David Leon was born on April 3rd, 1931 in Delta, Colorado to his parents, Melesio and Laurencia Leon. He passed to his heavenly home with his family at his side on Tuesday, January 14th, 2020 at the age of 88.

David grew up in Colorado and was part of the state National Guard from 1947 to 1951, going on active duty in 1951. Upon graduating basic training from Ft. Riley Kansas, he volunteered for the Airborne Corps and became a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. David also served with the 101st Airborne Division and proudly with the U.S. Special Forces Green Berets. During his career, David had many deployments around the world, including the Dominican conflict in 1965 and Vietnam in 1967. David served his country for 28 years and retired honorably in 1975. After retirement from the military, David worked in hospital and grocery store management until he retired in 1996. David married his wife Ute on September 4th, 1975. Over the years, David and Ute lived in North Carolina, Colorado, Mainz Germany, and Texas. He was of the Christian faith. David was preceded in death by his parents Melesio and Laurencia Leon and his step parents, Joe and Mary Naverette and his grandson Michael Brennan.

David is survived by his wife of almost 44 years, Ute Leon, his children, Debby, Denise, Anthony, Carl, Angela, Lorenz, and David, his 19 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.