Roll Call Tribute

Hillier Funeral Home obituary
4080 State Hwy 6
College Station, TX 77845
979-985-2060

Rex Jackson Leddy IV
November 13, 1979 ~ February 27, 2017 (age 37

“Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story…And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive of Him to be.”
--Desiderata, Max Ehrmann

Rex Jackson Leddy IV

Maybe I couldn’t have summed up my life philosophy any better than Max Ehrmann did; I only wish that I would have had more time to try.
My name is Rex Leddy, and I died as a result of a motorcycle accident on Monday, February 27, 2017. I was only 37, but I was an old soul, a lifelong truth seeker and a dedicated student of everything the world had to teach me. (Indeed, at the time of my death, I was still deciding exactly what I thought about life.)
The vexing thing about being an intellectually curious person is that while you are busy constructing your worldview, you might also be creating distance between yourself and others. There you are: in your head, considering things you’ve read, seen, heard and experienced before you give your opinion. By the time you actually speak your mind, you’re pretty sure that you’re right (I think I’ve been wrong before—maybe twice). Alas, the world is not always comfortable with confidence—sometimes it’s perceived as arrogance or conceit—so those who don’t know you sometimes won’t know how to take you, as the old country song confesses.
Willie and Waylon were right about that.
Luckily, those who loved me most and knew me best were also aware of my true self. They knew my love of learning, stimulating conversation and life’s simple pleasures: Mexican food, chocolate oranges, my signature homemade ribs and potatoes, the precious time I spent with family and old friends. To these fair few, I dedicated myself and all that I hoped to become.
I was born on November 13, 1979, the son of Rex Jr. and Vickie Perry Leddy, a carpenter and retired nurse/paramedic, respectively. I grew up as one of three brothers, including Austin Leddy (wife Rozanna, of College Station) and James “Alex” Leddy (of Wimberley), living in Magnolia until I was 14, then in the Wimberley/San Marcos area. We had a good life as a trio of “free range” boys, happy to get lost in the woods, each finding his personal peace in the natural world. This time shaped our bodies as well as our minds, and we excelled at sports and other teenage boy pursuits—I loved football, karate, ranch work and fixing cars and trucks, even transmissions. Like my dad, I was good with my hands and managed to do woodworking for a living straight out of high school; a chronic perfectionist, I had also been a straight-A student in both San Marcos High and at Wimberley High School, from which I graduated.
Later, I bounced around, working for a moving company and then moving to Dallas before I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where I served from 2000-2005. Within five years, I made Staff Sergeant and was deployed multiple times to various locations in the Middle East as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. My work was mainly in mechanics, avionics and electronics, and I spent an extended period of time on an aircraft carrier. In the interim, I was lucky enough to meet Terri Alexis Johnson (Leddy) in a bar during the weekend after New Year’s in 2001. She walked past me and smiled—I could hear my heart beat faster as I turned to follow her—and we’ve never been apart since. We joined our lives together and married on May 18, 2001, at a little church in Bay Minette, Alabama. Together, we have three sons: Cameron Lee Johnson (of Corpus Christi), Rex Jackson Leddy V (7) and Warren Montgomery Leddy (2). Life with these three boys—along with the union that their mother and I built together—will forever be my pride and joy. I might have been a Marine and an Aggie, but I was always Dad first.
After spending time in the service, I worked as an Aircraft Mechanic for L3 Vertex Aerospace; I also attended TAMU in Kingsville. At work, I was promoted to management, then quickly discovered that I hated it. Once my bosses told me that I needed to lay people off, I resigned in hopes that my former salary would be used to save the jobs of at least some of my coworkers. I started school at the University of Southern Alabama in Electrical Engineering, but my brother Austin was here at Blinn with plans of attending A&M and talked me into transferring to College Station, and my family has been here ever since. At the time of my death, I had two semesters left—almost neck and neck with Austin, on track for graduation—and nearly qualified for my Aggie ring.
As much as I’ve loved my time here in Aggieland, it isn’t the campus I’ll miss most, or the perennial green of the countryside, with its perfect motorcycle touring weather. It’s the time with the folks whom I cherish: my wife Terri, my boys, my best friend and fellow Marine, Ryan Evans. I’ll miss our unfinished conversations, dirtbike rides, MMA training, basketball games, coaching Jackson’s baseball team, and everyone’s karaoke singing. I’ll miss your depending on me for small things and bigger things, your looking to me for a snarky comment or a joke when life just gets too serious. I’ll miss being the man in your lives that was ready and willing to provide you with whatever you needed, whenever you needed it.
I know you won’t forget me, but please remember: I can never forget you.
Please understand that for seekers like me, love, laughter and life lessons aren’t just learned and then forgotten—we carry them close forever afterward. They rise with us as we move forward.
That’s all I’m doing now: going on ahead.
So I’ll be a good scout and meet up somewhere with the best dog I ever owned (Gracie, my beloved beagle) down the trail. We’ll both be waiting for you when your own missions are complete.
Don’t forget I loved you, one and all.
Semper Fi.

