Leslie Cole

Leslie E. Cole, 93, died Thursday, May 20, 2010, at Bullhead City, Ariz.

Leslie was born March 18, 1917, at White Earth, a son of Benton and Olga (Westgard) Cole. He attended grade school for several years in the southeastern part of the state. He moved with his mother and stepfather to the Rugby area and finished grade school at a rural school northeast of Rugby. He was drafted for one year, and, at the start of WWII, he was drafted again. He went to Fort Riley, Kan., where he served in Custer’s 7th Cavalry. They did border patrol work on the Texas border, and later he went to the Philippines. He married Alma Timmer. They made their home in Rugby, where he was employed as a janitor and school bus driver for the Rugby School system. They left North Dakota and eventually settled in Washington, where he worked as a heavy equipment operator and mechanic. The couple later moved to Arizona.

He is survived by his wife, daughter, Monna Edwards, and step-son, Bill Timmer, all of Arizona; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; step-father, Carl Nelson; and brothers, Orris and Marlowe Nelson.