Leon LeRoy Blow, age 85, died Thursday, September 19, 2024 at his home in Minatare, Nebraska.
Leon was born July 6, 1939 in Burlington, Vermont to Chester and Florence (Bruleigh) Blow, dairy farmers where he spent most of his childhood working on the farm in Grand Isle, Vermont.
He graduated from high school in 1958 and had already joined the Vermont Air National Guard at age 17. He 1959 he left home for Lackland Air Force Base for basic training and made the Air Force a 32 year career achieving E8/Master Sergeant. He served in numerous countries, including Vietnam during the TET Offensive. His final duty station was Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, GA. After retiring from the military, he then began another career as a driver for Roadway, retiring after 18 years in 2006. He drove over 2 million miles without an incident and was awarded for this achievement.
Leon married the love of his life, Carol Edith Westphal on August 6, 1960 after meeting in a swimming pool in California where Leon was stationed. They were married for 64 years and out of this union they had two children, Darcy Leon and Cynthia Victoria.
Throughout his life, Leon had a love for family first, the outdoors and especially bass fishing where he enjoyed many tournaments and was awarded many trophies. He loved animals of all kinds, especially wildlife and always had a pet dog or cat at his side. Leon had a heart of gold and would help anyone-even strangers (no one was a stranger to Leon) who needed assistance. Leon and Carol retired to Lake Oconee, GA and recently moved to Nebraska.
He is survived by his wife, Carol Blow of Minatare; his son, Darcy (Cathy) Blow of Minatare; his daughter, Cynthia (Mike) Geiwitz of McDonough, GA; seven grandchildren, Angela, William, Amanda, Benjamin, Zachary, Jack and Brandon; and 9 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his only sibling, Vickie Briggs, and 2 nieces.
Leon will always be remembered for his boisterous voice, his stories about growing up in Vermont, and strong morals. He was a proud American and Patriot.
Graveside services with military honors will be held Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Alliance, Nebraska. Reverend Gary Schick will officiate.
Online condolences may be left at www.batesgould.com. Bates-Gould Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.