Leon Vale Wheeldon was born on July 28th, 1959 in Bonners Ferry, Idaho and passed away on November 27th, 2019 at the Washington State Soldier's Home in Orting, WA due to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Leon was surrounded by his wife, children, and close family friends throughout his last days. Leon was raised in the Kelso/Longview area as a child and later moved to Grays River with his family where he attended Naselle High School. At 17 years of age, he joined the United States Navy and was stationed on the USS Midway. He frequently shared military stories of his time living in Japan, his Persian Gulf Deployment, and when he received his Shell Back certificate while crossing the equator. Leon eventually joined the Naval Reserves, training in Astoria Oregon at the Tongue Point Naval Air Station.

On May 18th, 1990 Leon married Tami (Kimball) Wheeldon. Leon worked in the local area as a truck driver. After years in the logging and trucking industry, Leon decided he wanted to work in the health care field. He quickly earned a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification, where he promptly went to work at St John Medical Center, working within the Behavioral Health Unit and in the Emergency Department (ED) as an ED Technician. He loved working as a caregiver and was passionate about caring for patients, especially Veterans. His family was not surprised when he came home one day and announced he had joined the National Guard. His love for his country and his desire to serve in the military was a passion he shared with everyone.

In December 2006, Leon had to leave military and work career due to his battle with MS. Leon was an avid hunter, fisherman and family man. He loved being in the outdoors and spending time with his wife, children, relatives in Idaho, church family, and his trucking friends. Leon was a life-time member of the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Post 1045 where he previously served as Post Commander and District commander. He was a member of the American Legion Post 155 and a member of the Paralyzed Veterans of American (PVA). He spent countless hours volunteering for Veteran activities within the local community.

Leon is survived by his wife Tami Wheeldon, his son Josh Wheeldon, daughters Erica (Daniel) Dodson, Kylie (Doug) Stroebel and his precious grandsons Maverick Wheeldon, Cole and Owen Stroebel. He is also survived by his uncle Les Wheeldon and many other family members. He is preceded in death by his father Neil Wheeldon and a sister Carla Schemenhauer. Powers Funeral Home in Puyallup, WA is assisting with funeral arrangements. https://www.powersfuneralhome.com/ A Celebration of Life will be held at Journey Adventist Church on Monday, December 9th, 2019 at 3 pm with a reception following. https://www.journeyadventist.com/ Address: Journey Adventist Church, 77 Solomon Road, Kelso, WA 98626. An Internment will be held at Willamette National Cemetery privately at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family request memorial contributions go to any of the following organizations listed below: Cowlitz Valley VFW Post 1045, 4311 Ocean Beach Hwy, Longview, WA 98632; American Legion Post 155, 1250 12th Ave, Longview, WA 98632; National MS Society https://www.nationalmssociety.org/