Obituary for Leona Spiering (Rudolph)
Leona was born on March 10, 1928 to Adam and Barbara (Schlepp) Rudolph on a farmstead three and one-half miles northeast of Venturia, ND. She was raised on the farm and worked hard. She milked her first cow at age 7 and baked homemade bread for the family during her teen years. Since she was the first-born, she helped her mother with the rest of the siblings. She attended country school through 8th grade and high school in Ashley, ND. She was raised in a strict, God-fearing home, was baptized as an infant, and confirmed in the Reformed Lutheran faith on June 28, 1942.
At age 18, she married Edwin Deahl on March 21, 1946. To this union 5 beautiful children were born whom she loved and adored. They farmed his family farm for 10 years in SD. After their crops were destroyed by hail six out of the ten years, they decided to sell the farm and move to Fargo, ND. With no experience other than farming, the going was tough. After only one year, Leona knew she had to find a job to help pay the bills. She sold Tupperware and jewelry on the home-party plan for 3 years. She then went to work for a discount store called Post Discount for 2 years. The company closed the store during the night and left all employees out of a job. Leona went to the unemployment office the next morning at 8:00 AM and, by that afternoon, she was hired by J.C. Penney Co. Leona started in the millinery department then in women’s Ready-To-Wear, children’s department. She started the Nurses’ Uniform department and Maternity Wear. She was then promoted to credit and layaway for 4 years before being promoted to Personnel Manager for the remaining 14 years at J.C. Penney Co. At that time, it was company policy for mandatory retirement if your years of service and age equaled 80 – which hers did.
In 1975 the Deahl family was stricken with tragedy. Their daughter, Donnette, along with her husband, Ken, and 3 friends (one being the pilot), decided to take a vacation to the Bahamas for Christmas. The weather wasn’t ideal for flying for several days before they left but cleared up enough for them to leave the day after Christmas. They landed in Harrison, Arkansas to refuel and get a bite to eat. The airport warned them not to leave due to inclement weather, but they had made a $500.00 deposit on a boat in the Bahamas and were going to lose that if they didn’t get there by the next day. They were only a short distance out of Harrison, Arkansas when the weather turned into a blizzard and they flew into a mountain killing all 5 instantly.
On Feb. 12, 2010 their son, DeLonnie Douglas Deahl, did not survived a massive heart attack while working in his yard in Arizona.
Her first husband, Edwin Deahl, passed away July 1987 - just 9 months before her retirement. It was a difficult adjustment – no husband and no job.
Leona did a little traveling after retiring. She visited her youngest daughter and her family in New Zealand for 3 months. A year later she started her own business – The Fargo-Moorhead Welcome Service that welcomed new residents to the Fargo-Moorhead area with a package sponsored by the local merchants.
Leona married Llewellyn Spiering on October 27, 1990. He helped her with her business. After their second retirement, they moved to Apache Junction, AZ in 2001. She enjoyed her life in AZ – no more snow shoveling!
Leona is survived by her three daughters, Janice Lerud of Blaine, MN, Twila Deahl Schuchter of Minneapolis, MN & Tamara Amundson of San Rafael, CA; daughter-in-law, Nichola Deahl; 8 grandchildren, Angela (Richard) Blaser, Natalie (Patrick) Forrest, Nathan (Karen) Deahl, Ashlea (Benjamin) Miller, Joshua (Jessica) Deahl, Schane (Alisa) Rudlang, Amber (Noah) Treshnell & Jake “TJ” Bernhard; 12 great-grandchildren, Jessica (Josh Pitts) Blaser, Jared (Jade) Blaser, Nolan (Abi) Forrest, Makenna Forrest, Tessa Deahl, Laney Deahl, Jackson Deahl, Cary Deahl, Georgine Deahl, Sydney Deahl, Nora Rudlang & August Miller; 6 great-great-grandchildren, Avery, Arianna, Addison, Garrett, Tate & Lacee; Llewellyn’s children, Larry (Jamie) Spiering, Shari (Mark) Casey, Terry (Michelle) Spiering & his 4 grandchildren & 1 great-grandchild; her sisters, Marlene (LeRoy) Goehring & Alice (Joseph) Wojtisiack.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Adam & Barbara Rudolph; her husbands, Edwin Deahl & Llewellyn Spiering; her son, DeLonnie Deahl; her daughter, Donnette (Deahl) Herk; sons-in-law, Kenneth Herk & Willis Lerud; two infant brothers, Fredrick & Russell Rudolph; sister, Viola Opp; brother-in-law, Delbert Opp; twin infant nephews, Carlen & Carlus Goehring.
