More detail on this person: Jesse William Leonard Bill Jesse William Leonard Bill Wichita Eagle, The (KS) - Thursday, April 17, 2008 Wichita KS United States Leonard, CW4 Jesse (Bill) William, US Army Ret., of Mesa passed away April 12, 2008 after a five year bout with lung cancer. Bill, born in Thayer, Kansas on March 22, 1933, spent 27 years in service to his country in the US Army that took him to many places of the world far away from the town of his birth. Twenty five of those years were spent as a helicopter and fixed-wing pilot during which time he served two tours in Germany, two tours in Vietnam and one tour in Iran. His many honors and decorations include eight Air Medals; the Legion of Merit; Army Commendation Medal with V for Valor; the Bronze Star; a joint Service Commendation Medal; and the Master Army Aviator Badge. Following his career in the military, Bill worked as flight test engineer for over 20 years with Hughes helicopter, McDonnell Douglas and Boeing. He is survived by his wife of 55 years Imogene (Jean) Worthington Leonard; daughter Kathy Tipton (Les); grandson Christopher Tipton (Janelle); son Jack W. Leonard (Carol); grandson Timothy Leonard (Grace); granddaughter Stephanie Shepherd (Brennan); grandson Benjamin Leonard; sister Shelda Simons (Gary); sister Janeen Potter; brother Mark Potter; sister Connie Mcelhaney (Lin); as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins. Services will be held at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona. Donations may be made to the American Lung Association or the charity of your choice.
Burial information: National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ
This information was last updated 03/01/2019
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Date posted on this site: 01/11/2025
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