Leanna Bergschneider

Leanna Catherine (Linhart) Bergschneider, age 95, passed away on November 30, 2023 at Windsong Senior Living in Bemidji, Minnesota. Leanna lived through almost 10 decades and throughout her long life she learned to grow and evolve with the times while always showing deep compassion and concern for others. Those who knew her were blessed by her curiosity, humility, care, and wisdom. Her curiosity inspired her to study genealogy, nutrition, gardening, cooking, tax law and the stock market. She kept up with local and world events and was devoted to her family, her friends, and her church community.  

Leanna was born on December 20, 1927 in Dawn, Missouri to Lena (Moss) and Henry Linhart.  She graduated from Chillicothe High School in 1946.  That same year Leanna won both the local and state 4H Dress revue contests for making and modeling a maroon wool suit.  She then went on to represent the state of Missouri at the National 4H Congress in Chicago. She attended the University of Missouri in Columbia where she graduated with a degree in Home Economics in 1950.  She worked as a Home Demonstration Agent in Troy, Kansas and then was a Dietician at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City, New York. 

She married the love of her life, Beryl D. Bergschneider, who she met while in college.   She knew Beryl was the one, when he would visit her from the hallway door of the college infirmary as she recuperated from Whooping Cough.  They were married on June 3, 1951 in Columbia, Missouri at the United Methodist Church.  Beryl’s career with IBM took them from Endicott, New York to Rochester, Minnesota and then to Austin, Texas where they eventually retired. Leanna moved to Bemidji, Minnesota in 2020 during the challenging times of the Covid Pandemic to be closer to family.

Family was the focus of Leanna’s life and she was dedicated to raising  her three children. She helped with Girl Scouts, sewed costumes and prom dresses, was the kids’ chauffer and taught Kevin to golf. She enjoyed watching her 7 grandchildren grow and seeing their accomplishments. She was an engaged Grandmother and would keep track of her Grandchildren on her iPhone. 

Leanna loved to play bridge and Mexican Train.  She enjoyed gardening and was a member of the Allandale Garden Club and the Garden Club of Austin, TX. Family genealogy research was a passion for both Beryl and Leanna. They spent many years traveling to courthouses, libraries and cemeteries as well as to Germany to research their family history. She was a member of the Austin Genealogical Society and the Round Rock Questers. Leanna was a long-time member of Northwest Hills United Methodist Church in Austin, TX and loved being a part of her church community.

Leanna was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and sister Mildred Linhart; brothers-in-laws, Larry Battles, and Ethan Bergschneider, sisters-in-laws Mona Bergschneider, and Sharon Wulfekammer, and 2 nephews.  

She is survived by her 3 children: Debra (Dick) Rossman of Bemidji, MN, Janet Bergschneider aka Jenna Berg (Brian Mann) of Santa Barbara, CA, and Kevin (Carolyn Diercks) Bergschneider of Denver, CO.  Grandchildren: Katherine Rossman, Megan Rossman (Michael Symanietz), Sam, Jensen, and Emerson Steady, and Ian and Avery Bergschneider; Sister-in-law Donna Battles of Buckner, MO, and by two nieces and two nephews.   

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on December 11, 2023 at the Speaks Buckner Chapel in Buckner, Missouri.  Visitation will begin at 12:00 pm with service at 1:00 pm. Burial will follow at Buckner Hill Cemetery in Buckner, MO. Obituary and condolences are available online at www.speakschapel.com