Sister Leona Bax

Leona Christine Bax was born to Emil and Agnes Bax in St. Elizabeth, Missouri. She attended St. Francis Academy in Nevada, MO and originally was so homesick that she would have gladly gone home if her parents would have let her. By the end of her four years of high school she had discerned her vocation as a Sister of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist and Nevada became her home forever. After entering the convent, she took the name Sister Mary Georgetta but returned to her baptismal name of Leona later.

Sister Leona's life in the convent had many facets, but there were three things that marked her life. Although she left home before some of her siblings were born, she remained involved in the ups and downs of their lives daily covering each one with love and prayer. Teaching became her ministry acting as teacher and principal in the schools of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for 50 years. She served at St. Mary's, Nevada; St. Mary's, Higginsville; Immaculate Conception, Lexington; St. Mary's Montrose; Holy Rosary, Clinton; St. John LaLande, Blue Springs; St. Stephen's Academy, Kansas City; and she ended her career in education by founding St. Andrew the Apostle School, in Gladstone; retiring in 2009. She put her entire self into every school, every family, and each student. She had a great love and respect for the priesthood and priests, particularly those who aided her to live a life of conversion and holiness and the priests who serve in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

These three aspects of her life are covered by an umbrella of saving souls. Her constant prayer was to save every soul in her family, her schools, the priests, her community, the Church, and especially her own soul. She persistently worked for her own conversion to a life of virtue and holiness but was very realistic about her short comings and failures along the way. The rosary was her perpetual companion and a lifeline to heaven.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Loraine Martin, and brother Jimmy Bax. She is survived by her sisters and brothers, Georgia McConkey, Mary Foster, Irene (Jim) Hoback, David (Winnie) Bax, Carolyn (Danny) Schmidt, Dale (Vicki) Bax, Diana (Glen) Kusgen, Leon (Becky) Bax, Sharon Rustemeyer, Mark (Jennifer) Bax, Sandra (Wade) Bestgen, 35 nieces and nephews, 67 great nieces and nephews, her sisters in community, and former students galore.

All services will be at the Sisters of St. Francis. Visitation from 5:30-8:00pm and Rosary will be at 6 pm, Sunday, August 6th, and the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30am, Monday, August 7th. Committal services will be at 3 pm, at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Nevada, MO.

No flowers please. Memorial gifts may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist, 2100 N Noland Road, Independence, MO 64050.