Leona M. Dickenson

Leona Margaret Dickenson, (nee Muckenthaler) 97, of Crofton, MD passed away on June 20, 2020 in Pasadena, MD.  She was born on January 18, 1923 on a farm near Alma, KS to the late Louis and Clara Muckenthaler.  Leona graduated from Kansas State University in 1950, with a Bachelor of Science degree in music education, and began her teaching career in Keats, KS.  She later taught in Leoti, KS.  She moved with her husband, James Dickenson to Madrid, Spain in 1958, when he was offered a teaching position with the U.S. Department of Defense Dependents Schools (Torrejon Air Force Base) near Madrid. From 1959-1963, Leona taught 4^th grade at Royal Oaks Elementary School.  They enjoyed school holidays and travelled throughout western Europe during their time spent teaching in Spain.  They attended summer school at the University of Olso, Norway in the summer of 1961.  In 1963, they moved to Newark, OH.  Leona taught 6^th grade in the Newark (OH) Public School System from 1963 – 1988, teaching at Roosevelt, Hartzler, and McGuffy Elementary Schools.  She retired in 1988 with over 30 years of teaching.  Leona was one of the first to implement the Resident Environmental Outdoor Education Program with Newark Public Schools in the late 1960’s, taking her class for one week each year to Hocking County, OH to teach science and environmental studies.  She knew at a young age that she wanted to be a teacher.  She was a dedicated, beloved teacher, who incorporated world cultures into her classroom instruction, and had a positive impact on hundreds of students’ lives over the course of her career.  Leona was a Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, a member of Delta Kappa Gamma (International Society for Key Women Educators), and a member of Monday Talks.  Leona was a world traveler, and voracious reader.  She was an adventurous person, always interested in meeting others, and genuinely interested in learning about their lives.  She loved gardening, classical music, crossword puzzles, and Jeopardy, but above all, she loved her family.  She is remembered as a kind, caring, and loving wife, mother and grandmother, teacher and friend.  She is survived by her daughter, Pamela Dickenson of Crofton, MD; granddaughters, Erin and Kelly; a brother, Dr. Florian Muckenthaler (Betty) of W. Bridgewater, MA; a sister, Ann Quaney of Wichita, KS; sister-in-law, Rita Muckenthaler of St. Marys, KS; sister-in-law, Margaret Erhard of Hutchinson, KS and many nieces and nephews.  She was pre-deceased by her husband, James D. Dickenson, parents Louis and Clara Muckenthaler, and brothers, George, Steve, Earl and Marvin Muckenthaler.  She was a member of St. Francis de Sales Parish, Newark, OH for many years, and later a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Newark.  Leona later resided with her daughter in Crofton, MD.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on June 26, 2020 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Crofton, MD, officiated by Fr. Paul Sparklin.  Interment will be at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Winchester, VA.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Hospice of the Chesapeake Foundation, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, MD  21122-4303, or to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 1800 Seton Drive, Crofton, MD  21114.