Born August 3, 1896, in Fancy Farm, Ky., Mary Sylvia was the first child of William and Mary Beatrice Fenwick Willett. When Sylvia was school age, she entered St. Jerome School at Fancy Farm. In 1912, she came to Mount Saint Joseph Academy. From early youth, she was drawn to religious life and entered the novitiate at age 18. Mary Sylvia received the Ursuline habit on October 24, 1916, and was given the name Sister Leona.
Sister Leona taught commercial classes in Mount Saint Joseph Academy during her novitiate. Throughout her mission life, she taught upper elementary grades in the public school system and/or parochial schools in Kentucky, New Mexico and Nebraska. In 1919, her first assignment was to St. Martin of Tours Elementary School in Flaherty, Ky. She went to Jeffersontown, Ky., from there. She spent 10 years in Nebraska at Bow Valley, Plattsmouth, Dixon and Wynot. She then returned to Kentucky and taught at Holy Cross, St. Charles, Loretto (St. Francis), Fredericktown, Owensboro (SS. Joseph and Paul), Central City, Fairfield, Raywick (St. Joseph) and Clementsville. She spent 1945-1949 in Blanco, N.M.
Sister Leona was greatly loved by her pupils for her deep interest and personal kindness. She made the classroom an interesting place of discovery and wonderment. She instilled in her students the importance of friendship and cooperation as skills leading to successful living. In 1964, she was re-assigned to Flaherty where she had begun her missionary journey of 48 years.
Having been diagnosed with cancer in mid-February 1967, Sister returned to Mount Saint Joseph. Three months later, she died in the Motherhouse infirmary on May 18, 1967. Msgr. Albert Thompson, chaplain, and Msgr. Edward Russell celebrated the funeral Mass. Sister’s remains are buried in the convent cemetery.