Leona Viola Wirtz

Leona Viola Wirtz became an angel on April 13, 2025 at the age of 87. Leona was born in Elk River, Minnesota on September 22, 1937 to Leonard and Viola (Schulte) Wirtz. She was the oldest of six, three sisters and two brothers, so she took on a lot of responsibility at a very young age. And though the work was hard, she would always reminisce about the fond memories made growing up and working on the Crosby Farm. In September of 1960, when Leona was 23 years old, she had her one and only son. Randy was the center of her world for the rest of her life. Being a single mom was not easy, Leona worked three jobs at times to make ends meet. She started out working at the railroad and then moved to St. Paul Companies a couple years later. She also taught accordion and piano lessons at Torps in St. Paul on the weekends and played in a band with her father to pay her music talent forward while making some extra money. She struggled a lot, but due to her extraordinary work ethic, she was able to get through whatever challenge was put in front of her. Throughout her career at St. Paul Companies she received many awards and worked her way up to an Auditor role. She was a math guru - she could figure out any math equation in her head faster than you could type it into a calculator. She took an early retirement at the age of 55 and then went to State Farm Insurance for another ten years. Her idea of retiring was working 30 hours a week at JC Penny. (She wanted to get that employee discount.) Despite her busy work schedule, Leona did find time for fun. She played on a bowling league, traveled whenever she could and enjoyed playing cards and bingo with friends and family. When Leona was just 41 years old, she became a grandma. She enjoyed spoiling both Shannon and Shane with weekly trips to Dairy Queen, endless games and craft projects. Always giving them her full undivided attention when they were together. She enjoyed many family vacations and always reinforced the importance of stopping in the moment and enjoying God's beautiful creations. Christmas was her favorite holiday, she always made sure the best presents were under the tree, beautifully wrapped and EVERY present having a bow, a ribbon and a card. She always made every birthday special, by singing the entire birthday song to you. If you weren't able to answer you could bet it would be on your voicemail. She is preceded in death by her parents, Leonard and Viola (Schulke) Wirtz; siblings, Ted (Prue) Wirtz, Richard (Judy) Wirtz, Judy (Gene) Follmer, Beverly (Dan) Hathaway; and brother-in-law, Bob Murphy. Leona will be deeply missed by her loving family: her son, Randy (Debbie) Wirtz; grandchildren, Shannon Spychalla and Shane Wirtz; great-grandchildren, Kaylie Spychalla, Ashley Spychalla, and Hannah Wirtz; and her sister, Janet Murphy.

Leona's Celebration of Life will take place on Friday, April 18, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Waters Edge Community Center, located at 15290 Farnham Ave N, Hugo, Minnesota. Food and beverages will be provided. A eulogy will be shared at 6:00 p.m., followed by a few rounds of Bingo in her memory.