Leo William Meade

Leo William Meade

Kenedy, TX

Leo William Meade, 69, passed away on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Kenedy, Texas. Leo was born June 21, 1955, in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, the son of Ralph J and Magdalen Cecilia (Walsh) Meade, who owned a farm near Oakland Mills where Leo lived until his parents retired during his senior year of high school. He attended elementary and high school in Mt. Pleasant, graduating from MPHS in 1973. He was an outstanding star of the track team. Dennis White who coached the track and field team for 37 years remembered Leo as “confident and determined and those are essential characteristics for a distance runner.” He set local, regional and statewide records, one as a two-miler that stood for 35 years, and as the anchor of a prize-winning relay team. A quick search online yielded dozens of photographs of Leo’s high school and college career, including medal ceremonies at the Drake Relays when he was in high school.

After high school, Leo attended Oklahoma State University, Stillwater on a full track scholarship, graduating in 1979 with a BA in Business Administration. While at OSU, he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity where he formed lifelong friendships. Leo continued to excel in track as an individual distance runner and member of relay teams, graduating as All-Time Letter winner, 1974-78. To help defer the cost of room and board he worked as a dorm counselor and was a member of the residence hall council along with Anita Hill, who later as a law professor gained fame for her testimony at Judge Clarence Thomas’s Senate confirmation hearings.

After graduation, Leo spent a few years in Minnesota, where he was introduced to researching for oil and mineral rights. Initially he worked in North Dakota and Montana but moved back to Oklahoma and began working in the oil industry. For the subsequent 20-plus years he was an Independent Petroleum Landman, working on title searches, mineral ownership reports, lease negotiations and acquisition, in Texas, Oklahoma and, occasionally, New Mexico. He was a Certified Professional Landman and member of the American Association of Professional Landman until 2024, and a Licensed Texas Notary Public.

In Texas his devotion to running gave way to horseback riding and calf roping. As he explained, he began roping in New Mexico. He’d drive around at night with his horses looking for a lighted arena, stop by and watch, and begin chatting with the ropers. After a while they’d invite him to rope with them. His friend Gabe Korzekwa remarked that he met Leo in 2014 at the arena in Stockdale and later Leo roped at Gabe’s smaller arena on the latter’s ranch. “Three or four of us would get together and rope for a while, then we’d take a break and have a beer and talk. Leo and another guy didn’t drink, but Leo would get out his chewing tobacco, and we’d pass the time. After a while, we’d get back on our horses and rope some more.” In talking to Leo about his life in Texas, he clearly loved the camaraderie of these nights roping and casually hanging out with good friends.

His work as a Landman took him to many locations in south Texas. Wherever he moved, he developed a group of friends who remember him as an entertaining storyteller and amiable socializer. He attended Catholic churches in Kosciusko and then more regularly at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Cestohowa. On his visits to his family in Mt. Pleasant, Leo liked to show off his Texas Two-Step dancing skills, waltzing around the living room with his sister Martha or holding one of his toddler nieces or nephews as they laughed in tune. It became clear to his family that Leo had become a Texan and a cowboy.

Leo waged a valiant and ultimately unsuccessful battle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Anne (Wagner) Connell, a cousin from Iowa who lived in San Antonio was his steady support during his cancer treatment at the Mays Cancer Center at the University of Texas San Antonio Health Center. Anne took time from her own family’s considerable needs to host Leo at her home and accompany him on his frequent visits to the hospital.

Leo is survived by his brother, Daniel, of Burlington, Richard, of North Liberty and Teresa (Andor-Skotnes) of New York City. He was beloved by nieces, nephews and cousins, many of whom visited him in Texas, telephoned, sent cards and letters especially during the last months of his illness: Donald Mundt, of Pasadena, and Brian Mundt, of San Diego, Janet Mundt, of West Bend, Wisconsin, Maureen Fauske, Philadelphia, Angela (Dohrmann) Pennell, of New York City, Michelle Dohrmann, of Salinas, California, Sarah Dohrmann, of New York City, Chris Skibo, San Jose, California, Darren Skotnes, Albany, New York and Claire Skotnes, of New York City.

In addition to his parents, Leo, was preceded in death by his sisters, Mary Mundt, Rita Dohrmann, Margaret and Martha Meade, his brother, Maurice Meade, and a nephew, William Mundt.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, August 9, 2024, at 10:30 at the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Mt. Pleasant with Father Ross Epping. Burial will be in the St. Alphonsus Catholic Cemetery. Following the service there will be a time of food and fellowship in Manning Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Martha Meade Memorial Scholarship Fund (#5449), Silicon Valley Community Foundation, 444 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA 94041. www.siliconvalleycf.org/donate

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements