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Life story

"On 4 August 2019 the Lord saw fit to call Leona Mary (Green) Barlow home perhaps He had a taste for some good gumbo or just to have another Cubs fan to watch the game with. Either way we dont know, but we do know is that He got Himself one spicy Cajun buddy to pal around with.
She was born on 28 October 1928 to Josephine Dugas Green and Henry Green in New Orleans, LA (Orleans Parish). The youngest of seven children, who always displayed an ability to formulate an opinion based on her observations which she was never afraid to vocalize. Growing up she enjoyed cooking, school, church and the joys of family and friends in pastoral New Orleans. After graduating high school she went on to graduate from Xavier University and was a lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She then taught middle school in New Orleans when on one occasion she attended a dance and met the love of her life, Army Sgt. Samuel Barlow who was temporarily stationed there. After a whirlwind romance the couple exchanged wedding vows on 28 November 1956. They then moved to Lockport, Illinois where she was employed as an elevator operator at Goldblatts, then as a seamstress at Hart, Schaffner and Marx, then as an assembler at the Joliet Armory, before finally settling in on a career at Caterpillar Tractor as a Human Resources Specialist until her retirement in 1986.
During the course of her travels with her husband back home to Joliet from Pennsylvania, she gave birth to a lovely daughter, Gwendolyn Marie (Barlow) Ervin in a quaint little hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana on 22 September 1958. Their daughter, who was their pride and joy, went on to study medicine and become an attorney and served as the center of their life. Gwens marriage to Raymond Nathaniel Ervin on 16 August 1999 served as a most joyous union which produced Leonas most beloved granddaughter Simone Michaelina Ervin. Together they could be seen roaming the halls of Cedarlake Village, attending events, having sleepovers, going to the hairdresser together and shopping together at Meijers.
After the passing of her husband Sam on 17 February 2004, Leona took up residence at Cedarlake Village where she lived until her passing. She became an instant fixture with her Cajun sharp wit and fiery spirit that served to bring out the best in everyone. She was always on the go and was the life of the party wherever she was. She is predeceased by her loving husband, Samuel Barlow, her sisters, Rosetta Blackwell, Laura Moore, Camilla Conner, Hilda Jarvis, her brothers, Alfred Green and Henry Green, Jr., parents, Josephine Dugas Green and Henry Green. She is survived by her daughter Gwendolyn Marie (Raymond) Ervin, granddaughter, Simone Michaelina Ervin, many nieces and nephews, Ann (Steve) Blackwell, Jan Morgan, Arick Coggins, Sheila (Danny) Marion, Maya Marion, Daniel Marion, very special sisters-in-law and a litany of dear and close friends too numerous to mention. For whom our lives have all been made richer because we knew her."