Obituary for Lloyd Leslie

Lloyd Lewis Leslie

December 2, 1928 – September 5, 2018

Lloyd Lewis Leslie of Blackwell, Oklahoma, died Wednesday evening, September 5, 2018, in the AllianceHealth – Ponca City at the age of 89 years.

Lloyd Lewis Leslie was born in Blackwell, Oklahoma, on December 2, 1928, to Lewis Franklin and Dortha Epperly Leslie. He began his work ethic at the early age of three, when he began picking potato bugs for a penny a piece to earn money for a tricycle. At the age of seven, he helped his older brothers, Clyde and Lee, deliver the Daily Oklahoman. The older boys delivered the paper to the entire town and hired Lloyd to deliver to the Larkin and Denton Hotels. At the same time, the three brothers were janitors at the United Brethren Church. During World War II he worked for the Art Bringham Tire Shop. Lloyd attended Blackwell Public Schools graduating in 1946. He worked for Turvey Packing Plant his senior year of high school and also for Hazel Atlas Glass Plant. After graduating high school, he attended Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College for a year and a half before returning to Blackwell and working at the Acme Foundry.

In 1949, Lloyd married the love of his life, Glenda Frances Eckert in the First Baptist Church in Blackwell. They had three children, Gary Max, Cynthia Rae, and Janie Lea. In 1953 Lloyd began working for the United States Postal Service in Blackwell and worked there until his retirement in 1989. During this time he also worked part-time for Baxa Pattern Works. Following retirement, he worked for DeWitt Farms for several years.

Lloyd loved attending his children’s, grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s sporting events and various extracurricular activities. He was well known as the Grandad that took pictures and gave them to all the kids on the team.

Lloyd loved the outdoors and spent almost every summer camping with his family. His favorite camping place was Sizemore Landing on Lake Tenkiller where there were often four generations of his family vacationing together. He loved fishing and deer hunting, and continued to hunt until last year when he shot a deer while bow hunting. Lloyd passed his love of nature on to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and they shared many hours enjoying the outdoors with him. Glenda introduced Lloyd to birdwatching and they spent many years enjoying it together. His love of photography was expressed in the thousands of pictures of birds and nature he shared with his family and friends.

He is survived by his loving wife of sixty-nine years, Glenda Leslie of the home, his son Gary Max Leslie and wife Nancy of Blackwell; daughters, Cynthia Rae Oder of Blackwell, and Janie Lea DeWitt and husband Steve of Braman; his brother, Dale Leslie of Enid; sister-in-laws, JoAnn Leslie of Tulsa, Virginia Brewer and Carol Mullins of Blackwell; ten grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, son-in-law Donald Oder; sisters Lenora Terrill and Delores Miller; Brothers Clyde Leslie, Lee Leslie, and Harmon Leslie and brothers-in-laws Jack Miller, Ted Terrell, Don Brewer, and Ray Mullins; and sister-in-laws Ina Mae Leslie, Lillian Leslie, and Jackie Leslie.

Services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, September 11th in the First Baptist Church in Blackwell with Rev. Randy Ratliff officiating. Burial will follow in the Blackwell Cemetery.

Casketbearers will be Paul Stokesberry, Scott Oder, Dane DeWitt, Drew DeWitt, Trenton Leslie and Dustin McCarty. Serving as honorary casketbearers will be Barry Stafford, David Miller, David Kice, Larry Purdy, Gary Jenkins, Garold DeWitt, Garrett Haskins, Earl Webb, Ronnie Porter, Mike Creech, Raymond Robinson and Bob Noblett.

A memorial has been established in his honor with the First Baptist Church in c/o Roberts and Son Funeral Home, 120 W. Padon, Blackwell, Oklahoma 74631.