Lee Roy Schmedthorst's Obituary
Lee Roy Schmedthorst, Senior passed into Glory on April 13, 2020.
He was born the son of Walter Albert and Ella nee’ Linnemann Schmedthorst on January 7, 1938. Lee Roy was baptized into the Christian faith on February 13, 1938 at Grace Lutheran LCMS in Mart Texas. He was also confirmed there on April 1, 1954. Lee Roy served at various times as Sunday School teacher, part of the Church Council, and an Elder. He fully believed in God’s Word and loved sharing the truth with others. Several of the young men he taught or mentored went on to become LCMS pastors.
Lee Roy helped farm cotton as a youth in Limestone County, Texas then came to Dallas after graduating from Ben Hur High School in 1956. There he met his bride, Beverly Leshe and they married on August 3, 1957.
He began as a computer operator at Texas Instruments in 1957, and soon began his long career as a programmer fluent in both Cobal and Fortran. Lee Roy was part of teams that worked on such varied concepts as early microchips, the Shrike missile, and the Y2k project that helped computer systems change to the year 2000. Not even the family knows all of the ideas he actually helped bring to life!
After Lee Roy retired in 2000 he returned to his farm roots. He loved getting out on his tractor (especially if he had a great-grandchild in tow), his family, and his church.
Lee Roy is survived by his wife Beverly, daughter Beverly Kaye Gullett and husband Ron, daughter Debra Ann Herbel and husband Damon, son Lee Schmedthorst, Jr. and wife Virginia, grandchildren David Gullett, Turah Shaver and husband Andy, Joe Herbel, Patrick Chambers and wife Ambre, step-grandchildren Kelly West and Teressa Robison, great-grandchildren Xander, Benjamin and Haven Shaver, Connor Moore, Jason Chambers, Jared Rogers, Tyler Hinkle, Devin Robison, Cory and Mary West, and great-great grandchild Haiden Robison as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by father Walter, mother Ella, sister Doris, brother Harvey, and brother-in-law Gene Leshe.
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