Leonard “Len” John Wilkinson was born in Danville, Pennsylvania to Leonard Evert Wilkinson and Victoria Monica Wilkinson. In 1946 his brother David was born. The family moved to Marysville, California in 1946, then to Prineville, Oregon in 1952. He developed a passion for fossil hunting and became very successful at it. Len graduated from Crook County High School, then attended Oregon State University.
In 1964 Len moved to San Francisco and established Mineral World, a gift store specializing in numerous types of Nature-related items including fossils, mineral specimens, and carvings out of numerous semi-precious stones from all over the world.
In 1980 Len met James “Jim” Whipple and knew he had met the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. They moved to Santa Barbara in 1983 to a Spanish style home in Mission Canyon. In June of 2008 Len and Jim were married in the Sunken Garden at the county Court House.
Len is survived by his life companion and husband, Jim Whipple, his niece Monica Puente and nephew Drew Wilkinson, both of Reno, NV.
In keeping with his wishes, there was no service. Cremation was done by Welch-Ryce-Haider. Donations can be made in Len’s name to support the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
