Leona graduated from the Pittsburgh School of Nursing in 1940. From 1942 to 1946 she served in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, obtaining the rank of lieutenant senior grade. She served in the Aleutian Islands during WWII. From 1966 to 1994, Leona was a tax collector for East Carroll Township. She received a certificate for voting in over 50 consecutive years. She was actively involved in several local civic and patriotic organizations during her lifetime.