Euclide Howard LeLeux

Euclide Howard LeLeux, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, departed this life on November 19th, 2019. Howard was born on November 3rd, 1928 in the village of LeLeux in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, the youngest of the three children of Clovis and Elidia Simon LeLeux. He grew up working in the rice and sugarcane fields, attended Kaplan High School and the Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette), and graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. Howard enlisted in the Army during the Korean War and was stationed at Fort Detrick/Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, where he met Elizabeth May Donnelly at a dance. They were married at Blessed Sacrament Church in Baltimore, Maryland on February 14, 1953 and moved to Maplewood, Louisiana. Howard began his career in oil and gas working at the Lake Charles Refinery but was encouraged early on to pursue the business side of the industry, ultimately rising to Vice President at Cities Service Company. He and Elizabeth lived in Louisiana, Tulsa, New Jersey, and Brussels, Belgium and he completed an MBA at Columbia University before returning to Tulsa in 1972. Their only child, Angeline Marie, was born a year later and Howard continued to travel all over the world performing his job to the highest of standards. He retired at age 55 and immediately began a second career as a business consultant in the Tulsa area. In addition, Howard continued to serve his community by volunteering his considerable financial expertise to many local nonprofit groups: he was president of the Cherry Street Farmers Market and the Oklahoma Herb Growers and Marketers Association, and on the board of the Tulsa Honors Orchestra. When not working, he could often be found in his home vegetable garden or his 3-acre lavender farm, Fragrant Fields of Oklahoma. He brought his herbs and produce into the kitchen and became an accomplished cook, always in pursuit of the perfect pot of gumbo. Howard also continued to travel - with his rod and reel instead of his briefcase - to the lakes and rivers of Arkansas and Oklahoma as well as fishing destinations in Alaska, Canada, the Florida Keys, and the Gulf of Mexico. A lifelong Catholic, he ushered at the Sunday 8am Mass at the Church of St. Mary for many years. He was a man of deep integrity, staunch faith, and firm convictions and is sorely missed by his family and friends. Howard was preceded in death by his sisters, Dometile (Dommie) LeLeux King and Ella Mae LeLeux LaBry, and by his favorite cousin and best friend, Evangeline (Eve) Gaspard Hanks. He is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Elizabeth May Donnelly LeLeux, and by his daughter and son-in-law, Angeline Marie LeLeux-Bajzek and William Bajzek, along with many nieces and nephews, their spouses, and extended family members. Rosary, 11:30 a.m. Friday followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 12:00 p.m. both at Church of St. Mary. Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel, 918-291-3500.

Euclide Howard LeLeux

November 19, 1964 - November 19, 2019