Emma Leone Britton, age 99, of Dunedin, Florida passed away on Monday, December 11, 2006, in Florida.  She was the seventh daughter and eleventh child of Milton and Nellie Britton, who were lifelong residents of Newaygo County.

Leone graduated from Fremont High School and was and honor graduate of Marion Louise Withey School of Nursing in Grand Rapids.  After a few years of private duty, night supervision, she was chief nurse of Huizenga Memorial Hospital in Zeeland.

In 1940, she enrolled in the University of Michigan School of Public Health Nursing and between semesters was employed at the Ottawa County Health Dept. in Grand Haven.  In 1942, as a Red Cross Nurse, she was called into the military service, The Army Nurse Corps (ANC), where she served for 20 years.

Tours of duty included the United States, including the Surgeon General’s Office in Washington, DC, European and Pacific theaters.  While stationed at McCormack General Hospital, she did recruitment for the ANC in the California area.  At Valley Forge, PA, she was  awarded a citation by the Army, Navy, and Air Force for an improvement on the iron lung, used for Poliomyelitis patients.

In 1963, Leone retired a Lt. Colonel and settled in Dunedin, FL was interested in helping people and did much volunteer work.  She was a member of the First Church of Christ Scientist, Dunedin, FL and the Mother Church in Boston, MA and was active in committee work.

Leone is survived by numerous nephews and nieces.