The Daily News

Ina Leland Broe, 97, Somonauk, Ill., died April 2, 2009, at Sandwich Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Sandwich, Ill.

Funeral Service will be at 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, in Somonauk with the Rev. Dennis Heaney officiating.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m., until the time of service at 12 p.m. at the church.

Ina Leland Broe, 97 Advertisement

Burial following at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery.

Ina was born March 27, 1912, in Richland County, N.D., the daughter of Mathias Johan Nergard and Anna Louise (Stras) Leland. Ina was baptized May 9, 1912, into the Lutheran Faith and confirmed July 25, 1926. She married George H. Broe of Chicago, Ill., in Western Springs, Ill. She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Outreach Committee and Ester Circle, Somonauk.

Ina graduated as the highest ranking senior from the North Dakota State School of Science, high school department, Wahpeton, in 1930. She earned a bachelor's degree at Mayville State University and master degrees at the University of Illinois in library science and the University of Minnesota in administration and psychology.

For more than 30 years she was dedicated to education, starting as a rural school teacher in North Dakota. Later she was a high school English teacher, head librarian, learning resource center administrator and professor for post-graduate teachers. All positions except the first two were in Illinois, spending 18 years as head librarian at Riverside-Brookfield High School, Riverside. Several summers she served as acting librarian at the Riverside Public Library and as organizer and cataloger of the public library in Western Springs. For nine years she manned a learning center for the Naperville, Ill., Public Schools.

She was honored in several Who’s Who in Library Science, a nationwide publication of librarians, which is published every 10 years, making her first appearance in the 1940 edition.

Besides her teaching career, Ina was active in community affairs holding various positions including President of AAUW (American Association of University Women) in the Riverside and Sandwich branches. She was a Girl Scout cadet counselor in Naperville. She taught Sunday school for more than 40 years and was an altar guild member for more than 30 years.

Ina was known for her readings and talks, winning her first declamation contest as a high school junior in the Richland County-wide competition. She has spoken at state (Minnesota English Convention) and national conventions (National Scholastic Convention), emphasizing subjects on library, reading and yearbook themes. As a yearbook adviser she won national honors, 1942-1953.

During her teaching years she authored articles in various literary magazines, namely, the National Scholastic Magazine, Top of the News, and the Wilson Bulletin.

After her retirement she published 10 or more poems and received the Editor’s Choice Award for outstanding achievement in poetry from the National Library of Poetry.

Mrs. Broe traveled extensively and brought her experiences through slide shows and lectures back to the community. She always laughingly responded to people’s inquiry regarding her travels, “That’s what we do best.”

She is survived by: one daughter, Jan (Joseph) Keyes of New Jersey; one stepson, Vernon H. Broe of Maine; two granddaughters, Dana (Leonard) Bozza of New Jersey and Michelle Broe of California; and three great-granddaughters, Kayla, Murial, and Sarah Bozza, and one great-grandson, Joseph Eugene Bozza; one sister-in-law, Mrs. Alfred (Darline) Leland, and eight nieces and nephews, a host of grand-nieces and nephews as well as cousins scattered throughout the United States and Canada.

She was preceded in death by: her parents; husband, George H. Broe on Oct. 13, 1979; five brothers and two sisters.

For more information or to sign the online guest book go to www.TurnerBurkhartFH.com.

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