Lloyd Waldo Leggett Jr.

Lloyd Waldo Leggett, Jr. crossed the finish line into Heaven this past Sunday, September 1, 2019 in Houston at the age of 84 as a faithful husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, son, brother, friend, athlete, and follower of Jesus.

To those who knew him, Waldo was a marvel of faithfulness, integrity, dedication to family and friends, perseverance, astonishing self-discipline, and cheerfulness in all weathers – and was free with a laugh hearty enough to be picked out of a crowd. He was a man of deep, abiding faith who will be greatly missed, and we thank God for the blessing he has been in our lives.

Waldo was born on July 21, 1935 in Midland, Texas, where he grew up with a brother and three sisters. He was on his high school golf team, golfing the holes along the way to school each day, took his first car apart at age 15 (down to the last bolt) and put it back together, and enjoyed many friends. While pursuing a chemical engineering degree at Rice University, he met the love of his life, Dixie Margaret Sick. On May 30, 1958, he graduated from Rice with a BA and BS, received his commission as a Navy officer, and attended his wedding rehearsal dinner. On May 31, Waldo and Dixie were wed, beginning 61 ½ years of a loving marriage. Their three children, Lisa, John, and Jim, brought great joy to them.

After serving two years in the Navy stationed in Japan, Waldo and Dixie moved to Baytown, Texas, where he resumed a 38-year career with Exxon as a chemical engineer. Waldo greatly enjoyed his work with Exxon, which included assignments and often supervisory roles in refining, fuels planning, synthetic fuels, corporate planning, and economic planning in Baytown, Coral Gables, South America, and Houston. He was an active member and a director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and served as chairman of the South Texas section.

Waldo accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord at a young age, and he actively served in each church he attended through the years. Waldo and Dixie raised their family at St. Marks UMC (Baytown), Kendall UMC (Miami), and Chapelwood UMC (Houston). After retiring from Exxon in 1995, he helped birth Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church in Katy, Texas with his family, serving as its initial Business Administrator. He launched the missions ministry at Grace Fellowship and led the process of adopting 4 unreached people groups, traveling to Indonesia and India.

Waldo was an avid athlete, enjoying running, biking, swimming, and hiking. He competed in over a dozen marathons, including the Boston and New York City Marathons. He competed in over 30 triathlons and, representing America, won the World Triathlon Championship in Beijing in 2011 in his age group. He qualified for the National Senior Olympics over 10 times, consistently winning medals in swimming and triathlon events.

Waldo was deeply committed to his family and is survived by his wife Dixie, daughter Lisa Grossman and her husband King, son John Leggett and his wife Stephanie, son Jim Leggett and his wife Lisa, grandchildren Smith (and wife Ingrid), Alex (and husband Kevin), Grace, Katie (and husband Tyler), John-David, and step grandson Martin Grossman, great grandchildren Peter, Andrew, and Aubrey, sister Carolynn Canon and her husband Bob, sister Betty Mulholland, and numerous nieces and nephews. Waldo was preceded in death by his father Dr. Lloyd Waldo Leggett, Sr, mother Elizabeth Wood Leggett Kelsey, sister Rosalynn Biggers, and brother David Leggett.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, September 9, at 1:00 p.m. at Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church, 2655 South Mason Road, Katy, Texas 77450 with Pastors Jim Jackson, Cindi Lomax, and Jim Leggett officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to consider making gifts to Grace Fellowship (address above) with the memo: Mission trip scholarships in memory of Waldo Leggett.