Leslie Charles Gilbertson

Leslie Charles Gilbertson, 69, passed away of natural causes on Jan. 4, 2013, in Tucson, Ariz.

He was born March 27, 1943, in Glasgow, Mont., to Olaf and Ruth (Fuhrman) Gilbertson.

He grew up in Glasgow and Tucson, Ariz. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Marines, where he served his country during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged after serving six years and was very proud of his military service.

He lived an adventurous, unconventional life and enjoyed every minute of it. He was quite the world traveler and story teller and could entertain people for hours on end. While he did not have a family of his own, children were mesmerized by him and would sit and listen to his endless stories. The neighborhood children knew he always had candy, and would knock on his door several times a day for a treat. He would trade a piece of candy for a piece of trash, which was how he taught them to keep the complex clean. He was quite the charmer and he always made a point to make old people feel special. He was never in too much of a hurry to sit and shoot the breeze. Whenever grandparents, aunts, or uncles heard Les's name, they would always get a little smile, shake their heads, and tell a story of something he pulled on them.

He lived most of his adult life in Tucson, the city he loved. He was featured on the Tucson nightly news in 1997 in a segment on him cleaning up the neighborhood and protecting people in a disadvantaged area. He made sure his family got video recordings of the interview!

He was preceded in death by his father in 1998; a nephew, Lance; and longtime companion, Juanita Fugate.

Survivors include five siblings, Deanna Jones of Glasgow, Gordon Gilbertson of Roundup, Ron Gilbertson and his wife, Cary, of Glasgow, Kristi Schulz and her husband, Ted, of Sacramento, and Jeff Gilbertson and his wife, Rosario, of Missoula; 16 nieces and nephews.

He wanted his memorial service to coincide with his beloved mama's. We have no doubt he is up in heaven entertaining everyone around him and was there with a big hug when his mama arrived.