Funeral service at Kozlak-Radulovich Chapel (1385 – 107th Ave. NE, Blaine, MN) Saturday, May 8th, 2021 at 11 AM with visitation one hour prior. Interment Riverside Cemetery, Fargo, North Dakota on Monday, May 10th, 2021 at 2 PM. Funeral service will be live streamed on funeral home website.
At age 18, she married Edwin Deahl on March 21, 1946. To this union 5 beautiful children were born whom she loved and adored. They farmed his family farm for 10 years in SD. After their crops were destroyed by hail six out of the ten years, they decided to sell the farm and move to Fargo, ND. With no experience other than farming, the going was tough. After only one year, Leona knew she had to find a job to help pay the bills. She sold Tupperware and jewelry on the home-party plan for 3 years. She then went to work for a discount store called Post Discount for 2 years. The company closed the store during the night and left all employees out of a job. Leona went to the unemployment office the next morning at 8:00 AM and, by that afternoon, she was hired by J.C. Penney Co. Leona started in the millinery department then in women’s Ready-To-Wear, children’s department. She started the Nurses’ Uniform department and Maternity Wear. She was then promoted to credit and layaway for 4 years before being promoted to Personnel Manager for the remaining 14 years at J.C. Penney Co. At that time, it was company policy for mandatory retirement if your years of service and age equaled 80 – which hers did.
In 1975 the Deahl family was stricken with tragedy. Their daughter, Donnette, along with her husband, Ken, and 3 friends (one being the pilot), decided to take a vacation to the Bahamas for Christmas. The weather wasn’t ideal for flying for several days before they left but cleared up enough for them to leave the day after Christmas. They landed in Harrison, Arkansas to refuel and get a bite to eat. The airport warned them not to leave due to inclement weather, but they had made a $500.00 deposit on a boat in the Bahamas and were going to lose that if they didn’t get there by the next day. They were only a short distance out of Harrison, Arkansas when the weather turned into a blizzard and they flew into a mountain killing all 5 instantly.
On Feb. 12, 2010 their son, DeLonnie Douglas Deahl, did not survived a massive heart attack while working in his yard in Arizona.
Her first husband, Edwin Deahl, passed away July 1987 - just 9 months before her retirement. It was a difficult adjustment – no husband and no job.
Leona did a little traveling after retiring. She visited her youngest daughter and her family in New Zealand for 3 months. A year later she started her own business – The Fargo-Moorhead Welcome Service that welcomed new residents to the Fargo-Moorhead area with a package sponsored by the local merchants.
Leona married Llewellyn Spiering on October 27, 1990. He helped her with her business. After their second retirement, they moved to Apache Junction, AZ in 2001. She enjoyed her life in AZ – no more snow shoveling!
Leona is survived by her three daughters, Janice Lerud of Blaine, MN, Twila Deahl Schuchter of Minneapolis, MN & Tamara Amundson of San Rafael, CA; daughter-in-law, Nichola Deahl; 8 grandchildren, Angela (Richard) Blaser, Natalie (Patrick) Forrest, Nathan (Karen) Deahl, Ashlea (Benjamin) Miller, Joshua (Jessica) Deahl, Schane (Alisa) Rudlang, Amber (Noah) Treshnell & Jake “TJ” Bernhard; 12 great-grandchildren, Jessica (Josh Pitts) Blaser, Jared (Jade) Blaser, Nolan (Abi) Forrest, Makenna Forrest, Tessa Deahl, Laney Deahl, Jackson Deahl, Cary Deahl, Georgine Deahl, Sydney Deahl, Nora Rudlang & August Miller; 6 great-great-grandchildren, Avery, Arianna, Addison, Garrett, Tate & Lacee; Llewellyn’s children, Larry (Jamie) Spiering, Shari (Mark) Casey, Terry (Michelle) Spiering & his 4 grandchildren & 1 great-grandchild; her sisters, Marlene (LeRoy) Goehring & Alice (Joseph) Wojtisiack.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Adam & Barbara Rudolph; her husbands, Edwin Deahl & Llewellyn Spiering; her son, DeLonnie Deahl; her daughter, Donnette (Deahl) Herk; sons-in-law, Kenneth Herk & Willis Lerud; two infant brothers, Fredrick & Russell Rudolph; sister, Viola Opp; brother-in-law, Delbert Opp; twin infant nephews, Carlen & Carlus Goehring.
Funeral service at Kozlak-Radulovich Chapel (1385 – 107th Ave. NE, Blaine, MN) Saturday, May 8th, 2021 at 11 AM with visitation one hour prior. Interment Riverside Cemetery, Fargo, North Dakota on Monday, May 10th, 2021 at 2 PM. Funeral service will be live streamed on funeral home website.