Leon Francis Gilbert was born Thursday January 11, 1940 to Francis Alexander and Marie Frances Schowengerdt Gilbert who preceded him in death.  He was born in a two room log cabin in the Saline County river bottom near Miami, Mo.  He died April 8, 2014 at the St. Mary’s Manor in Blue Springs, Mo.  He was 74 years old.

Leon attended Levasy Grade School and Fort Osage High School in Jackson County.  After graduation in 1958 he went to work for Burlington Northern Railroad.  The following year he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he was in the Engineering Section.  He was stationed in Germany.  He was married March 3, 1961 to Annerose Moll in Germany.  Their son, Warrant Officer II Leroy Francis Gilbert of Osage Beach, was born August 10, 1961. When Leon got out of the army Leon returned to Burlington Northern Railroad to work. Leon and Annerose built a house in Levasy, MO.  Their daughter, Christine Jeanne Gilbert, of Blue Springs was born June 16, 1963.Leon and his family resided there until Leon and Annerose divorced in December 1971.  Leon bought part of the farm where he grew up near Levasy and had a new house put there.  January 11, 1974 Leon married Carla Kay Williams.  They lived on the farm and Leon continued working at Burlington Northern Railroad until May 1991 when he had to take medical retirement.  In April 1991 Leon was elected Mayor of Levasy and serve one term, ran and won a second term but resigned in June of 1993.  In July of 1993 Leon and Carla purchased and moved to a farm near Wellington, Mo, in Layfayette County, where they built a house and made many improvements to the farm.  In 1992 Leon started a truck hauling business and he took hauling jobs from the Kansas City area to anywhere in the United States.

Leon loved hunting and fishing.  He went to Canada several years to go fishing.  He traveled to several states in the United States and to Mexico to go hunting.

Leon was a member of Buckner VFW, Masonic Lodge in Buckner, the Ararat Shrine in Kansas City, the United Methodist Church in Napoleon and the NRA.

In addition to his wife, Carla, and his children, Leroy Francis Gilbert and Christine Jeanne Gilbert, he leaves 4 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren, two sisters, Alma Jeanne Gilbert Best of Chamois, Mary Elizabeth Gilbert Potter of Blue Springs, and two brothers, Leroy Ernst Gilbert of Blue Springs and David Alexander Gilbert of Tucson, AZ.

Visitation will be held at Speaks Funeral Home in Buckner, MO Monday, April 14, 2014 from 6 to 8 PM.  Funeral service Tuesday, April 15, 2014 11:00 AM at the Napoleon United Methodist Church. He will be buried in the VA Cemetery near Higginsville, MO.

Donations can be made to the United Methodist Church in Napoleon, Missouri.