Anita LaVerne (Blankenship) Leffert

Anita LaVerne (Blankenship) Leffert was born July 25, 1930 in a 1 room cabin in Bagnell, Missouri the oldest daughter of Porter Alfred (Booster) and Edith Mae Blankenship. She was born with the measles, but was blessed with 95 years on this earth and did her part to keep her surroundings beautiful with her gardening skills and keeping her yard picture perfect. She passed peacefully Monday, September 8, 2025 at Capital Region Hospital after becoming ill on September 4th which would have been her 77th wedding anniversary to Delmar Lee Leffert who left her side on Sunday evening, November 24, 2002.

She was blessed to have 3 younger siblings: Howard Curtis Blankenship and wife Carolyn Jeanine; Ramona Lee (Blankenship) White and husband Walter; and Daisy Alice (Blankenship) Bemis King and husband Murray.

Her early years was during the great depression and the building of Bagnell Dam. She prided herself in only residing in Camden and Miller Counties her entire life and refused to leave the State of Missouri for any reason. She attended one-room schools before attending Osage High School through her junior year. She worked in Lake Ozark as a waitress and at Ballenger’s Gift Shop. During her time of working as a waitress she met a young mechanic and her cooking ability and beauty caught his eye. Times were tough, but with a total of $300 between them they married and a year later were blessed with the first of their six children. She was a homemaker after getting married and helped supplement the family income by selling milk to Kraft Dairy.

As a member of the Olean Christian Church, she held fast to Gods word and did not believe in wasting anything. She took good care of every blessing she ever received, especially her family. When her 4th child was born, she took one of her old dresses, made a pattern and sewed a blue and white checked shirt for her baby boy. The shirt has been worn by several of her grandsons and great grandsons, at least long enough for a picture. Scraps of fabric was always turned into quilts or shared with a sister-in-law to make rugs.

She leaves a large family behind including 1 sister, Daisy King and husband Murray of Eldon and 3 sisters in-law, Carolyn (Jean) Blankenship of Rocky Mount, Betty (Leffert) Cochran of Lebanon and Lois Leffert of Montreal as well as one brother-in-law Louis Coleman of Kansas City.  Five children: Susan Diane (Raymond) Rehagen of Holts Summit, MO, Pamela Carol Virgin, Steven Douglas (Anna) Leffert, Katherine Elaine (Robert) Seek and Jennifer Lynn (David) Beard all of Eldon, Mo. Her Grandchildren Gregory Frank (Patti) Rehagen, Mary Elizabeth (Bill) Frank, Lisa Ann (Dennis) Scheulen, Timothy Reid Bradley, Anthony Wayne (Jennifer) Bradley, Jonathan Patrick (Audrey) Virgin, Douglas Edward Leffert, Donald Howard (Robyn) Leffert, William Frank Leffert, Anna Marie (Brad) Payne, Catherine Jean (Brad) Cato, Sarah Dawn Leffert, Travis Robert Seek, Hannah Katherine (Tommy) Taylor, Rachel Elaine (Torryn) Shurts, Kelli Michelle (Rodney) Marr, Christina Lynn (Nathanael) Moe and Brian David Beard; seventeen great Grandchildren and 2 great great Grandchildren.

In addition to her husband and parents she was preceded in death by 1 son, Howard Lee Leffert; 1 great grandchild, Ashley Nicole Rehagen; her brother Curt Blankenship; her sister, Ramona White and her husband Walter White; and brother-in-law Bobby Gene Bemis.

Funeral visitation will be held at Phillips Funeral home in Eldon, Missouri from 4 to 8 pm on Saturday, September 13th, 2025 and services will be Sunday, September 14th at 2 pm at the funeral home with Don Fankhauser and Lon Hardy officiating.

Burial will be in the Freedom Church of Christ Cemetery at Linn Creek Missouri. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Show Me Christian Youth Home.

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