Mrs. Leonia Francis Dillard Baines, of Dover, Del., known to family and friends as “Lee,” beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunt, passed away on Oct. 1, 2020. She was 90.
A native of Exmore, after living during her earlier adult years in Virginia and New York City, Leonia moved to Delaware in 1974. Residing mostly in Felton, Del., for 26 years, she and her late husband, Hilton Baines, served as foster parents for more than 50 children. During her Delaware years, she was a member of Victory Chapel, Union Baptist Church, and Second Baptist Church, all of Dover.
She is survived by two daughters, Eleanor Mary Elizabeth Wilson and Margaret P. Collins-Leonard; two foster children, Loretta Muntz and Deshon Blue, who Leonia raised as her children; two nephews, Robert Baines (Margaret), and Dr. Tyrone R. Baines (Shereatha); and a host of other family and friends.
