Leona Mae Poole

LEONA MAE POOLE Funeral services for Leona Mae Poole, a longtime Dove Creek resident, will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 7 at the First Southern Baptist Church in Dove Creek. Interment will follow at Dove Creek Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. on Thursday at the First Southern Baptist Church. Leona was born on July 31, 1929 to Owen Odis Skidmore and Lena May Affentranger Skidmore at the family home in Manitou, Tillman County, Oklahoma. She was the only girl and the youngest of 8 siblings. She lost her mother at the age of ten. In 1942, her father married Minnie Langston and she acquired 2 more brothers and 5 sisters. They lived in Tillman County until the age of 14 when her family moved near Wheeler, Texas. She met and later married Herbert H. (Red) Poole on June 25, 1949 at the preacher's house in Wheeler, Texas. They lived in various towns in the Texas Panhandle before moving to Utah in late 1953 where they lived in Monticello, White Canyon, just off the highway about 18 miles east of Monticello and then built a home on Ucolo Route where they lived for many years until moving to Dove Creek in 2004. They had a long, happy life together--celebrating their 66th anniversary this past summer. Leona loved to cook for her family and others. Her most famous and well loved dishes include her chicken and dumplings, fire engine red cake, apple and pecan pies, her pickled beets, and of course her dinner rolls. She also enjoyed gardening (canning and freezing food), she enjoyed reading, especially her Bible, her faith in God was an example to us all. She lived out her faith daily and was faithful to her church for 50 plus years. Leona was a member of First Southern Baptist Church in Dove Creek and loved her church family whole heartedly. Leona had a great capacity to love--sharing her love with family and friends. She loved everyone and always wanted to feed and care for them. Leona is survived by her husband of 66 1/2 years, Herbert (Red) Poole; her children, Owen of Ucolo, Utah, Jeanette (Steve Henline) of Boise, Idaho, Linda (Dennis Gorsett) of Grand Junction, Nita (Dan Graffis) of Dove Creek; 12 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren. She is survived by siblings--Oreal, Freddie, Johnny, Margie, Roma, and Dora. She is also survived by 7 brothers and sisters-in-laws. She is preceded in death by her parents, 6 brothers and 4 sisters. She is also predeceased by 12 brothers and sisters-in-laws. In lieu of flowers, if you prefer, you can donate to a Memorial Fund which will be given to Mother's church, First Southern Baptist Church of Dove Creek, Colo.