Leslie Dale WHIPPLE

WHIPPLE, PARKS, MILLER, DRAVES, VANNESS, WOOD, WESTBROOK, MILLANG, WEBER, BAXTER, KIBSGAARD, HAIN, DIX

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:06:52

March 22, 1925 ---- February 26, 2019

Leslie D. ‘Whimp’ Whipple, 93, died Feb. 26, 2019 at his home in Belmond. Services will be Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at the Belmond United Methodist Church. Burial with military honors will be in the Belmond Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday from 5-7 p.m at the church. There will be no viewing Saturday. Memorials are suggested to the church, Belmond VFW, or the Care Car.

Leslie Dale was born March 22, 1925 in rural Ventura, the son of Grant G. and Ruby (Parks) Whipple. The family moved to Belmond where he attended country school and then graduated from Belmond High School in 1942. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17, serving in WWII aboard the USS Albemarle, USS Goff and USS Bon Homme Richard in the Asiatic-Pacific and the European-African Middle Eastern campaigns. He was honorably discharged in March 1946.

Upon returning to civilian life Leslie married Mary Lou Miller. They had children Bonita, Fred, Marsha and Jeanne. They later divorced. Later, Whimp married Shirley (Draves) Vanness and gained daughters Debra, Sherri, Darla and Lori.

Whimp was employed at NAPA in Belmond for many years. He loved big bands and dancing at the Surf Ballroom and other venues. He followed the Hawkeyes and liked to golf. He enjoyed time with his children and grandchildren, and in earlier years was a pilot and had part ownership of a plane. Whimp was proud of being a veteran and talked fondly of his time in the service. In recent years he enjoyed conversations and working puzzles at the Community Apartments.

He was preceded in death by his wife Shirley; siblings Ruth Ann (James Wood), Merle (Iola) Whipple, and Duane (Anita) Whipple; sons-in-law Wayne Westbrook and Ray Millang; granddaughter Mindy; and great-grandson Caleb. He is survived by his children Bonita (Dean) Weber, Frederick (Deborah) Whipple, Marsha Westbrook, and Jeanne (Bruce) Baxter; step children Debra Vanness, Sherri Vanness, Darla (Randy) Kibsgaard, and Lori Hain (Mark Dix); brother-in-law Robert Draves; 20 grandchildren; 41 great-grandchildren; and 10 great-great-grandchildren.

Belmond Independent -- Belmond, Iowa
March 19, 2019