If you knew and loved Rex Leddy as much as we did, then feel free to join us in celebrating his life with services on Saturday, March 4th at 4pm in the Texas A&M University All Faith’s Chapel. A reception will follow at the VFW Hall in Bryan.
Parking will be available in Lot 30c, 30d, and 30e which is a 5 minute walk.
Group rate accommodations are available at the Quality Suites at 3610 Highway 6 South, College Station, TX 77845 if you are traveling in.


Service Details

LIFE CELEBRATION
Saturday
March 4, 2017
4:00 PM
All Faiths Chapel
College Station, TX

FINAL MILITARY HONORS
Saturday
March 4, 2017
4:45 PM
All Faiths Chapel
College Station, TX

RECEPTION
Saturday
March 4, 2017
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
VFW
Bryan, TX
___________________________________________________________________________
Posted in The (Bryan-College Station) Eagle (on) March 2, 2017

Aggie and Marine remembered as devoted family man

Posted: Thursday, March 2, 2017 12:00 am
By Rebecca Fiedler rebecca.fiedler@theeagle.com |

Rex Leddy loved being a Marine and he loved being an Aggie. But the thing he loved the most was being a husband, father and a brother.

"There is nothing he wouldn't have done for his kids," his widow, Terri, said.

On Monday afternoon, the 37-year-old Leddy was riding his motorcycle home from one of his electrical engineering classes at Texas A&M. As he neared his house in South College Station, police say a car stopped at a stop sign on Newport Lane then turned onto Barron Road in front of him, causing Leddy to crash into the driver's side of the car.

He died at a local hospital.

Wednesday evening, the Leddy family gathered at Rex Leddy's home. Extended family surrounded by donated dessert dishes and flower bouquets made plans for what was to come.

Terri Leddy, his wife of 16 years, wrapped the chain of her husband's dog tags in her hands, clasping them tightly as she spoke. His younger brother, Austin Leddy, 30, who is also a current A&M student and former active duty Marine, laid out his brother's medals on the kitchen table, along with his military papers detailing numerous prestigious awards, ensuring that all records of service were correctly documented.

"Rex was a very patriotic person, even when we were just kids," Austin Leddy said. "We talked about joining [the military] a lot. We had two grandpas who served."

Rex Leddy joined the Marine Corps in 2000. He served three deployments across a five-year service period, all on major aircraft carriers that traveled around the world. His focus was on avionics, working with aircraft technology, communication and navigation.

He graduated from his avionics training courses first in his class, and rose to the rank of staff sergeant in a short amount of time. He received medals for his expertise in both rifle and pistol marksmanship, and excelled in physical training. His family noted he joined the Marine Corps because he believed them to be the most elite branch and never settled for less than the best. Above all, he proved himself in his ability to lead his fellow Marines.

"Rex gave me advice all my life," Austin Leddy said. "He was my hero since I was a little bitty boy. I could always look up to him and he was never wrong."

Rex Leddy entered Texas A&M with a 4.0 GPA, and was unyielding in his studies. He had signed up for 16 hours this spring semester, and would sometimes stay up late studying into the wee hours of the morning. At times he could be seen making a mad dash across campus to try and make it on time from classes he had booked tightly together, his family said.

He was also immensely proud to be an Aggie.

"We were planning on getting our sports passes together for this upcoming football season," Austin Leddy said, holding back tears. "Now I guess it's just me getting it."

"This semester he would have gotten his Aggie ring," his wife added quietly.

Rex Leddy had dreams of graduating with his electrical engineering degree and working for a company such as Space X, but he was primarily a family man. Though his family described him as stern-faced and serious to those who don't know him well, he charmed his way into Terri's heart with ease.

"He was really good looking," she recalled. "That was the first thing I noticed, and then I went on to realize how nice he was."

The couple also often made plans with Austin Leddy and his wife, Roxanna, and their children, whether playing basketball in the park, going fishing or riding bikes. And though Austin Leddy said his brother knew little about baseball, Rex Leddy coached T-ball for one of his three sons because he enjoyed interacting with the children on the team.

Rex Leddy is the father of Cameron, 23, Jackson (Rex V), 7, and Warren, 2.

The Leddys said Rex was a careful and skilled motorcycle rider, but Austin Leddy said the visibility at that intersection where the accident happened is limited.

"Just going and looking at every intersection in that area, they have fences at the edge, and you can't see both ways unless you pretty much roll into the road past where you're actually supposed to stop," Austin Leddy said.

The community has embraced the Leddy family. Several members of the Texas A&M faculty and Veteran Resource and Support Center have reached out to the family, with Silver Taps planned for April 4. The principal, guidance counselor and teachers at Jackson's elementary school have checked in on the family, and Rex Leddy's emergency room surgeon with St. Joseph CHI brought his widow flowers Tuesday.

The family is also especially grateful for the support of College Station Police Department. The officer who responded to Rex's death, whom the family identified as "Officer Spencer," has helped the family bear the burden of sorting out details of the accident.

"In a small community you would expect [treatment] like this, but in a community the size of College Station, you just don't expect all this," Terri Leddy said.

The family is working to plan services for Rex Leddy this weekend at a chapel on campus. Friends and family have poured into Aggieland to support the family, but there will never be a way to replace Staff Sgt. Rex Leddy.

"He just made you want to do better," Terri Leddy said, still grasping the dog tags. "He expected everyone to do what is right. And to see him with his children... he was amazing."