WILMINGTON — Westley L. Kilgore, 84, passed on April 1, 2025 after a brief illness.
Originally from Ohio, born May 16, 1940. The son of Willis L. Kilgore and Helen Mae (West) Kilgore.
The love of his life was the late Florence Kilgore, theirs was a love story you dream about.
Westley was the beloved dad of Debbie Lynch, Mike Kilgore, Leslie Wahl, and Desiree Hogan. He was the brother of the late Pat O’Connor, Sandy Robinson, and Paul Iceman. He was the cherished “GPaw”/grandpa to 4 grandkids, 6 great grandkids, and multiple granddogs all of whom he adored.
Westley, also known as “Gunney” or “Tiny”, served his country and retired after 20 years in the Marine Corps, where he drove around in Tanks (proudly serving in the 1st & 3rd Tanks and retiring from the 2nd Tank Battalion). He served several tours in Vietnam among other campaigns during his career and is a Purple Heart recipient. The big bad Marine found his creative side in retirement doing woodworking out of his garage and loved visiting with all the friends, neighbors and furbabies that would stop by the garage.
In lieu of flowers, his family requests instead that donations be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation or the Semper Fi & America’s Fund, as Westley was blessed with care and support and we know he would want to pay it forward to Veterans who may be in need.
