Darrel Loyd Leckliter's Obituary
Darrel Loyd Leckliter passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 19th at the Greenwood County Hospital in Eureka. Darrel, a Kansas native, was 69. He was born in El Dorado on April 17, 1947, to Darrel and Marie Leckliter. He is survived by one sister, Elizabeth Frankfather, who lives in Los Angeles, California.
After graduating from El Dorado High School, Darrel worked in various construction and maintenance jobs for several construction companies before his job as an area rep over 11 stations in 3 states for Simmons Petroleum. He also worked as a manager for Pizza Hut, and was a yard foreman for Home Lumber & Supply, where his father had been a manager for the Houston Lumber Co. Darrel was fond of telling that the first vehicle he drove was a lumber truck – when he could barely reach the pedals or see out of the windows.
He also worked for GPLS, locating underground gas and electrical sites, before using his over 20 years of plant and refinery maintenance/construction experience to accept the job of facility specialist at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. At EDCF he was proud of his commendation for using his expertise with three others to do a major replacement and repair on a 17-year-old compressor and motor. But what he enjoyed most about working in the EDCF Energy Center was “the people I work with.”
While recovering from a quintuple bypass a few months earlier, Darrel’s heart forced his retirement from EDCF in January of 2011. When he left he took with him his favorite friend, Jake, a senior dog who had lived at the Energy Center since the facility opened. After retiring, Darrel, his beloved cats, and Jake moved to Howard, where his family roots are. He bought a home and enjoyed making many improvements while he and his 4-legged, furry kids made many friends, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of this small, lovely town.
In lieu of flowers, Darrel and his family request that donations be made to the Darrel L. Leckliter Memorial Fund at the Allen County Animal Rescue Shelter. This is a no-kill shelter in La Harpe, KS that is loving and protecting Darrel’s four cats until they find loving homes for them.
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