Pinehurst North Carolina – Leona R. (Lee) Pelkey, 92 of Pinewild Drive in Pinehurst, a longtime resident of Keene, New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine died on September 27, 2020 .
Born in Swanzey, NH on August 8, 1928 she was a daughter of Warner H. and Linnie Rae (White) Lee. She attended schools in Keene , NH where she would make her home for over seventy seven years along side her husband James E. Pelkey SR. She raised her family and was active in the Keene Community. During the 1960's, Leona was an active supporter of Keene's Little League Baseball program and the Babe Ruth program alongside her husband, James E. Pelkey, Sr. She was also a member of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary in Keene, New Hampshire. In the early 2000's she moved to Kittery, Maine where she was active at Meetinghouse Village, the past ten years Leona resided in Pinehurst, North Carolina, six of those years with her daughter, Sandra and husband, Donald Garratt.
Lee worked for Miniature Precision Bearing in Keene, New Hampshire from 1959 until her retirement in 1987 as a group leader in the "White Room" as a polisher and inspector of ball bearing.
Leona was known as the "grammy with everything in her purse" that a grandchild would ever need or ask for! She always had wonderful peanut butter fudge made for family visitors. Her family treasured her picnics outside in the summertime complete with cooking marshmallows on sticks. She loved playing cards with the grandchildren and was an avid puzzler and word search enthusiast. She spent the last thirteen years of her life living with dementia, but she did not let it define her. During that time, she enjoyed musical concerts (Elvis impersonators), live theater, ice cream runs to the Dairy Queen, visits from family, car shows, parades and how she loved going to the movies! Having her doll Suzy Q by her side during her years of dementia helped to make her life happy and meaningful.

Leona is survived by her son, James Pelkey, Jr. (Carol) of Somersworth, N.H., her daughter, Sandra Pelkey Garratt (Donald) of Pinehurst, North Carolina and son, Michael Pelkey of Cedar Hill, Texas; six grandchildren and six great grandchildren , Jeffrey Pelkey (Julia) and their son Justin M. Pelkey of Eliot, Maine, Jennifer Cray (Rick) and their sons Ryan and Garrett Cray of Springvale, Maine, Michelle Sparano (Chris) and their daughter Gabby Sparano of Wayne, New Jersey, Christi Lorduy (Javier) of Cedar Hill, Texas, James Garratt (Monique) and their children Beau, Wes and Bryn Garratt of Millville, Delaware and Jack Garratt (Sarah) of Reston, Virginia; and two special nieces, Rena Peters and Lorraine Beauregard.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, James Ernest Pelkey, Sr., four brothers, Arthur Lee, Robert Lee, Frederick Lee, Walter Lee, and four sisters, Mildred Thompson, Hattie Brown, June Clooney and Dot Jamrog.
Friends are invited to view her live stream funeral on Wednesday October 21, 2020 at 11am, recorded viewing will also be available. Click this link to view additional details about Leona's Services, including any available live streams: https://my.gather.app/remember/leona-pelkey-2020
Online condolences may be made by visiting www.jspelkeyfuneralhome.com. Friends are also invited to a graveside service on Thursday October 22, 2020 at noon in Monadnock View Cemetery on Park Ave in Keene NH. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 or go online to http://www.childrenshospital.org. Donations may also be made to FirstHealth Hospice at 251 Campground Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374. Care for Leona has been entrusted to the JS Pelkey and Son Funeral Home.