Amos Ray Ezell

Funeral Service for Amos Ray Ezell will be Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at Castor Baptist Church in Leesville with Pastor Sandy Guynn officiating. Burial will be in Castor Cemetery under the direction of Labby Memorial Funeral Home of Leesville. Friends may visit on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. at the church until time of service.

Mr. Ezell passed from this life Saturday, November 29, 2025, Alexandria, Louisiana at the age of 88 yrs old. He was born January 27, 1937 in a sharecropper's home in Franklin County, MS, the eighth child of ten to Neal Henry Ezell, Sr. and Rhoda EttaV Foy Ezell. He grew up in Amite County, MS and graduated from Gillsburg High School in 1955. He married Helen Louise Harrell on May 25, 1959. They have lived in the Castor Community since 1970.

He joined the U. S. Army January 10, 1956 and after completing Basic Training at Camp Chaffee, AR and Seaman School at Fort Eustis, VA he was assigned to the 81st Boat Company in France where he served as a seaman, engineer and coxswain of a 73-foot LCM-8 (Landing Craft Mechanized) and came up through the ranks until he was promoted to Sergeant on December 20, 1958. When his overseas tour was completed, he was sent to Fort Sill OK for retraining as a missile crewman. He went to Germany in 1961 as a missile crewman until he was accepted to attend the Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA and commissioned an Infantry 2nd Lieutenant on March 29, 1963. He rose through the ranks and was promoted to Major on April 20, 1970.

He was ordained as a deacon by Castor Baptist in 1974. He retired from the Army on January 31, 1976 with the rank of Major.

After retiring from the Army, he operated a successful roofing business for twelve years before being ordained to the gospel ministry as pastor of Sandy Hill Baptist Church where he served for almost twelve years before retiring and he later served as interim pastor of Sandy Hill Baptist Church for 19 months. He was also a retired school bus driver for the Vernon Parish School Board. He was a member of Slagle Baptist Church.

He enjoyed coin collecting, genealogy and posting memorials and tombstone photos to https://findagrave.com.

He was preceded in death by his parents; five brothers, Henry Rayford; Mozell (NMN); Neal Henry, Jr.; Cecil Ray, Sr.; and Aaron James and three sisters, Ota Alberta Ezell; Eva Ma Ezell Purser; and Ruby Nell Ezell Rollins; two brothers-in-law, Clarence Sylvander Purser and William Floyd Rollins; four sisters-in-law, Edna Merle Wall Ezell; (Mozell) Annie Ruth Brown Ezell; (Neal, Jr.), Edna Leoma Jones Ezell (Cecil) and Mary Anne Flynn Ezell (Aaron)

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Helen Louise Harrell Ezell of Leesville; three daughters, Mary Joan David and her husband Dallas Joel of Pineville, LA; Amy Gail Wentzel and her husband Homer Frederick, Jr. "Rick" of Walker, LA; and Carol Lynn Jackson and her husband Philip Lee of Pitkin, LA, brother, Claudus Levon Ezell and his wife Bennie Mae Harrell of Walker, LA; sister-in-law Julia Anna "Judy" Jett and her husband John Michael of Hornbeck, LA; three grandsons; Ryan Cole Wilks and his wife, Raquel Xiomara Olivera of Davenport, FL, John Emerson Johnson and his wife Stephanie of Singer, LA and Zachary Philip Jackson and the mother of his children, Kayleigh Renee LaDue of Leesville; three granddaughters, Amanda Nicole Wilks Grocke and her husband Mark Jeffrey of Sanford FL, Crystal Augusta Wentzel and the father of her son, William Gavin Taylor Booth of Walker, LA, Meagan KaLee Jackson Miller and her husband Justin Larry of Pitkin, LA six great grandsons, Ryan Mykael Wilks, Johnathon Jacob Johnson, Cristian Alexander Wilks, Sawyer Wayne Johnson, Kellen Reeve Summitt, Liam Taylor Booth; seven great granddaughters; Kelly Danyelle Johnson, Hailey Joan Louise Grocke, Hadyn Nicole Ann Grocke, JoceLynn Moriah Miller, Julia Grace Miller, Gracelynn Marie Jackson, and Raelynn Mariah Jackson, and a host of nephews and nieces.

And his chosen son, Rodney Todd Rieger Sr., and his wife, Chasity Diane Sailors Rieger of Leesville, LA and their sons, Rodney Todd (TJ), Corey Andrew and Matthew Hayden.

Pallbearers are Homer Frederick "Rick" Wentzel, Jr. Philip Lee Jackson, Dallas Joel David, Mark Jeffrey Grocke, Ryan Cole Wilks, and Zachary Philip Jackson. Honorary Pallbearer: Justin Larry Miller and Rodney Todd Rieger, Sr.