Colonel Wesley "Wes" Lerdon

Colonel Wesley Emile Lerdon, of Hiawassee, Georgia, died peacefully on October 25, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Wes is survived by his loving wife of fifty three years, Barbara Ebner Lerdon, his three children; Colonel Scott Lerdon of Columbus, Ohio, (Lt Col Elena Schlenker (ret)), Marc Lerdon of Naples, Florida, (Melissa Lerdon) and Lisa Murgas of Columbus, Ohio, (Bob Murgas). Wes was known as Papa and Colonel to his five grandchildren; Wesley James, Michael Lerdon, Maddison Lerdon, Evelyn Lerdon and Spencer Murgas.

Wes was born April 5, 1935 in Buffalo, New York and throughout his life would reside in Florida, Texas, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio before retiring to Hiawassee, Georgia. Wes earned a B.S. in Industrial Design from Georgia Tech in 1958 and obtained a M.S. in Health Care Administration in 1998. In August 1959, Wes enlisted in the 620th USAF Reserve, beginning what would be a long and distinguished military career. In November 1989, AF Surgeon General, Lt. Gen. Monte Miller recognized Wes by awarding him the Outstanding USAF Reserve Medical Administrative Officer of the Year. His other decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the Legion of Merit Medal.

Wes had an extraordinary civilian career in industrial design, including his position as Senior Engineer with the Philco-Ford corporation for the construction of the NASA Mission Control Center and the flight control consoles for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs; including the design and evaluation of the Skylab on-board experiment packages for the Department of Defense. In January 1993, Wes joined the Department of Veterans Affairs where he was the Assistant Chief of the Environmental Management Service at the VA Medical center in Indianapolis.

Wes and Bobbie retired to a lakeside home in Hiawassee, GA, which was Wes’s pride and joy and a never-ending source of projects. Wes was a volunteer for the Firewise USA Program for Towns County, an officer and member of the Towns County Homeowners Association, a member of Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church, and a member of the Military Officers Association of America. Wes had a lifelong passion for vintage cars and wooden boats.

A viewing will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, October 29, 2020, at Haisley Funeral Home, 2041 SW Bayshore Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL 34984. A graveside service at White City Cemetery 3800 Sunrise Blvd., Ft. Pierce, FL 34982 will follow at 12:00 p.m.

A memorial service will be held in Columbus, Ohio at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church, 1114 Main Street, P.O. Box 66, Young Harris, GA 30582.

A special thank you to VITAS Hospice and Nightingale Home Health Care, especially Wes’s dedicated and devoted caregivers; Rita, Vana and Monica, we are eternally grateful for you.