Les "Pell" Wilson
Marriages
Twila West - October 13, 1946
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3 D Obit - May 13, 2012
Les "Pell" Wilson, the son of
pioneers of northwest Colorado,
died
April 14, 2012, at his home. He
was 88.
Les was born August 21, 1923,
in Simla to Clarence and Myrtle
Wilson, who were homesteaders
near Maybell in Moffat County.
At the age of three, his father died
on the high prairie homestead and his mother moved with Les to
Colorado Springs and then to Grand Junction, where he attended
schools and graduated from Grand Junction High School. It was in
Grand Junction High School that he was nicknamed "Pell," short for
"Pelican," by the basketball team. Les attended Mesa State and Iowa
State College for a short time before entering the service. After returning
to the United States from serving in the U.S. Army in northern
France and Rhineland in World War II, Les married Twila West
on October 13, 1946, in the First Presbyterian Church in downtown
Grand Junction.
Les worked for State Farm Insurance as an agent and then as a district
manager for 30 years in three states, Colorado, Wyoming and
California, earning his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation
and winning many awards and trips around the world. Eventually,
Les and Twila retired to their hometown of Grand Junction,
where Les enjoyed fly-fishing, golf, attending Grand Junction High
School class reunions, and his grandsons, "the boys". He also enjoyed
Denver Broncos football games, dining at great restaurants
such as WW Peppers and was an avid reader, preferring Westerns
and suspense.
Les is survived by two daughters, Kathy Crane and her husband,
Roy, and Debby Harmon and her husband, Gary; twin grandsons,
Sean and Paul Harmon; a brother, Elton Millikin, and two nieces
and a nephew. He was preceded in death by his wife, Twila; his
mother, Myrtle Snoke, and his brother, Samuel Millikin.
A memorial and celebration of Les' life will be at 4:00 p.m., Saturday,
May 19, at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. Memorial contributions
may be made to the Mesa County Land Trust for the Three Sisters
Project, 1006 Main St., Grand Junction 81501, or Hospice and Palliative
Care of Western Colorado, 3090B North 12th Street, Grand
Junction, CO 81506.
