Florence Gervaise (Schwartz) Leonard

Florence Gervaise (Schwartz) Leonard, age 91, of Belle Plaine, formerly of Le Sueur, passed away peacefully Friday, August 8, 2025, surrounded by family. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic Church in Belle Plaine at 10:30 a.m. with Fr. Michael Kaluza presiding. A visitation will be held an hour and a half prior to the service at the church. Interment will be at St. Nicholas – Middle Lake Catholic Cemetery in St. Peter at 1:30 p.m.

Florence was born on August 13, 1933, to Frances (Hoy) Schwartz and Walter H. Schwartz in Le Sueur, MN. She attended St. Anne’s Parochial School and graduated from Le Sueur High School in 1951. While working in Minneapolis, she met the love of her life, James Lawrence Leonard. They married on February 19, 1955, in Le Sueur and resided in Belle Plaine, where they raised six children. Once her last child started school, she held a variety of jobs in Belle Plaine, working at Hennen’s Jewelry and Wendt Labs. Her final employment was with Aetna Insurance in Minneapolis.

She was an avid reader, especially of mysteries and spy thrillers, and she enjoyed completing crosswords and jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her family.

Florence is survived by her husband James Leonard of Belle Plaine, MN and 5 children: Michelle Stalcup of Denver, CO, David (Michelle) Leonard of Eagan, MN, Patrick (Judy) Leonard of Pinetop, AZ, Mark (Elizabeth Coy) Leonard of Eugene, OR, Mary (John) Bigaouette of Belle Plaine, MN, daughter-in-law Jill Leonard of Belle Plaine, MN, along with 14 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and her sister, Walda Schwartz of Apple Valley, MN.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her eldest son Daniel, grandson Joshua Leonard, and son-in-law Randy Stalcup.