Lanny Dee Wilson

Lanny Dee Wilson passed away on Aug. 20, 2021. He was 77 years old. Lanny was born in Shenandoah, Iowa, on March 31, 1944, and moved with his parents and siblings to Lewiston, Idaho, in 1956. He graduated from Lewiston High School and then joined the U.S. Navy directly after. He served in the Navy as an electro technician for four years and completed two nine-month cruises on the USS Bausell DD 845 as well as one final cruise on the USS Turner Joy DD 951 during the Vietnam War. After getting out of the Navy Lanny moved to join his family in Astoria, where he met the love of his life, Toni Atchely. Lanny and Toni were married on Dec. 29, 1969, and shared a beautiful 51 years together until his death. He worked for the Wauna paper mill for 39 years until retiring in 2006. Lanny had many passions in life. As a young man, one of his favorite things to do was to visit his grandpa and grandma Lewis on their farm in Iowa, lending a helping hand with whichever chore needed to be done. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, four-wheeling and loved rescuing and raising many “unusual” pets. He adored his 1967 Dodge Charger, often making any excuse to take the long way home and drive as fast as the car would allow. Above all else Lanny loved his family and friends. His pride and joy were his daughter, Carrie, and grandchildren, Calvin and Bailey. He was compassionate and kind, always recognizing what others needed and doing whatever he could to lessen their burden. He loved to work in his yard and then spend the afternoons with Toni and his spoiled dog, “Smokey,” sitting in the backyard enjoying his plants and hummingbirds. Lanny was loved greatly and will be missed dearly. Lanny was preceded in death by his father, Lowell Wilson; mother, Loretta Hemmert; and infant sons, Shawn and Dory Wilson. He is survived by wife, Toni Wilson; daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and Michael Kaul; grandchildren, Calvin and Bailey Kaul; sisters, Janet Gau and Penny Olsen, along with brother-in-law, Art Olsen; step-father, Max Hemmert, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Visitations will be held Monday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary, 1165 Franklin Ave., in Astoria. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Caldwell’s Mortuary. Vault interment will follow at Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton. A reception will follow the vault interment at the Warrenton Community Center, 170 S.W. Third Street, in Warrenton.