D. Leone (Dearing) Sider

     Dorothy Leone Sider passed away on September 2, 2022, at Messiah Village at the age of 96. She was born on January 1, 1926, in Kincaid, Saskatchewan, Canada, to William and Leila Dearing.

     When Leone was three years of age, the family moved to northern Saskatchewan to homestead a wooded area. Here she grew to teenage years, living in a log cabin and attending school in a log schoolhouse. She completed her high school education at what is now Niagara Christian Collegiate near Fort Erie, Ontario. There she met fellow student Morris Sider whom she married in 1951.

     Following graduation from high school, Leone attended Upland College in California, from which she graduated in 1951 with a degree in Associated Arts.  In following years she held various positions in hospitals, food services, and as a teacher.

      Following several years of service at Niagara Christian Collegiate, she and her family, now including daughters Karen and Donna, moved to Grantham, Pennsylvania, where her husband joined the faculty of Messiah College (now University).

     Leone was widely known for her kind and loving personality. She quarreled with no one; any criticism she offered was constructive and kindly spoken. She loved to entertain students, faculty, relatives, and her many friends, all of whom delighted in her culinary skills, including her pies for which she had a wide reputation. She greatly loved children, which made her an excellent Sunday school teacher and club leader in her Grantham Brethren in Christ congregation. All who knew Leone were blessed by their association with her. The character of Leone’s life may be illustrated by the little motto she placed on her kitchen wall many years ago: “Seeds of kindness grow a garden of friends.”

     She was predeceased by her parents and all five siblings: Betty (Charlie) Eliott, Ted (Iola), Don (Janice), Irene (Henry) Mohr, and Kenneth (Emily). She is survived by her husband Morris and daughters Karen and Donna; two grandsons, Jonathan and Benjamin Redfearn; and one great-granddaughter, Kya Redfearn.​

     A memorial service celebrating Leone’s life will be held in the Grantham Brethren in Christ Church, 421 Grantham Road, Mechanicsburg, PA, on Sunday, October 9, beginning at 3:00 p.m.

     Leone’s beautiful life may be honored by making a donation to Messiah University (memo the Sider Institute) at One University Avenue, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of D. Leone (Dearing) Sider, please visit our floral store.