Leona I. Hightree

Leona I. Hightree, 93, of Walthill, Nebraska died on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at the Heritage of Emerson Nursing Home. Funeral services for Leona will be held on Friday, February 25, 2011 at 10:00 A.M. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Walthill; Pastor Brion Tolzman will be officiating. The visitation will be held on Thursday from 3:00 until 8:00 P.M. at the church in Walthill. Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery of Walthill. Leona was born on April 12, 1917 in Arco, Minnesota, the daughter of John and Margaret (Sorensen) Nottleman. At a young age, her family moved to Nebraska, where she was raised in the Bancroft-Walthill area. She married Herb Hightree on March 3, 1934 in Dakota City. To this union four children were born: Boyd, Eileen, Karen and Mary. She farmed with her husband in the Walthill area. Leona later worked at the Walthill Public School system for many years. Herb died on October 31, 2001. Leona is survived by her son Boyd and wife Norma Hightree of Yankton, SD, daughters: Eileen and husband Walt Demke of Emerson, NE, Karen and husband Earl Oleson of Sioux City, IA and Mary and husband Rick Keegan of Sioux City, IA, ten grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. Leona is also survived by a sister Ora Tippery of S. Sioux City. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Herb, a son-in-law Vernon Peters, a daughter-in-law Connie Hightree, four brothers Floyd, Harold, Bill and Marvin Nottleman and two sisters Ella Potts and Marie Collins-Kunzie.