Leona Olga Coyne

Leona Olga (Plato) Coyne, born on October 15, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois, to the late Olga (Banick) Plato and the late Gerhardt Plato, passed away at age 78 on January 22, 2018 in her home and surrounded by her children.

Dear sister of the late Leonard Plato, Selma Revere, Helen Oehlke, Herb (Julie) Plato, Sophia-Lavergne (Jack) Kleeman, Violet (Tom) Hughes, Irene Williams, and Betty (Don) Kuhn. Loving mother of Colleen (Scott Kosnak) Coyne, Jacqueline (Robert) Knudsen, and Patrick Coyne. Cherished Grandmother of Sophia Coyne-Kosnak, James Coyne, and John Coyne. Fond Aunt of many nieces and nephews.

Leona graduated from National Lewis University (Class of 1988 · Bachelor of Arts in Applied Behavioral Sciences) and Truman College (Class of 1977).
From 1957 to 1958, Leona served in the Air Force.

Leona's hobbies and interests seemed limitless. Her thirst for knowledge was awarded with many talents including photography, writing, poetry, painting, and gardening. She loved astrology, philosophy, history, and politics. She used to say that education never stops and each day offers new lessons as long as you are willing to learn. Her love of books was enormous and her library very impressive. But nothing was as strong or as committed as her love of family. Leona's first and foremost focus was the lives and well-being of her family.

Following contributed by her Granddaughter, Sophia:
She played piano, played poker, and played the lead in her school plays. She wrote poetry, loved the opera, and talked politics. She taught herself how to buy and sell stocks, and later how to have thousands of Twitter followers. She was a painter, a gardener, and also the president of her drinking club. She raised a family and served her country.
She was a true renaissance woman who made it all by herself, and she looked good doing it. I'm always amazed that the coolest woman I've ever known was my own grandmother. We've missed her for a year now, but she'll inspire us forever.

Services will be Private. Gibbons Family Funeral Home is handling arrangements, 5917 West Irving Park Rd., Chicago, (773) 777-3944.