Leslie Noel Windham

Leslie Noel Windham passed from this life on March 8, 2012, at the age of 73. He was born in San Antonio on January 11, 1939, to Josephine Parr and Civilo Perender Windham, the second of two sons.

The family lived in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Pecos, and finally settled on the Parr farm in the Cadillac Community. Noel attended school at the two-room school his grandfather Parr helped construct, and completed high school at Pawnee in 1956. He graduated from UT Austin in 1961 after marrying his high school sweetheart Janice Hoff in 1960.

Noel was called to active duty in the U.S. Army in April, 1962. He and Janice were stationed at Ft. Lee, Va.; Hanau, Germany; Bangkok, Thailand; Ft. Sam Houston; Seoul, Korea; Ft. Hood, and Noel served two tours in Viet Nam. Their two daughters Lesly Windham Haygood and Jennifer Lynne Windham were born in 1961 and 1964. After the Army, Noel managed a restaurant, but rejoined the military community as a civilian with the Air Force and then the Army, retiring from MWR at Ft. Sam in 2001.

He then pursued his many hobbies: vegetable gardening, stained glass, woodworking, reading, and especially hunting and fishing. He loved spending time at the deer camp on his “place” with friends and family (males only). Sitting around a campfire with grandsons poking the fire was true joy. He taught his grandsons how to butcher hogs and deer and how to process the meat. As his legs failed him, he took great pleasure in guiding his grandsons and daughter Jennifer in successful hunts.

He will be greatly missed by wife Janice, daughters Lesly and husband Bill and Jennifer, grandsons Preston Windham Haygood, Hunter Gordon Haygood, Caleb Williams Haygood, and Samuel Warren Haygood; nephews Colin and Dylan Windham and wife Julie, Chris and wife Julie and Clint and wife Jill Colvin; nieces Corrie Colvin Williams and husband James and Cathie Colvin; two great-nephews and three great nieces; sisters-in-law Pam Colvin and husband Jim and Mary Windham and his beloved Brittany Spaniel, Max III. He was pre-deceased by his parents, his parents-in-law Sam and Ruth Hoff, his brother Don and his brother-in-law Sammie Don Hoff.

Visitation was held on Monday, March 12, 2012, from 5:00 – 7:00 P.M. Services were conducted at Eckols Funeral Home, Kenedy, Texas, on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 2:00 P.M., with Rev. Bill Haywood and Rev. Gerald Harvey officiating. Burial followed at the Pawnee Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers were, Preston Haygood, Hunter Haygood, Caleb Haygood, Samuel Haygood, Chris Colvin, Clint Colvin, Colin Windham, Dylan Windham, Frank Blakely and J.T. Thames.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Pawnee Methodist Church or the South Texas Children’s Home.