Leona “Lee” Loepp Ratzlaff Koslowsky, 95, was born Dec. 16, 1928, to Jacob and Marie Toews Loepp. She grew up on a farm near Inman, Kansas, with four brothers and six sisters. She was the fourth youngest child.
While living on the farm, Leona had many opportunities to help with fieldwork and farm chores. She always appreciated her father’s encouragement when she was driving the tractor. She also helped gather eggs from the chickens and milk the cows by hand.
Leona attended West Eagle School located in the country from first through eighth grade. After that, she would catch a ride with a neighbor boy to Buhler High School, where she graduated four years later.
After one year at Tabor College, where she met her future husband Allen Ratzlaff, she was hired as a teacher at Williams School in Marion County. She taught five students—two second graders, two fifth graders, and an eighth grader. She recognized that she had a calling to teach.
On Aug. 25, 1949, Leona and Allen Ratzlaff were married. They set up their household on a farm near Canada, Kansas. Three children were born there, Aleen, Kaye Ann, and Don. In 1960, the family moved to Allen’s home place northeast of Hillsboro where the children attended Hillsboro schools. In 1970, their youngest, Jone, was born.
While Leona raised her family, she completed nurse-aid training and worked for four years at Salem Hospital in Hillsboro. She also was active at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, where taught Sunday School with fourth and fifth graders for more than eight years. She also served a couple of years as the superintendent for that age group. She was also active with a women’s group called Farmerettes.
After Allen died of pancreatic cancer in 1977, Leona worked as an aide at Parkside Homes and moved to her first home in Hillsboro. She remained active at Hillsboro MB until she married Pete Koslowsky on Aug. 7, 1994, and transferred her church membership to Parkview Mennonite Brethren. That same year her daughter Kaye Ann Bartel was killed by a drunk driver.
Pete and Leona moved to Parkside Homes’ congregate housing in 2005. They helped care for each other until Pete’s death in April 2008. Since January 2020, Leona has lived in House 4 at Parkside Homes.
Leona loved and was loved deeply by her family. She is survived by daughter Aleen Ratzlaff and son Don and Gayla Ratzlaff, all of Hillsboro; daughter Jone and Jeff Lee of Olathe; grandchildren Zachary Bartel of Great Bend; Andy and Dana Bartel of Derby; Graham and Elizabeth Ratzlaff of Wichita; Emily and Cooper Arnold of Tonganoxie; great-grandchildren Peyton and Keagan Bartel; Grey, Isla, and Quinn Ratzlaff; and Wilder and Imogen Arnold; step-children Ken (Carla) Koslowsky, Janice Willems, Mel (Donna) Koslowsky, Tom (Laurie) Koslowsky, and Myrna (Walt) Jost; seven step-grandchildren and their spouses; five step-great-grandchildren; sisters Helen Faul of Minnesota, and Velma and Junis Schroeder of Inman; along with a host of family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Allen Ratzlaff, daughter Kaye Ann Bartel, husband Pete Koslowsky, and four brothers and four sisters.
Celebration of Life 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at Parkview M.B. Church in Hillsboro officiated by Pastor Dave Loewen. Memorials to Tabor College or Parkside Homes in care of Jost Funeral Home P.O. Box 266 Hillsboro, KS 67063. Online condolences at www.jostfuneralhome.com