Margaret “Maggie” JoAnne De Leon (nee Jensen) passed on October 16, 2024, at Centerpoint Hospital in Independence, Missouri. Maggie was born on October 10, 1936, in Atlantic, Iowa, and was married to her high school sweetheart, Jerry L. De Leon, on June 17, 1954. Over their 70 years of marriage, Maggie and Jerry raised the family they had dreamed of and enjoyed the many opportunities they had to travel and live abroad: Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Belgium. Maggie was an avid reader, kept up with international news, enjoyed time with family and friends, and played a mean hand of Bridge! She was devoted to her family, had a wonderful sense of humor, showed strength in adversity, and started each day with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

Maggie is survived by her husband, Jerry; her sister, JoBeth Hammer; her five children, Pam Moore and her husband Jim; Jerry De Leon Jr.; Karen Adams, Lisa De Leon, and Michele De Leon and her husband Steve Richards, as well as 9 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. Maggie was predeceased by her parents, Agnes and Lawrence Jensen; her sister, Marlene Ackerman (Bob); and her son-in-law, Kenneth Adams Jr. If you would like to remember Maggie with a gift, please donate to No Kid Hungry: nokidhungry.com.

Please do not visit or send condolences to Jerry in his memory care unit; sadly, reminders of Mom’s death are confusing and distressing to him.