Rose Marie Leonhard

Rose Marie Leonhard, retired former owner of Leonhard Insurance Agency, died August 24th at age 99. Rose Marie was born in 1920 to Joseph and Helen Boschert Simon in Portage des Sioux, Missouri. After attending St Francis School in Portage des Sioux Rose Marie attended St Charles High School, graduating in 1938. Rose Marie worked in St Charles for ASCS agricultural services office until she married Bernard Leonhard in 1942. Together they raised their six children, ran a family farm, and started Leonhard Insurance Agency. In addition Rose Marie tended a large garden of vegetables and flowers, made clothing for herself and her three daughters, was active in the Mothers’ Club and Ladies Sodality at St Francis Parish and enjoyed family car trips to many places.

When Bernard died in 1967 Rose Marie continued Leonhard Insurance Agency, growing the business, adding new lines of insurance and enjoying the new friends and social life that she developed from visiting customers. Rose Marie was the first woman to serve on the board of Central Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, a position she held until 2018. During the 1993 flood when her flood insurance customers were most in need of her services she traveled by boat to her home office to retrieve messages and help customers with urgent needs. Rose Marie continued to operate the insurance agency until 2000 when she retired at age 80.

Throughout her life Rose Marie enjoyed travel with family and friends. She traveled the US and Canada by car and bus tours, visited Belize and Mexico, enjoyed cruises in the Caribbean that took her to many islands and to South America, toured Europe and the Holy Land with friends and family and was always ready for the next trip to a new restaurant, a museum, or a casino. Rose Marie’s hobbies included flower gardening, sewing and quilting, pinochle, word games on her iPad, Facebook, and jigsaw puzzles. Her greatest joy was visiting with her large extended family. This joy increased as grandchildren were born and she taught them to play cards and other games during their many overnight stays in her home. Visits with great-grandchildren were her happiest times as they played bingo or her favorite card games with her.

Rose Marie lived the last three years of her life in an apartment at Mt Carmel Senior Living in St Charles. While there she was rarely in her apartment because there was always somewhere else to be, something to do or someone to visit. In addition to family visits and parties, her favorite activities at Mt Carmel were Mass, bingo, Happy Hour concerts and visits from local school children. Rose Marie continued her life-long enjoyment of the St Louis Cardinals, meeting FredBird several times at Mt Carmel.

Rose Marie was preceded in death by her husband Bernard, her parents Joseph and Helen Simon, her brothers John and Joseph Simon, her sisters Dorothy Wehmeyer, Lucille Fischer, and Helen Ohlms and her grandson Kevin Leonhard. She is survived by her sister Virginia Schaeffer, her children, James (Carol) Leonhard, Suzanne Yakimchick, Mark (Mary Jane) Leonhard, Sister Barbara Leonhard, OSF, Bernard (Jan) Leonhard, and Rita (Sam) Boerding; seven grandchildren, Jennifer Leonhard Kolawole, Lisa Leonhard Day, Meredith Leonhard Blair, Kimberly Leonhard Schierholz, Bradley Leonhard, Meghan Boerding and Andrea Boerding; five great grandchildren, Sheldon and Jasmine Kolawole, Colton and Hudson Day and Charlotte Blair and a large number of devoted nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements: Due to Covid-19 visitation is for family only. Seating in the church will be very limited. Masks must be worn. Burial will be private. Due to Covid there will be no meal after the services.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to:

Sisters of St Francis, Oldenburg, IN

Immaculate Conception School, Old Monroe, MO

St. Thomas More School, Kansas City, MO

St Jude Children’s Hospital

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