Nancy Lindquist
Nancy Lindquist
Nancy Ellen Lindquist (née Gunderson), died peacefully at her home in SaddleBrooke, Arizona, on May 27, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. She was 91 years old.
Nancy was born in Schroeder, Minn., on Dec. 30, 1933, the sixth and youngest child of Norwegian and Swedish immigrants, Fred and Elen Gunderson. She grew up on the North Shore of Lake Superior where her father was a commercial fisherman and her mother raised the family and ran the family store and lakeshore cabins. Nancy attended and graduated from Grand Marais High School followed by training at St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing to become a registered nurse. After her nursing career she worked with her husband Virgil to help build the Lindquist Insurance Agency.
Nancy was a life-long resident of Cook County, Minnesota. In 2000 Nancy and Virgil became snowbirds and spent the cold weather months in the Tucson, Ariz., area (SaddleBrooke) and summers at Devil Track. Beginning in 2015 they lived in SaddleBrooke year-round.
An important aspect of Nancy’s life was giving back to the community through volunteering and community service in Minnesota. The community service continued in Arizona where she volunteered for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, and was active with the Resurrection Lutheran Church.
Nancy was most happy entertaining and cooking for family and friends and was well known throughout the community as an extraordinary cook. She put on many memorable feasts and the culinary gatherings continued in Tucson where she and Virgil were charter members of a Gourmet club that met monthly for 15 years. Nancy’s regional specialty, fishcakes, inherited through her father’s Norwegian heritage, became the backbone of community fundraisers as well as many dinners in Grand Marais and Tucson.
Nancy was preceded in death by Virgil Lindquist, her husband of 55 years, and her five older siblings, Ejner Gunderson, Carolyn Gunderson, Florence (Del) Moudy, Mae (Leonard) Gilbertson, and Junice (Kenneth) Bonin.
Nancy is survived by her children, Jeff (Kathleen Ryan) Vervoort, Jennifer Vervoort-Smith, and Barry (Shon) Lindquist; grandchildren, Jennifer Bescei, Tyson Vervoort, Kaitlin Vervoort, Harrison Smith, Parker Smith, Keith Lindquist, and Kyle Lindquist; and eight great-grandchildren.
Nancy’s passing leaves an immeasurable hole in the hearts of her family and loved ones, but we remember a life well lived and celebrate her full and rich 91 years.
In lieu of flowers, please make any memorial donations to the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Tucson.
Patricia Ann
Schoenfelder Leonard
Patricia Ann Schoenfelder Leonard
Patricia Ann Leonard, “Pat’, surrounded by loved ones, peacefully passed on May 14, 2025. She was just two months shy of her 90th birthday. Her last two days were spent resting under a fluffy blanket, gazing out through a large picture window in her daughter’s Idaho home, watching the horses and swaying green pasture grasses that were similar to the small Minnesota farm where she was born.
Born on July 5, 1935, she was the youngest of nine children reared by William Schoenfelder and Mary “Mayme” (Fogarty) Schoenfelder in Rochester, Minn. She was born in a humble farmhouse, heated by a small wood stove, with no hot water or indoor plumbing until she was in her teens. Her older brothers teased her mercilessly, as older brothers sometimes do, but she was often found in the loving and protective shadow of her sisters, especially Marian. In her 20s she had to deal with the unwelcome sadness of her mother passing, and then two older brothers who lost their lives in separate tragic car accidents. She understood hard work and resilience from a young age. She quickly formed the positivity, optimism, and boundless charisma that would become her hallmarks in adulthood.
Pat’s first job “off the farm” was as a nurse’s assistant, sometimes referred to as a “candy striper,” at the world-renowned Rochester medical facility, the Mayo Clinic. Perhaps it was here that she developed, or more likely perfected, her innate ability to serve others, to comfort others, to love others without hesitation or selfish concern. If “kindness is the flower of humanity,” Pat distributed bouquets of compassion and charity for her entire adult life. She was the first one to volunteer, to greet a new neighbor that needed a friend, or to hold the hand of someone who was sick or in pain. She lived this ethos without regard to social status and without any expectation or likelihood of repayment.
When Patricia was just 19 years old on a work lunch break, she slipped into the Rochester JCPenney store to buy a necktie, and there she met a tall, gangly but infinitely charming sales clerk named Paul Leonard. Patricia returned home that evening and announced she had met the man she was going to marry. She was correct.
In 1955 Paul and Pat were wed. They soon after crammed their meager belongings into their car and headed off to Albuquerque, N.M., for what was to be the first stop in an incredible 61-year journey that would eventually take them to nine states and Italy as Paul climbed the executive ladder of JCPenney. They raised four children, Denise (Dickson), Lori (Wheeler), Paul Jr., and Mary. In their 40s, they lovingly fostered an adult refugee from Vietnam, Hank Phan, who became a permanent part of the family and eventually chartered a successful career at JCPenney after being mentored by Paul.
Pat and Paul retired to Tucson, Ariz., and enjoyed 30+ years in the SaddleBrooke community where they created lifelong friendships, and where they shared countless dinners, walks, and laughter with nearby family, a steady stream of visiting children and in-laws, and grandchildren (8) and great–grandchildren (23). Pat launched a successful real estate career while in her 70s. After her “Big Friend” passed away, she eventually moved to North Idaho to perfect her role of “Little Nonna” and wrap herself in the comfort of so many family members. She maintained the constant twinkle in her eye, and her undefeated sense of humor for all her remaining days. No matter where she was, or who she met, Pat was loved by all.
Patricia Leonard was preceded in death by her parents William and Mayme (Fogarty) Schoenfelder, all of her siblings including Robert Schoenfelder, Richard “Swede” Schoenfelder, Marian Schoenfelder (Halloran), John “Bunn” Schoenfelder, Gerald Schoenfelder, Elizabeth “Betty” Schoenfelder (Baker), Don Schoenfelder, and Neil Schoenfelder. She also leaned on her faith to deal with the loss of her eldest daughter, Denise (Dickson) Leonard. The love and bond she shared with her family will echo throughout eternity and through the generations to come.
View Pat’s memorial page at englishfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/patricia-leonard.
A brief informal graveside service will be held at an upcoming date at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3555 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson, AZ 85705.