Marilyn Josephine "Jo/Josie" Leyes

Marilyn Josephine "Jo/Josie" Leyes

Cedar Rapids

Marilyn Josephine (Sylvester) Leyes

“Jo/Josie” entered eternal rest on October 28, 2025 at the age of 91. Up until the end

Jo maintained her kindness, love of family and friends, strong Catholic faith, and her wicked sense of humor. Jo had gratitude

for her long life full of adventures, accomplishments, time with those she

loved, and her joy for everything she did.

Jo was born on February 7, 1934 in Burlington, Iowa, to Margaret Pansy (Fairbanks) and Benjamin Wilson Sylvester. She grew up in a large family of seven children and two loving parents. After losing her father tragically at age seven, Jo grew up quickly by helping her mom around the house, working from a young age as a babysitter for many families, as a car hop at the root beer stand in Crapo park, and after graduating from Burlington High School, she got a job as a telephone operator.

At the age of 19, Jo married the love of her life, Jack Edward Leyes, and entered her life as a career Army wife and a mom to six children who she raised primarily by herself due to the demands of the Army on her husband who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. During their service time in the Army, she and Jack moved several times including Texas, Iowa, Guam, Germany and Missouri. In order to join Jack in Germany in 1962, Jo traveled overseas with five children solo to meet with her husband. Despite the stressors of single parenting of six children, Jo showed nothing but the utmost patience and love to her children. She began her lifelong service to others at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., by being the Director of the Army Youth Special Needs Group, President of the Ladies of the Chapel Group, a Cub Scout den mother and even the manager of one of her son’s baseball teams. She also found the time to iron all of the altar cloths and vestments at the Catholic church.

After 20 years in the military, Jo and Jack settled in St. Louis, Mo., where they continued to raise their six children. Jo became the owner of Suburban Prep School in Bridgeton, Mo., where she taught private kindergarten, and managed an amazing staff of employees that educated and showed unconditional love to hundreds of children ages 2-6 years old during 13 years of ownership. Despite many long hours and lots to manage, Jo still found the time to have fun. This included planning many Sylvester family reunions. The reunions brought her much joy to unite her siblings, along with her many nieces and nephews from across the country. She also adored being a Nana to her 16 grandchildren and created for each of them magical childhood experiences that made lifelong impressions.

During her “retirement”, Jo and Jack moved to Ennis, Texas, where they built a beautiful home and helped take care of their grandson, Chad. Jo’s continuous charitable spirit was exemplified as she started and ran Helping Hands charitable store. She initiated a senior social group at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church and named it the Golden Crusaders. She planned many social outings and charitable events with this group of seniors that became a very close-knit group of friends. While living in Texas, Jo got to enjoy her retirement and got to travel to many fun places around the South and her favorite vacation location…Las Vegas!

Jack and Jo moved back to St. Louis in 2005 to spend the rest of their retirement years near several of their children and grandchildren. Jo still managed to start her second senior social group at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and named it Young at Heart. Once again, she formed a circle of close friends and planned more social and charitable events. After the passing of her beloved, Jack, in 2020, Jo moved back to her birth state of Iowa and spent her final five years at Cottage Grove Place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, near two of her three daughters. It was a challenging time for her body and mind but she still managed to share her kind and loving heart and always made everyone laugh around her.

Jo is survived and lovingly remembered by her six children: Tim (Denise) Leyes of Nashville, Tenn., Dan (Carolyn) Leyes of Colorado Springs, Colo., Cindy Leyes of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cathy (Stu) Cummings of St. Charles, Mo., Doug (Kim) Leyes of Kemp, Texas, and Jackie (Shawn) Bergquist of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Grandchildren: Jessica (Sean) Sills, Courtney (Allen) Horton, Cassidy Cummings, Jacque (Robert) Hamburger, Rachel (Alex) Larkin, Caitlin (Charles) Gallagher, Mary (Trey) Neidert, Benjamin (Kevin Stiles) Leonard, Chad Leyes, Timothy Leyes Jr., Andrew Leyes, Brianne (Bobby) Heitz, Brooke (Mason) North, Britt Bergquist, Annie (Connor) Spirtas, and Jack Bergquist

Great-Grandchildren: Louis, Collette, Stuart, Jack, Calvin, Drew, Sally Jo, Oliver, Sean Jr., Clara, Boyd, Raegan, Guinevere, Frankie, Gabriel, Cale, and Kendall.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Jack, her parents, and all six siblings and their spouses.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Cottage Grove Place, especially the second floor of Assisted Living along with the caring and compassionate Unity Point Hospice team, Home Instead caregivers, and her special sitters and friends, Sherry and Kiersten Sealy and Jody Wohlers.

There will be a visitation at Colliers Funeral Home in St. Ann, Mo., on November 13, 2025, 4-6 p.m. for all to attend.

A burial service will be held on November 14, 2025, at 9:15 a.m. (family only) at Jefferson Barracks Military Cemetery.

There will be a memorial Mass on November 14, 2025, at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Manchester, Mo., open to all to attend. This will be followed by a celebration of life reception at the St. Joseph’s parish center located next to the church.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to be used for the ongoing care of Jo’s beloved grandson, Chad. The donations may be given to any of the Leyes siblings made payable to

Timothy J. Leyes in care of Chad Leyes.