Memorial
Leanne Samuelson, 65, went to meet her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, November 12th, 2022, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease and short stay at Cottage Grove Place in Cedar Rapids for the final month of her care.
Leanne was born January 12th, 1957, in Bismarck, North Dakota, to Dale and Marlys Saxvik. On June 30th, 1979, she married Daniel Samuelson and moved to Marion, Iowa. Their marriage lasted and grew stronger in spite of everything that came their way.
Leanne loved the arts -- from playing the piano and flute, dabbling with paint and pencil drawings to singing and acting in skits and plays at church; she was creative in everything she touched.
If you asked Leanne what her two greatest joys in life were, she would answer that giving her heart to the Lord when she was a teenager was number one, and secondly being blessed with and raising five boys, now five wonderful adults. She supported her family in everything they did, and even though at times raising five boys probably gave her more gray hairs than she would care to admit, she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. As her kids began to have families of their own, Leanne relished becoming Grandma and fiercely loved all of her grandchildren.
A recent surprise in her life took place in December of 2021 when Dan and Leanne donated some money to a land preservation and tree planting project in Scotland. Because this donation was for a specific piece of land Leanne was legally considered a “landowner” and was given the official title of Lady Leanne Samuelson. It was later discovered that this land was located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and was where her mother’s family lived before immigrating to North Dakota.
Leanne was an active member of Ellis Park Church of God for many, many years; more recently she attended Spirit of Faith Family Church, and finally made Stonebridge Church her last home church, all in Cedar Rapids.
She is survived by her husband Dan, her children Benjamin (Christine), Joshua, Joseph (Polly), Nathan (Mary), and Jared (Ellen); daughter-in-law Becky; grandchildren Lucy, Penny, Madelyn, Betsy, Gwyn, Elias, William, and Lewis; sister Susan; brothers Jeff (Janice) and Greg; her mother-in-law Ethel, brother-in-law Bob (Deb), sister-in-law Rhonda (Chet ["Butch"]) and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Dale and Marlys, her father-in-law, Ronald, and her brother-in-law Matt.
When asked what she would like to have done at her memorial service, she said that her favorite song is Amazing Grace and that she wants everyone to be happy and to tell stories about things that they remember about her, both funny and sad. She said that she will miss everyone but expects to see all of her family, friends and others that have accepted the salvation that Jesus has given us to be in heaven as Jesus welcomes each of his children Home.
Leanne had an infectious personality that radiated her love for Jesus, and all who knew her loved her. While she will be terribly missed, we also rejoice in the knowledge that she is with Jesus, she is made whole, and she is Home.
For any that are interested, her most favorite book in the Bible was probably the Book of John.
If we meet and you forget me, you’ve lost nothing; if you meet Jesus Christ and forget him, you have lost everything!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Services: 1:00 p.m. Saturday November 19, 2022, at Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories by Pastor Brandon Levering. A visitation will be held on Friday November 18, 2022, at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home from 4-7 p.m. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. A livestream of the funeral service may be accessed on the funeral home website under the obituary for Leanne Samuelson, under the video tab starting at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday November 19, 2022.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Stonebridge Church, 1829 Stoney Point Rd SW Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.