Leona Beatrice (Lund) Ponke

Leona Beatrice (Lund) Ponke, 89, of Livingston passed away peacefully on Monday, January 12, 2015 at Caslen Assisted Living Community. Following cremation, Leonas ashes will be scattered together with Raymonds ashes in Wibaux County. A memorial funeral service will be announced in the near future. Leona was born to Claude H. and Janette A. Lund on October 6, 1925, in her grandparents farmhouse at Carlyle, Montana, in Wibaux County. The oldest of four children, she graduated from Carlyle High School with the Class of 1943 and was Salutatorian of the two high schools in Wibaux County. She then attended Eastern Montana Normal School, now MSU-Billings, for two years, and obtained her teaching certificate. For the next six years, she taught elementary education at Carlyle and for the Wibaux Public Schools. In 1949, Leona married Raymond Ponke in Missoula. After graduating from University of Montana, Ray taught Business Education at Rapelje High School and Columbus High School, and in 1957 began teaching at Park High School in Livingston. While making Livingston their home, Leona was the church secretary at Holbrook United Methodist Church. She was a self-taught floral designer and worked at Livingston Floral for 29 years. Leona and Ray enjoyed many years of playing Bridge together in the City Marathon and the Duplicate Bridge League. Together, they raised a large garden each year. Leona was well known for her excellent dill pickles, beet pickles, sweet pickles, and jellies. They shared their garden produce with many neighbors, friends and relatives over the years. Most recently, Leona was a resident at Caslens Assisted Living Center in Livingston. Leona is survived by her daughter, Bobbi, of Livingston and Billings; by her 3 grandsonsCole, Matthew, and Zachary Haugen all of Billings; by her sister and brother-in-law, Pat Lund Kirkpatrick and Don Kirkpatrick of Billings; and by several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ray; by her sister, Jacqueline Adele Lund Owens in 1953; by her brother, Robert E. Lund in 1989; by her parents, Claude (1979) and Janette (1992) Stark Lund; by her grandparents, Bertha and Melvin Lund, and by one granddaughter, Christa Haugen, in 1982. Arrangements are under the care of Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory in Livingston.