Roll Call Tribute

Kreidler Funeral Home, Inc. obituary
314 N 10th St. McAllen, TX 78501 956-686-0234 Fax 956-682-8529

Robert (Bob) Burns McLeaish, Jr. (92) passed away on April 21, 2015 at Amara Hospice in Edinburg. Bob was born on January 20, 1923 to Robert and Mabel McLeaish, Sr. in Galveston, Tx. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 54 years Penny Payte McLeaish, his brothers John and James, two sons Robert and Jeremy, and his sister-in-law Ginny Payte Steib. Bob is survived by three daughters, Laurel McLeaish (Robert Hensley) of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Jan Robinson (David Swain) of Tempe, Arizona, and Heather Butler (Bill) of Abilene. He is also survived by his brother-in-law Mickey Steib of McAllen, his nephew David Steib of Washington, DC, and grandchildren Brittany and Jesse Robinson of Tempe, Arizona. His extended family included Susan Woods of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Gloria Schueler of McAllen, and all of the staff and residents of Heritage Village.
Bob graduated from Los Fresnos High school, received his accounting degree at Texas A & M in 1947, and his law degree from the University of Texas in 1953 where he served as President of the Student Bar Association. Even though Bob had attended both universities, he was a lifelong Aggie. He was a World War II Marine fighter pilot and retired from the Marines with the rank of Lt. Colonel. Among his numerous commendations, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Bob served as the County Auditor of Hidalgo County for many years before opening up his own law office in McAllen where he concentrated in the area of bankruptcy law. Bob was a member of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church for many years. Bob was active in many community groups. He was a Lion and was elected District Governor in 1970. He was also very active in the Elks Club. After retirement, Bob became active in Toastmasters where he was an Area Governor and received the Distinguished Toastmaster award.
Bob also took his politics very seriously and was a fixture in Democratic politics. In 1988, he was an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He was also a member of the Tripas Club. For relaxation, Bob liked to play (and win) Texas Hold 'em. In his younger days, he relaxed as a bullfighter.
The family would like to thank all of his caregivers, especially Anita Tellez, who was with him for years.
We also want to thank the staff of Amara Hospice who made our dad's final days peaceful. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that contributions be made to The Sharyland Education Foundation, 1106 N. Shary Road, Mission, TX 78572.
Donations made in memory of Bob McLeaish will be dedicated to programs at the Penny Payte McLeaish Learning Resource Center.
Visitation will be on Thursday, April 30 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Kreidler Funeral Home in McAllen. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on May 1, 2015 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church.