Wauldron “Wally” Dowden Leach, 78, son of Wauldron and Inez Pruitt Leach, was born Aug. 6, 1929, at Yeager, W.Va. He died Aug. 15, 2007, at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.
Mr. Leach served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves for 43 years including a tour of Korea during the Korean War. He received numerous awards and commendations before retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
He was an avid marksman, competing on pistol- and rifle-shooting teams.
He met his wife, Mary Phillips, in Columbus, Ga. while stationed at Fort Benning, Ga.,
Following his active duty, the Leaches moved to Lubbock, Texas, so he could attend college. After his graduation, they moved to Dallas, where he was a district executive with the Boy Scouts of America. He helped young men achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, an honor he earned in his youth.
While in Dallas, he continued his studies and received his master’s in business administration from the University of Dallas. He worked for several years with Texas Instruments in Dallas, before accepting employment with Motorola Corp. in Seguin, Texas,
The Leach family lived in the south-central Texas area for 20 years.
While in Texas, his passion for the outdoors and horses grew, drawing the family to Missouri, where they loved to ride. In 1997, they moved to Cabool, where he spent many hours with his horses.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sons, Wauldron Dowden Leach II and John “Jack” Wauldron Leach; a sister, Marilyn Calloway; and brother, Denver.
Surviving are his wife of 57 years of Cabool; daughter, Janice Hitzfelder of New Braunfels, Texas; sons, Sammy Leach of Marion, Texas, and Phillip Leach of New Braunfels, Texas; a brother, Lowell Leach of Proctorville, Ohio; sister, Pal Lovingood of Crossville, Tenn.; and nine grandchildren.
Memorial services were Aug. 17 at the United Methodist Church in Houston under the direction of Evans Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to the United Methodist Church.
