Anna Belle Leyendecker

Anna Belle Leyendecker, age 89, beloved wife, mother, and homemaker, died peacefully in her sleep at her residence in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Anna was born on January 26, 1932, in San Antonio, Texas, to Shelby Smith and Nelda Gold Smith. She grew up in San Antonio, where she met her husband, Victor M. Leyendecker at school. After he joined the Air Force, she traveled to Fort Ord, California, to marry him on December 30, 1950, beginning their adventures together as a growing and thriving military family. After 4 years at Misawa Air Force Base in Japan, they returned to San Antonio in 1967 with their 8 children, where Victor eventually retired from the Air Force on April 1, 1971. She continued to love and support him through college, a second career at City Public Service, an empty nest and then wonderful trips together to visit kids and grandkids, as well as trips overseas including Russia and Rome. They were devout Catholics and members of the St. Pius X Catholic Church congregation since 1967. She was a member of St. Martha’s Women’s Guild, and in 1990, one of the originators and then longtime member of the St. Pius X Bereavement Committee, formed under the auspices of Father Liam Brosnan. She and Victor often served midnight adoration together as members of the Association of Perpetual Adoration of St. Pius X Parish. Her greatest joy in life was in “doing” for and helping family, friends, strangers, and the less fortunate. She chose to move to The Inn at Los Patios here in San Antonio in 2006, where she lived happily and was well cared for until the summer of 2019, when she moved to Blossom Care. Mrs. Leyendecker is preceded in death by her father in 1982; mother in 2000; sister, Luella Mae Bennack in 2003; husband, Victor in 2005; grandson, Scott Tinio Leyendecker in 2018. She is survived by her children, Vincent and his wife, Linn of Santa Fe, NM, Karl of Kerville, TX, Cheryl Osburn of San Antonio, TX, Robert of Holt, FL, Derek and his wife Carol of Albuquerque, NM, Alan and his wife, Linda of Cibolo, TX, Steven and his wife, Denise of Bandera, TX, and David and his wife, June of San Antonio, TX; 14 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; brother, Gary T. Smith of San Antonio, TX; and sister, Linda Nell Smith of Dallas, TX. The Leyendecker family would like to extend special thanks to Elizabeth Davis of Blossom Care Assisted Living and her lovely staff for keeping Oma Safe and comfortable with their loving attention and care for the last year and a half of her life, especially when the family could not visit much this past year. To honor and commemorate her, in lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Victor and Anna Belle Leyendecker Child Development Fund, at Ascension DePaul Services of San Antonio, 7607 Somerset Rd., San Antonio, TX, 78211, adssa.org. Services will be held at a later date.