:15 p.m. at West End Church of Christ in Knoxville. The funeral will immediately follow at the church building, led by Jeremy Weekley and Gary Dodd. She will be buried at 4:00 p.m. that afternoon at Pleasant Forest Cemetery in Farragut. Click Funeral Home Farragut Chapel, 11915 Kingston Pike is serving the VanSlyke family.

Published in Knoxville News Sentinel from Mar. 13 to Mar. 14, 2016