Leston E "Les" Goodding
Marriages
Thelma Anderson - June 12, 1949
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7B Death Notice - September 18, 2013
Les Goodding, 89, Grand Junction, died Sept. 10, 2013, at Monument
Assisted Living.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.
Ms. Goodding was a retired engineer with General Electric.
Survivors include one son, James C. of Albuquerque, N.M.; and one
daughter, Terri Anderson of Largo, Fla.
Memorial contributions to HopeWest, 3090B North 12th St., Grand
Junction 81506.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7B Obituary - September 18, 2013
Leston Goodding
March 16, 1924 – September 10, 2013
Leston E. Goodding, age 89,
passed away September 10, 2013.
L e s w a s a l o n g - t i m e G r a n d
Junction resident with his wife,
Thelma, who passed away in
May. He is survived by their two
children, daughter, Terri of Largo,
FL, and son and daughter-in-law,
Jim and Julie of Albuquerque,
NM.
Les joined a family of four in Corvallis, Oregon on March 16,
1924: his parents Leslie and Bernice, and older sisters, Charlotte and
Gladys, where he soon became known as "the Kid". The Goodding
family eventually moved to Phoenix where Les graduated from high
school in 1941.
World WarII put a stop to Les' college plans. Although the wa r in
Europe was expected to end before Christmas, 1944, Les found himself
deep within the snow of the Ardennes. Les fought valiantly with
the Army's 75th division, being awarded the Purple Heart, two
bronze stars with oak leaf clusters and three combat ribbons. W hile
fighting from foxholes in the Battle of the Bulge, Colmar and R uhr
Pockets he formed life-long friendships with his comrades who survived.
Les described himself as "the ugliest cuss in the ETO" with a
smile on his face as he told some of the light hearted stories while
fighting the Nazis. Years later Les and Thelma enjoyed Division reunions
and he was privileged to go a veteran's freedom flight w ith
his son and care giver, Cathy Carter.
After the war Les returned to the southwest, taking advantage of
the GI Bill, earning a degree in mechanical engineering cum lad e
from The University of Arizona. In Tucson, Les met fellow stude nt
and the love of his life, Thelma Anderson. Les and Thelma were
married June 12, 1949, and were blessed with a long and loving
marriage.
Les had an outstanding career with General Electric, serving as
service manager in Lynn, Massachusetts, for several helicopter jet
engines. His job took him all over the world including Vietnam,
where the helicopter he was in took fire from the enemy. Les su pported
the engines in Marine One, those used to retrieve the Gemini
and Apollo astronauts from the sea and those in the failed attempt to
rescue hostages of the Iranian crisis of 1980. Memorabilia of his career
adorned Les's walls at the end of his life.
After decades living in Massachusetts, Les and Thelma spent v acation
time looking for the perfect retirement location in the Southwest,
and in 1987 they moved to Grand Junction. Both were deser t
lovers who enjoyed walking their dogs in washes of the Grand Va lley
looking for dinosaur bones. In retirement Les worked at Tar get,
was a forest ranger in the Colorado National Monument, volunteered
with SCORE and was a Kiwanian, where he often served as
the "sheriff" at monthly meetings.
Les battled Parkinson's disease toward the end of his life, b ut his
condition didn't let it stop him. With the use of a power wheel chair
and Thelma he tackled home improvement chores until the end.
Les' final years where made more enjoyable with the incredibl e
help and spirit of Cathy Carter. From camping trips to breakfas ts
out, Cathy saw to his care with jokes, laughter and compassion.
With Cathy's encouragement, cussing was kept to a minimum.
Services will be held Thursday, September 19, 2013, at 3:00 p .m.
at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary, 2515 F Road, Grand Junction.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to HopeWest and Hospice
of Western Colorado.
