Obituary

DENVER LEE GLEASON
Thu,03/17/22-11:19AM, 409 Reads
Denver Lee Gleason, 81, was born Sept. 14, 1940, in Fredericksburg, Virginia to Margaret Showalter Gleason and William Gleason. He died Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at Christwood Retirement Center in Covington, Louisiana.

Lee joined the U.S. Air Force on June 4, 1958, and was discharged June 3, 1961. He spent 2½ years in Vietnam as an aircraft mechanic. Upon his discharge from the Air Force, he began work on Exxon tankers where he sailed around the world three times.

In 1971, Lee settled in Indianola to be closer to his sister, Peggy Friedrichs. Soon thereafter, he met and married Lena Fratesi. He was employed as a diesel mechanic; was owner/operator of Gleason's Exxon in Greenwood; and the last 24 years of his career were spent working at Eastland Plantation in Doddsville.

Upon his retirement, he and Lena moved to Madison. When Lena died in 2014, Lee began volunteering with Saint Dominic's Hospital in Jackson. He loved that job more than anything. In 2018, Lee moved to Covington, La. to be with his son, Marty.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the 11a.m. funeral service Saturday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 511 West Washington Street, Greenwood, with the Rev. Fr. José de Jesús Sánchez officiating. Burial will be at Saint Joseph Abbey Cemetery, Covington, La.

Meet Indianola native Hannah Farmer, Nurse Practitioner at NSMC

Lee is survived by: two daughters, Deborah Evans (Curtis) of Greenville and Mary Nell Holland (Jim) of Ridgeland; two sons, Marty Dean (Cindy) of Covington, La. and Tim Dean (Susan) of Jackson; one sister, Peggy Friedrichs of Amory; 12 grandchildren; and14 great-grandchildren.

E. J. Fielding Funeral home of Covington is in charge of all arrangements.