Leon J. Cooning

Cooning, Leon J. ?Lee?, Jr., 84, of St. Petersburg, died Monday January 31, 2005 at Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bay Pines, FL. He came here in 1948 from his native Indianapolis, IN. He was a retired Lt. Colonel with the U.S. Air Force. He was a POW of WWII and also served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze Star for Combat, the Air Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. He was a member of the American Ex-Prisoners of War, the Military Officers Association of America, the DAV, the VFW and the National Association for Uniformed Services. He was a member of Clearview United Methodist Church. Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Dorothy M. Wiebeck; a son, Major General Craig Susan Cooning, Oakton, VA; a daughter, Carol Neil Lageman, San Antonio, TX; a sister, Joan Lewis, Plainfield, IN; and two brothers: James R. Grace and Jack Mitzi Cooning, both of Indianapolis, IN; and four grandchildren: William and Britt Rusche and Christopher and Taylor Cooning. Anderson-McQueen Funeral & Cremation Centers-N.E. St. Petersburg