Leona Bye, age 89, of Lake Mills, Iowa, formerly of Scarville, Iowa, died Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, at the Lake Mills Care Center in Lake Mills.

Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Scarville, with the Rev. Randy Baldwin officiating.

Visitation will be 4 to 6 p.m. today at Mittelstadt Funeral Home, 902 East Main Street in Lake Mills, Iowa 50450.

Burial will take place at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Scarville.

Leona Frances Bye was born Nov. 5, 1921, in Freeborn County, to Gilbert and Sally (Benson) Helland. She was baptized and confirmed at Lime Creek Lutheran Church in rural Emmons. She attended country school and graduated from Emmons High School.

She was united in marriage to Harold Bye on Nov. 1, 1941. The couple farmed near Scarville, where they lived until Harold’s death in 2007. She then moved to Lake Mills and entered Lake Mills Care Center in July 2009.

Leona has been an active member of Immanuel Lutheran Church for the past 70 years, where she taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and was a member of Love Circle and WELCA.

She was a quilter, making many special quilts for her family and loved to embroider and put puzzles together. But most of all, she loved being a mom, grandma and great-grandma. She attended and enjoyed every activity they were in.

Survivors include her four children: Ellyn (Duaine) Harmon, Lake Mills; Nancy (Ron) Sime, Rake, Iowa; Harris (Rachel) Bye, Scarville; Howard (Gil Torre) Bye, Seattle, Wash.; nine grandchildren and 13 great-granchildren: Doug (Rhonda) Harmon, Chelsea, Derek and Jerod, Lake Mills; Donica (Doug) Arneson, Samantha (Mike) Petersburg and Charlie Arneson; Wendy (Brandon) Meltz, Bailey, Jordon, Kylie and Regan, Chanhassen; Heidi (Cory) Grafton, Lillian and Loretta, Mason City, Iowa; Robin (Brian) Charlson, Joseph and Emily, Lake Mills; Anthony Bye, Dumont, Iowa; Sonja (Steve) Rasmussen, Estherville, Iowa; David Bye, Seattle; Julia Bye, Highland Ranch, Colo. Sisters, Gertrude (Melvin) Mattson, Marvel Schewe, brothers, Glenn (Alicia) Helland, Floyd (Penny) Helland, all of Albert Lea; sisters-in-law, Juleta Severson, Calgary, Canada, and Geneva Martinson, Lake Mills; brother-in-law, George Scott, North Brookfield, Mass.; along with many nieces, nephews and extended family.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold, her parents, her sister Esther Scott, her sister and brother-in-law, Velma (Frank) Cunningham, her brothers and sisters-in-law, Lester (Maxine) Helland, Rudolph (Jean) Helland, and brothers-in-law, Virgil Severson and Royden Martinson.

You can contact the family with online condolences at: www.mittelstadtfuneralhome.com or 641-592-0221.