Leo Roy Zeiler passed away peacefully on June 6, 2023, at the age of 93 in Issaquah, Washington. Leo was born to John and Lena Zeiler (Perkins) in Osceola, Missouri on September 28, 1929. Leo spent his childhood growing up in Missouri along with his 6 sisters.
In 1949, Leo enlisted in the Air Force where he trained to be a crash rescue firefighter at several US Air Force bases. He served for 9 years in the Air Force, including deployments to Korea, Japan and the Azore Islands during the Korean conflict. Leo was then stationed at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington, where he would later also work as a civilian firefighter. Soon after in 1960, Leo joined the Seattle- Tacoma Airport Fire Department and served as a firefighter there until he retired as a Lieutenant in 1978.
Leo met the love of his life, Marlene (McClain) in Tacoma and they were married on April 1, 1955. Leo and Marlene moved to Blytheville, Arkansas where Leo finished the last years of his military service. Upon returning to Washington, they moved to Puyallup and had three children, Randy, Rodney and Sherry. Family was everything to Leo and he was a kind and encouraging dad who put his everything into being a husband and father. They embraced a community of neighbors and friends over the years and loved their view of Mt. Rainier. After retiring, Leo joined Kiwanis Club of Puyallup and enjoyed working on fundraising projects and the friendships he made through the Club.
Leo and Marlene moved to Kirkland, Washington in 1999 to be closer to family. Leo continued to serve through the Kiwanis Club of Kirkland and enjoyed the relationships he formed through volunteer work and their attendance at Bellevue First Presbyterian Church.
In 2016, Leo and Marlene moved to Timber Ridge retirement community in Issaquah, Washington. Here they enjoyed making new friends, sharing meals, and playing card and board games. A special thank you to the Briarwood staff at Timber Ridge for the comfort you gave Leo, as well as the wonderful insights, knowledge, and emotional support you showed our entire family.
Leo is survived by his 3 children, Randy, and wife Gaerda, Rodney, Sherry and husband Joe, and 6 grandchildren, Nate, Brita, Alex, Tyler, Kieran, and Ian, and 2 sisters Bettie and Martha.
A Celebration of Leo’s life will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 22 at Bellevue First Presbyterian Church, 1717 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, Washington (425) 454-3082.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kirkland Kiwanis Foundation: https://k03048.site.kiwanis.org
