Leroy was born September 7th, 1928 to Henry Lee & Marie Benton in Chatfield, TX. Leroy Benton is the oldest of the 4 children, Sister- Catherine, Brothers- John & Clifford (Sparky). Leroy’s father followed work all over Texas which left Leroy to help his mother care for his younger siblings. He was quick to tell you “Children & animals seem to take a liking to me!” They could sense he was a protector & that he was!
Leroy was a hard worker. He started pulling a crosscut saw when he was only 6 years old. He was an auto mechanic for a short time along with other odd & end jobs. Leroy was most proud of the job title he earned himself as a General Contractor, some would say he was a self-educated engineer. He would laugh as he told you about some of the Florida engineers, with college educations. They loved to question his work but when inspection time came, Leroy was quick to earn his stamp of approval, and they had mentioned some of his work was “above code”!! He was proud of his work & wore the biggest smile when he would tell you about the jobs’ he took on without pay for those he knew were in need. Leroy was also a farmer & a rancher. He never went a single spring without a garden & enjoyed raising hogs, & chickens. He was going to make sure he fed his family & anyone else that crossed his path.
Leroy was a Charter member of the Moose in Sanford, FL. He enjoyed gatherings with his family & friends. He claimed he made the best BBQ chicken around. He enjoyed music and teaching his grandkids.
Leroy is survived by his 4 children, Jo Marie, Gary, Richard, & Denise. Grandchildren, Jeremy, Julie, John, Coy, Jacob, Traci, & Wendy and his great-grandchildren.
