Lester 'Les' Willmore, 89

Lester “Les” Willmore, 89, of Elk, Washington, and formerly of Kalispell, passed away Nov. 11, 2017.

Les survived his first wife Barbara Willmore, of 27 years, who passed in 1981 and is survived by his second wife of 32 years, Jean Willmore; his children, David Willmore of Joseph, Oregon, Vicki Harding of Tumwater, Washington, Ann Fassbender of Snettisham, Alaska, Curtiss Willmore of Kalispell, Sharron Backstrom of Lacey, Washington, James Willmore of Kalispell and Douglas Willmore of Santa Monica, California; and his stepchildren, Vickie Adkins of Portage, Wisconsin, Shawn Smith of Kalispell and Trevert Adkins of Kalispell; as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

He was born July 31, 1928. Les grew up and graduated from high school in McLeansboro, Illinois, and served in the Navy aboard a cruiser during the Korean conflict. Upon leaving the Navy he worked in southern California as an electrician when he met Barbara Jane Swafford and they were married March 1954. Shortly after, they left California and moved to Minnesota where Les attended Dunwoodie electrical school. He graduated and became a fulltime construction electrician, which was his vocation until his retirement in 1991.

He lived on a small farm in Elk with his loving wife Jean where he realized his childhood dream to become a gentleman farmer on their property on which he raised and trained many mules and horses.

He is greatly missed by his wife and the large community of friends and relatives he leaves behind.

Services are pending.