Leona Lavern (Pejsha) (Besthorn) Dibben
Leona Lavern (Pejsha) (Besthorn) Dibben was born Jan. 16 1923 to Charles and Victoria Pejsha in Wilson Kan., raised on the family farm helping her daddy in the fields, and enjoyed working in the header box during harvest. She went to school at Mt. Series where she finished through the 8th grade and graduated. She worked on the farm and this is the time in her life when she met Peter Besthorn and began a friendship.
In 1943 she went to work in Salina, at the gun powder plant. She also did ironing on the side for other people. Shortly after, she was transferred to Lawrence, to another powder plant. After the war was over in 1946, she married Peter Besthorn and they moved to Holyrood.
To this union were born two children, Margorie Sue and Danny Dean. She was a homemaker for many years. Leona went into nursing after Peter lost his job in the oil fields. Leona then went to work in the Hornbaker Home for the Elderly and the Samaritan Home in Ellsworth. Shortly after, they moved to Lincoln where Leona went to work in the hospital. Then in 1964, they moved to Superior, Neb. where she worked in the hospital until 1967.
They then moved to Caldwell, Idaho where Leona went to work at Caldwell Memorial Hospital.
In 1973 her husband Peter Besthorn passed away. She continued to work at the hospital until it downsized and let her go. During this time, between March 1974 and September 1974, she met and married Leroy C. Dibben.
In 1975 she started working at Mercy Medical Center in Nampa, Idaho. There she earned her LPN certification.
In October 1974, one month after their marriage, her husband had a major heart attack and had to have a quadruple heart by-pass. This caused her to take up two part-time jobs besides Mercy full time. Leona was employed at the Odd Fellows Home in Caldwell and the Salvation Army Church as a janitor. She took care of Leroy and worked all three jobs for about a year then was able to quit the Odd Fellows. She continued working for Mercy until 1986 when she retired. Leona then helped ranch on Leroy’s acreage until 2007 when she was placed into assisted living and later into skilled nursing until she passed away on Nov. 16, 2015.
She was preceeded in death by her parents; both husbands; sister, Rosie Cikanek; brother, Laudie C. Pejsha; and daughter and son-in-law Marjorie and Robert C. Robb.
She is survived by her son, Danny D. (Margret)Besthorn; grandchildren; Carmen (Darren) Stricklin, Bradley (Lorri) Robb, Mark (Andrea) Besthorn, Kyla (Mark) Rosenbaum and many great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 at Flahiff Funeral Chapel, Caldwell.
Condolences may be left at www.flahifffuneral chapel.com.
