Leona Kotab, 70, of Dante

Leona died Saturday, June 10, 2017 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton. Funeral Mass will be 10:30 A.M, Thursday, June 15, 2017 at the Assumption Catholic Church in Dante. Burial is in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, rural Dante. A Rosary/Sharing of Memories will be held at 7 PM, Wednesday at the church in Dante. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 PM, Wednesday at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home in Wagner.

Leona Ann Kotab was born January 5, 1947 in Avon, SD, the daughter of Joseph and Josephine (Cahoy) Kocmich.  She died Saturday, June 10, 2017 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton.  She attained the age of 70 years, 5 months and 5 days.

Leona grew up southeast of Dante on a farm and attended Lone Tree #57. In 1960 the family moved into Avon.  She graduated from Avon High School "Go Pirates" in 1965.

In 1967 she married Richard T. Heimes and bore her first child Michelle.  Richard was killed in VietNam in January 1968.  She then met and married Vernon M. "Mike" Kotab on January 17, 1970.  They lived in Avon, Wagner, and then finally purchased a home in Dante in 1972. To this union 4 sons, James, Michael, Joel, and Dan, were born.

Leona worked for a time early in her life (13 years old) as a dishwasher and then a waitress at the Rancho in Avon, SD.  She really wanted to be a nurse but, life throws some curves.  She was a stay at home mom into the 80's.  She was extremely busy helping to revitalize Dante by working to bring entertainment to the dance hall for many years.  She followed her many "children" as they played softball almost every day of the week, she was "Ma" to many.  She ran a fireworks stand briefly in the 70's and early 80's, my what blowouts we had on July 4th!  Being a social person she worked as a bartender and bar manager at various locations until she and Mike bought and operated Mike's Place in Dante in 1991.

Leona served as the financial officer for the town of Dante for many years, she was a member of Assumption Catholic Church, and St Mary's Altar Society.

She loved bowling, bingo, darts, and playing cribbage, bird watching and reading mystery novels. She also wrote a historical account for Dante, published in 2000.

Surviving are her daughter, Michelle and husband Tim Hollmann and their sons Alex and William and great grandson Ronan Thompson; James "Gordo"; Michael "Miko" and wife Jody and their children Tanner and great grandchild Maverick, Breana, Elizabeth "Libby", and Gabriella "Bella"; Joel and wife Amy and their sons AJ and Jacob; and Dan, all of Dante, and his daughter Karli and special granddaughter MacKenzie Havranek; sister Patricia (Steve) Kohnen of Brandon, SD; and brother, Joseph of Yankton, SD; sister-in-law, Irene Kocmich of Avon, SD; two brothers-in-law Don & Delores Kotab of Dante and Gordon and Marlene Kotab of Sturgis, SD and many more relatives and friends.

Leona was preceded in death by her husband Richard in 1968; her husband Mike in 2009; her parents; and her in-laws Gib and Verena Heimes and Frank and Adeline Kotab and her brother Leo Kocmich.