Leslie "Les" Eugene Ireland

Leslie Eugene “Les” Ireland, 61, died in Odessa on Thursday, March 26, 2015. Born December 19, 1953, in Vernon, Texas to Leslie Eugene King and Betty Williams King, he was later adopted by his stepfather, Ralph Eugene “Pat” Ireland. During his life, he also lived in Monahans; Midland; Kerrville; Ft. Smith, Arkansas; the old Gulf Sandhills Camp west of Crane; and Odessa. He graduated from high school at Schreiner Institute in Kerrville, Texas and received as BA in Criminology from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in 1995. He graduated Cum Laude. Les married Linda Addy on September 21, 1977, at her parents’ home in Odessa. He worked for various oil-related companies which included Halliburton and Dresser Atlas. He was a lease operator for Gulf Oil/Chevron, USA for twelve and a half years and served as a safety instructor for them. Upon leaving Chevron, Les changed direction and studied to be a law enforcement officer. He worked in Midland County Adult Probation and then for Ector County Juvenile Probation. He and his wife served for a short time as house parents at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch north of Amarillo, and he worked briefly as a surgery scheduler at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa. Les’ passion in service was to help troubled youth, and he soon returned to Juvenile Probation in Andrews County. He finished his 18-year career as a juvenile probation officer with his retirement from Andrews County in December, 2013. He had a keen sense of humor and was a prankster. Les loved to scare people with masks. During his time working at the Ector County Youth Center, he would secretly place “I BRAKE FOR DONUTS” bumper stickers on arresting officers’ police cruisers. He had a “hobby” of mastering things and then moving on from them. These included charcoal drawing and classical guitar. He was an avid gun collector and shooting enthusiast, winning many combat handgun shooting competitions. Les’ survivors include: his wife of 37 years, Linda Ireland; daughters Kelly Ebel of Brainerd, Minnesota and Shannon Ireland of the home; his mother, Betty Ireland and sister, Elizabeth Ireland both of Pampa, Texas; his granddaughter, Stormy Ebel of Brainerd, Minnesota; in-laws James and Shirley Addy of Gardendale; sister-in-law, Elaine Trout and husband, Steve, of Los Alamos, New Mexico; sister-in-law Veda Garza and husband, David, of Odessa; niece, Stephanie Thien of Colorado Springs, Colorado; nephews Christopher Trout of Oakland, California, Kelby Garza and Kace Garza both of Odessa, aunts, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his biological father, Les King, his adoptive father, Pat Ireland, and his brother, Carl Cochran. A private, family service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to: Ector County 4-H; 1010 East 8th Street; Odessa, TX 79761. In your check memo area, please note: Shooting Sports – Les Ireland.

Tributes

Leslie "Les" Eugene Ireland

December 19, 1953 - March 26, 2015