Leone Watson (nee Campbell) died at age 95 on Thursday, September 16, 2021 in Edmonton after a lengthy illness. She was predeceased by her husband of 63 years, John Watson, in 2011; her grandson, Thomas Hamilton (Amanda), in 2015; and her siblings Jim, Margaret, Jack, Harvey and Clifford. She is survived by her daughter, Jonnette Hamilton, her son, Duncan Watson (Lynda), her granddaughter, Amy Hamilton, her great-grandchildren Kaitlyn and James Hamilton, her siblings Lorie and Nelda, and many nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren. 

Leone was born on a farm in south-east Saskatchewan on December 22, 1925, the second of eight children of James Campbell and Delia Moran. She attended the one-room Fineview School in the Moose Mountains before the family moved to Arcola, Saskatchewan, where she finished her elementary and high school and then attended the Teacher’s College in Saskatoon in 1944. The death of her father in combat in Dieppe in 1942 was a defining event in Leone’s life. She moved east to Toronto after WWII ended, met her husband-to-be, and married there in 1948. To hear her tell it, she spent most of her time in Toronto jitterbugging to the swing bands of Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey. She did love to dance. Her husband’s work for the Defense Research Board took he and Leone to Ralston, Alberta (1951-57), where their two children were born, and then to Quebec City (1957-1963) and Ottawa (1963-67), before the family returned to Medicine Hat, Alberta, where they remained until her husband retired in 1978. After enjoying a year abroad in Spain and Scotland, they moved to Edmonton in 1979. 

Leone was active in the United Church and the Progressive Conservative party while living in Medicine Hat. In her later years, her cats were her focus. 

Leone’s instructions were for no funeral services and, as she would say, “I have spoken!”

Special thanks to Laurie Tate for all that she did for Leone to make her last 8 years so much more pleasant and comfortable, and to Denise Jack and all of her staff at Castlewood Care Home for their attentive care over the past 4 years.