Leslie Wilkinson

Leslie (“Les”) Edward Wilkinson

April 7, 1950 to April 24, 2018

Aged 68

Les Wilkinson was born to Lester Cecil Wilkinson and Olive Gertrude (Bunch) Wilkinson (now Sue Gentile) on April 7, 1950 in the old St. Mary’s Hospital on Colorado Ave. in Grand Junction. He was one of the last to be born there before the new St. Mary’s Hospital opened at the corner of N. 7th Street and Patterson Blvd.  He passed away April 24th at the age of 68 years in the presence of many family members at St. Mary’s Hospital following a years long battle with pulmonary weakness.

Les attended L.I.F.E. Bible College in Los Angeles starting in 1969.  While there  he met Darlene Green whom he married April 14, 1973 in Pico Rivera, California and enjoyed 45 years of marriage.  They had no children.

Les contracted Guillain-Barre’ syndrome in 1992 while living with his wife in Norwalk, California, and was quadriplegic thereafter.  Prior to that he worked as Office Supplies Manager for one of the largest law firms in Los Angeles for 21 years.  In 2000 he and Darlene realized a long-time dream of moving back to his native Grand Junction, where they were very happily welcomed home by his family.

Les enjoyed many things including music (old-time gospel and Country Western) photography, vacations to Colorado, hiking the Colorado mountains, bicycling, reading books (favorite authors were Louis L’Amour, also his father’s favorite, and Donald Westlake), “rolling” around his home neighborhood near Patterson and 25 ½ Rd, computers, and always most of all telling jokes and stories and making his friends laugh. His quiet chuckle and infectious grin will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife, Darlene Wilkinson,  mother Olive (Sue) Gentile, sisters Barbara Weatherby (Doug), Tammy Campbell, Lorna Divinny (Darryl), all of Grand Junction, and Rita Kanten of Virginia,  brothers Cecil Wilkinson (Cindy) of Loma, Mark Wilkinson of Canon City, and Gaius Wilkinson (Sandy)  of Hayden, CO. and many beloved nephews and nieces.

Les loved his Lord and Savior Jesus, and has gone home to his well-deserved rest in Him.  Favorite Scripture was I Corinthians 13, “. . . . and the greatest of these is love”.   Now he is free of the constraints of a wheelchair and is dancing the streets of gold.

Services will be held  at Clifton Assembly of God Church, 258 Fifth St, Clifton, Friday May 4th at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, Guillain-Barre’ Syndrome Foundation International, at GBS|CIDP Foundation International, Mailing Address: 375 East Elm Street, Conshohocken, PA 19428