Leona M. Dillard, 87, died March 25, 2008, at her home in Hutchinson. She was born April 28, 1920, on a farm near Haviland, the daughter of Vernon and Mae Bryant Sneed. She graduated from Haviland High School and held a B.S. in Commerce degree from Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia, and an M.B.S. degree from Columbia University, New York City.

She married in Colorado Springs on Sept. 12, 1942, to Emil Dillard of Langdon. They lived in several different places, including Eugene, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Durham, England. The longest time was in New York City and suburban Hempstead on Long Island, where they resided for more than 38 years before retiring to Tryon, N.C. in 1988. He died in 1992, and she moved to Hutchinson in 1996.

Early on, she taught high school in Hill City and Eureka, Kansas. She was a retiree of Aramco (Arabian American Oil Co.), where she worked as an investment and foreign exchange analyst. She also was a freelance writer and belonged to the Hutchinson Writers Club and the Kansas Authors Club. Her short stories and history articles have been published in college literary journals.

Survivors include a sister, Verna House of Ponca City, Okla.; a sister-in-law, Agnes Moore of Arlington; four nieces; and two nephews. She was preceded in death by two sisters, Geneva Tilton and Charlene Meisel; and a sister-in-law, Helen Hobbs.

Cremation has taken place. A memorial graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday March 28, 2008, in Langdon Cemetery, Langdon. Memorials may be sent to the Arthritis Foundation in care of Elliott Mortuary, Hutchinson. Personal condolences may be sent to www.elliottmortuary.com.