Leona "Lee" Ann Falkenstein

November 20, 1929 – March 12, 2023

Lee passed from among us with family at her bedside. Unanticipated, she was born 5 minutes after her twin brother, Leo, in Creighton, Nebraska, weighing less than 3 lbs. She was not expected to live through the night, but she has been a survivor ever since. Her mother moved the family that grew to 11 children when Lee was 14 to Gridley, California, to join their father. Lee graduated from Gridley Union High School in 1947. During her youth in Gridley she worked sorting fruits during the harvest. After high school she found employment with Pacific Tel & Tel and during that time she met her future husband Raymond (Ray) Falkenstein. They were married in January 1951 and settled in Sacramento where they raised three children.

The family’s vacation consisted of annual June camping trips to the Sierra Mountains above Sierra City. It was the kids’ opportunity to explore, fish, and get dirty, while she still “kept house” at the campsite and cleaned up kids in a wash tub every Wednesday night. In 1970, she rejoined the work force full-time at Sacramento Radiology Medical Group where she worked for 21 years before retiring. She and Ray regularly danced with Capitol Squares square dance club and belonged to the Cottage Seniors club. After retiring they traveled to many places including Europe, Canada, and throughout the United States including Hawaii & Alaska. They even drove to Alaska with their trailer via the Alaska Highway. After Ray’s passing in 1999, she traveled with her sister, Joann, brother-in-law, Bob, and brother, Joe, to the Midwest visiting family. She also traveled with Joann to Australia and New Zealand. Not able to just sit around, she served the Cottage Seniors club in several of the officer positions. COVID severely curtailed many of her favorite activities, but she always enjoyed hearing stories about her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and had pictures of them displayed throughout her home.

As a member of the Greatest Generation her ethics and standards were tempered with the experience of life’s imbalances. She taught her children those principles of acceptance, resilience, stoicism, and determination. Never accepting defeat as a final resolution, she lived life on her terms. The “cute chick” is now reunited with her “old goat”.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Mary Stover, her husband Ray, and daughter-in-law Cindy. She is survived by her sister, Joann; children: Thomas (Ilene) Falkenstein, Daniel Falkenstein, and Pamela (Matt) Johns; grandchildren Jacob, Christopher (Amy), Andrew, Beth (Brad), Lindsey (Chris), Patrick (Brittany), Ryan (Sierra), and Jason (Annie); and great-grandchildren Emilee, Kaylee, Brayden, Hanna, Arora, Haylie, Colton, Cody, Logan, Abigail, and Leighton.

Rosary and viewing on April 1, 2023 at 10:00 am.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to American Kidney Foundation, Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

A funeral mass will be held later this summer.