Leona Mae Penner was born October 3, 1949 to Elmer and Maymie Penner in Miles City, MT.  She joined brothers Russell and John at the family home in Rosebud, MT where she was raised.

Three days before her sixth birthday, her parents bought the Rosebud Standard Service Station.  Leona loved this part of her life.  Her claim to fame has always been she was "the best window washer in the State of Montana".  She had a little stool she would pull up to cars to wash their windows.  She also hunted agates and sold them from the big window of the gas station.  She sold pop, candy, and cigarettes.  She did anything her parents needed help with, and loved doing it.

Free time (other than school, which she loved) was spent riding bicycles, sledding on the long hill across from the gas station, taking long walks everywhere with friends and hanging out at the beet dump behind the gas station.  Sugar beets do NOT taste like sugar and this was found out the hard way (probably on a dare from one of her brothers.)

She graduated from Western Montana College in Dillon, MT with a two-year business degree and also from Key Punch School in Billings, MT

She held many jobs until she landed the big one with the Veterans Administration at Fort Harrison.  She retired from Fort Harrison with 30.5 years of service.

She was married to Bill Zaharko for a short while and they had a son, Marc.  Unfortunately, Marc was killed in a peace-time Air Force incident at the young of age of 19.  This left a terrible toll on Leona.  She also worked 11 years as a cashier at a CVS store in Helena and loved her customers.

She is survived by her pets at the family home, her niece Kathy (Rex) Housman, nephew James (Nita) Penner, niece Mache (Mark) Mattus, sister in law Tasy Penner, beloved granddaughter Amber Rands, several great-grandchildren and many, many friends.

A huge thank you to all her friends and neighbors who helped with everything.