DOVER - August Vincent Leshner, of Dover, a distinguished World War II veteran, died on Feb. 3, 2012, at State Street Assisted Living from the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Leshner, son of August and May E. Leshner (nee Allen), was born Feb. 11, 1923, in Burlington, N.J. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, George Leshner and Carl Leshner; and his cousin, Elizabeth (Bette) Bird (nee Pittman), who was raised as his sister from the age of five. He graduated from Wilbur Watts High School in Burlington, N.J., in 1942, where he played sports and was in the drum corp. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp upon graduation. As a Lieutenant, he saw action in the European Theater while stationed in the Stornara / Cerignola area of Italy with the 456th Bomb Group. A bombardier navigator on B-24 Liberators, he flew numerous combat missions and was shot down and parachuted over Yugoslavia in December 1944. Fortunately, he was rescued by the Yugoslav Resistance and reunited with his group. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service, Air Medal, Air Force Commendation, and National Defense Medals among others. He married his wife, Jacqueline Lee Heisinger, who survives him, on April 24, 1944, after meeting her at a USO dance when stationed at Victorville Army Air Base, in California shortly before being sent to Italy. After recovering from his wounds and returning to the U.S., his daughter, Carla Diane Varnum, (nee Leshner), who survives him, was born March 18, 1945, in Selma, California. She now resides in Pasadena, Md., with her husband, Ronald David Varnum. Mr. Leshner completed his college education graduating with High Distinction from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Meteorology on March 21, 1965. As the top ranking student in the College of Mineral Arts, he was nominated to Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society upon his graduation and has been a lifetime member. He was proud of the fact that he and his daughter were attending college at the same time. As a professional meteorologist during much of his thirty-three year career with the U.S. Air Force, Chief Warrant Officer (CWO4) Leshner lived in many states including Alaska, and served in Japan and England. He has been a resident of Dover since 1972 when he was assigned to Dover Air Force Base for his last tour of duty. Upon his retirement in 1975, he and his wife remained in Dover and Mr. Leshner really began enjoying his many interests. He loved boating on the bay, ocean, and Delaware's many lakes; fishing as often as he could. He was an excellent wood worker, building furniture and carving many types of feather burned duck decoys. He built a beautiful museum quality dollhouse for his granddaughters, Shelley Nicole Varnum, born March 1, 1975, who resides in Salisbury, Md., and Shannon Lee Varnum, born May 24, 1980, who resides in Glen Burnie, Md., and survive their beloved grandfather. Other passions were bowling, building models, gardening, and writing numerous guest editorial opinion columns for the Delaware State News. He was also an enthusiastic Phillies, Eagles, and Nittany Lions fan. An avid animal lover, Mr. Leshner devoted much of his life to his many pets, rescuing many injured birds and squirrels, and returning them to the wild. He even moved his last pet, "Inky" the cat into assisted living with him. Inky now resides with Mr. Leshner's daughter, where she continues to be loved and pampered. Mr. Leshner was a lifetime member of The Retired Officers Association, The Military Officers Association, the Disabled Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the National Woodcarvers Association. Trader Funeral Home, 12 Lotus Street, Dover, DE 19901, phone number, 302-734-4620, is handling all of the arrangements. There will be a short viewing on his 89th birthday, this Saturday, Feb. 11, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. for family and friends at the funeral home. A memorial service and final internment will be at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the staff of State Street Assisted Living in Dover for treating Mr. Leshner (Gus) with great respect and dignity. They always made him feel like family. They also want to thank Vitas Hospice for the kind and loving manner that they treated Mr. Leshner in his last week of life. They kept him comfortable and enabled him to pass with great peace and grace. Vitas Hospice was also a tremendous source of comfort to his family. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Mr. Leshner's name to www.vitascharityfund.org, whose Mission Statement reads, "Our goal is to transform dying into the final act of living well. We are committed to improving end-of-life care for individual patients and their families while supporting fundamental, societal change. We will champion this change through research, education, and advocacy." Alternatively, donations to the Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org, to aid research to end the ravages of this devastating disease would also be appreciated. Letters of condolence may be sent to www.delmarvaobits.com or traderfh@aol.com.