Virginia M. Lease, 99

 Virginia M. Lease, 99, of Davenport, Iowa, passed away on December 16, 2020, at Senior Star Memory Care Center.  Funeral services was at Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Sheffield, Iowa at 1:00 on December 21. Graveside services will be at the family burial plot in Coulter, Iowa.   Due to Iowa COVID-19 restrictions, all who attended must wear a mask and maintain social distance. The Retz Funeral Home in Sheffield, Iowa is caring for Virginia’s family and making arrangements.
Virginia Marguerite Madson was born on March 19, 1921 in Selma, California, the daughter of Peter and Minnie (Hansen) Madson.  Her parents moved back to Iowa when she was just a baby.  She was a 1938 graduate of Latimer High School, in Latimer, Iowa. She graduated from Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing before enlisting in the U.S. Navy Nursing Corp.  After the war, Virginia continued her education at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota where she earned her Bachelor’s degree.  She remained active in nursing education, teaching at Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis, Mercy Hospital in Mason City, and finally at NIACC until her retirement.
While in the Navy, Virginia met her future husband, Max Lease.  Together they bought land in Sheffield and began farming.  It was here that they raised their three children.  They were blessed with 42 years of marriage before Max’s passing in 1992.
Virginia was an active member of Zion St. John Lutheran church in Sheffield.  She served on the Altar Guild, taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, and was a member of WELCA and the Morning Circle.  She also served as council secretary and was on the “Search Bible Study” leadership team.  She spent many hours as a volunteer at the Sharing Shoppe in Sheffield.
Those left to honor her memory include her three children, Karen Lease (Jean- Paul Daubard), Versailles, France, Jeffrey (Patty) Lease, Davenport, Iowa, Dr. Suzanne Lease (Mike Watts), Cordova, Tennessee, and two granddaughters, Rachel Byrd, North Liberty, Iowa, and Mary Beth Landphair, Huntsville, Alabama, and 5 great grandchildren. Family memories include music in the house, the assembly line needed to freeze the sweet corn, baking (cinnamon bread, rhubarb pie – yum!), sledding down Galvin’s hill on the old wooden toboggan, and later, cross-country skiing with her on the family farm.
Those proceeding Virginia in death were her husband, Max, three sisters, Gilberta, Anita, Vera, and her brother, Leon.v
In consideration of the struggles caused by the current health crisis, if you would like to make a donation in her memory, the family suggests FoodBank of Iowa or Habitat for Humanity. We believe Virginia would support these efforts to help the community.