Lenora "Lee" Roy Obituary (1917

Lenora passed away peacefully during the night on 4 May 2015 in the home where she had lived with her daughter, Jo, for 15 years. She was born in Michigan and raised in Michigan and Ohio. She was the oldest of 10 children. At 16 years of age she lost her mother and had to help care for some of the younger children. She married Leonard Russell in 1936. He passed away in 1944 due to a work accident. She was widowed with 3 daughters at the age of 27. While she in Bremerton, WA, from Michigan visiting her sister at the end of World War II, her sister's husband introduced her to August "Gus" Roy. They married and had 2 more children, a daughter and then a son. Gus adopted her 3 daughters. She worked in the home and raised their five children. She was a strong, beautiful, talented woman, wonderful mother and loving wife. She was an excellent seamstress, sewed lots of clothes for her children as they were growing up, loved making quilts, crocheted beautiful doilies, did many other craft projects, canned fruits and vegetables every summer for years, and loved working in the flower and vegetable gardens. She was such a hard worker no matter what project she was doing. After Gus' retirement, they moved to Reno, Nevada and spent over 10 years there. They wintered in Yuma, Arizona. They loved taking trips all around the United States to various locations. When Gus passed away in 1982 Lenora immediately moved back to Port Orchard to be near family. It is impossible to put into words how much she was loved by her family and friends. Her quiet strength and calm presence was always there for her children and those who knew her. Her grace, dignity, and tolerance are qualities to emulate. She is survived by all five of her children. Marlene Petry, Carolyn Thunberg, and Marcia Leese are her 3 oldest daughters. Jo Schumacher is the youngest daughter and John Roy is her only son. Three sisters and one brother, all who live out of state, also survive her. She has numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren that survive her. She lived with her youngest daughter, Jo, for the last 15 years of life. As the author of this obituary, I would like to say that it was an honor and a privilege to have Mom living here with me for that time. She moved here in January 2000 into her apartment in the bottom part of my house. This was "our" house for all the years she was here. As she started to require more assistance with her daily life I was honored that I was able to be here to assist her and help her to move gracefully and with dignity through the difficult passage into Alzheimer's and end of life, as she required more and more assistance and care. It was a blessing to have her with me. A private family memorial will be held at a later date.