Lewiston Morning Tribune - July 22, 1997
Vilas Gleason, 74, Orofino retiree
Vilas Gleason, 74, an Orofino native retired from Boeing, died Thursday at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center at Lewiston of complications of a head injury he suffered in a fall.
He was born Jan. 15, 1923, to George and Letha Aiken Gleason at Orofino.
He attended Dent and Orofino schools, graduating from Orofino High School in 1940.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the South Pacific. He was awarded a Purple Heart.
He then attended the University of Idaho and graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture.
He married Isabelle Musser Dec. 24, 1947, at Lewiston.
He worked for Boeing for more than 30 years as an architectural engineer. He worked at Seattle for several years, then in Florida for the space program for 14 years. He was transferred to California, then to Kent, Wash. He also was sent to Turkey for a year on assignment.
After retirement, he moved to Orting, Wash.
He is survived by his wife at the couple's Orting home; two daughters, Jada Helgeson of Orting and Deena Gleason of Carbonado, Wash.; a son, Bruce Gleason of Olympia; two sisters, June Snyder of Orofino and Elberta Shelton of Puyallup, Wash.; a brother, Stuart Gleason of Puyallup; four grandchildren; and four stepgrandchildren.
Preceding him in death were two brothers, George and Elbert Gleason.
Services will be held in Puyallup.
Transcribed by Jo Frederiksen, 2014