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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Obituary: Pederson, Leonard C.

Age 94

PEDERSON, Leonard C.
(Age 94)

Passed away peacefully in his sleep June 19, 2012.

Born January 20, 1918, to Ethel and Edwin Pederson, Leonard grew up in Vancouver, WA.

He joined the Navy in 1939 when it was obvious to him there was a war coming.

He was on the USS Enterprise when it entered Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1939.

He was a bombardier with Torpedo Squadron 6 on the Enterprise and survived two crash landings, one on the deck of the aircraft carrier and one in the Pacific Ocean.

He served in many battles, including the Battle of Midway.

He remained in the Pacific Theater during the entire war and had attained the rank of Navy Aviation Chief when he mustered out in 1945.

He settled in Spokane and worked as a master lather on hundreds of buildings in the Northwest in his 35-year career.

In 1947 he met and married his wife of 64 years, Marjorie (Mikalson) Pederson.

Leonard is survived by wife Marjorie; daughter Kristine Stimson (Bill) of Spokane; and son Leonard Jr. (Barbara) of Washington, D.C.

He leaves behind two grandchildren he loved very much, Will Stimson, USN, and Brie Stimson, both of San Diego.

Leonard loved fishing, woodworking, planting trees, and almost everything else in life.

People all over Spokane knew him for his smile and his generosity.

He was above all a family man, and we all miss him terribly.
In her book of poetry, Amber Beads, Marjorie wrote of Leonard:
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.

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And though it has been fifty years
Since we walked down the aisle,
It still makes my heart skip a beat
When you look at me and smile.
As Leonard himself always said, “It’s ‘so long’, not ‘goodbye’.”


A private ceremony was held at Pines Cemetery.