Leona Gemmill

Leona Mae (Odegard) Gemmill, age 81 of Edinburg, ND passed away on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at the First Care Health Center of Park River. Leona Mae Odegard was born March 5, 1927 in Hoople, ND the daughter of the late Thomas and Anna (Nybo) Odegard. She was the youngest of eight children. She graduated from Hoople High School in 1945 and moved to Washington D.C. for a short time where she worked for the civil service. She moved to Minneapolis, MN where she worked for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In 1947 she moved back to the Hoople area to tend to her ill father. She was employed as a bank teller in Hoople before being transferred to an affiliated branch in Grafton. It was there she met Dale Gemmill and they were married in Hoople on March 26, 1951. They set up their household in rural Edinburg, ND. She moved to the Good Samaritan Center in July 2007.

Leona was active in ladies aid, bible studies, music (pianist) and other church activities at the Odalen Lutheran Church and later Grace Free Lutheran Church of Edinburg. She served as Ombudsman at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home for several years.