Van Waus, Leah Idelle Virlee

Leah Idelle Virlee Van Waus died on Thursday, May 10, 2012, in Victor, Iowa. A reception for Leah will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Morgan Funeral Home in Mount Vernon. The funeral in Leah's honor will be at 10 a.m. Friday, May 18, at Linn Grove Church, 200 Linn Grove Rd., Mount Vernon. The service will be conducted by the Rev. Jim Langley with burial in Linn Grove Cemetery. Everyone is invited to a luncheon at the church following the burial.

Survivors include her mother, Gladys (Jill) Olsen; her father, Kenan Virlee; and her brother Drew Virlee and his wife, Renee, all of Mount Vernon.

She is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Leah was born July 9, 1981, in West Bend, Wis. At the age of 6 weeks, she moved to the farm near Martelle, where she was raised. She graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1999, where she excelled in music, including being selected as the soloist for the University of Iowa Music Festival and for the All-State Music Festival. She won a music scholarship to Drake University where she was a member of the Drake Choir, the Drake Chamber Choir and participated in the Drake Opera Theatre. She graduated with honors with a BA in Psychology in 2003. For the past nine years she served as human resource and telecommunications executive for Shaw Electric Inc. in Davenport.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Madge Phillips Women's Shelter, c/o Waypoint, 318 Fifth St. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.

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Published in The Gazette May 17, 2012.