Lawrence F. Ley

LEY Lawrence Francis Ley, age 87, passed away on Wednesday, March 30th, 2011. Mr. Ley was a native of Ohio, but spent most of his life in Texas. He was a graduate of Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, and earned a BS in economics. He graduated from Southern Methodist University School of Law at Dallas and was awarded a Juris Doctorate degree. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta social fraternity and Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity.He was a member of the Corpus Christi Bar Association and the Texas State Bar Association. His early career was spent with Cities Service Oil Company and Signal Oil & Gas Company in the Law Department. In 1956, he joined L.T. Burns Estate and Bobby M. Burns as house counsel and head of the land department. In 1959, he came to Corpus Christi to head their Gulf Coast Division in the oil and gas business. After 16 years with the Burns association, he practiced law for a short time and then began Ley Petroleum Corporation, drilling many wells along the Gulf Coast Area.He was a veteran of World War II, having served in France, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Austria as a tank commander in General Patton's Third Army and was awarded the Bronze Star. He held the rank of captain in the retired reserves and was a licensed pilot.He was a long-time member of the Corpus Christi Country Club and served three years on its Board of Governors. He was medalist in six golf tournaments during 1969 and 1970 in the South Texas area. He was a charter member of St. Pius X Catholic Church and was Chairman of the Committee to build the present church.He is preceded in death by his son, John Moorefield Ley. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Lorayne Charlebois Ley; daughter, Deborah Ley Giese and her husband Mark Giese; Deborah and Mark's children, Curtis Giese, Candace Giese, and Monet Giese; John Ley's children, Preston Ley and his wife Ashley, Kirsten Ley Klabonski and her husband Matthew, Winston Ley, and their mother, Kathleen Ellsworth.Family will receive friends at the Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church, 1530 Norwalk, Katy, Texas, on April 4th, 2011, between 12:30 P.M. and 1:30 P.M. The Funeral Mass will follow at 1:30 P.M. on the same day. Interment will be in Corpus Christi, Texas, at Seaside Memorial Park at 2:00 P. M. on the following day.