Lloyd Leeka

In loving memory of Lloyd Leeka. Nov. 3, 1927 - March 26, 2025.

LAGRANGE - On March 26, 2025, Lloyd Leeka "soared beyond the stars", as he would say, to join his beloved wife, Jackie, in heaven.

Lloyd grew up on the family farm with his parents, Clair and Elizabeth Leeka and younger brother, Maynard. As he would say, and contrary to the old adage, those were not the good old days, because of the hard work on the farm and general life in the Depression.

Lloyd rode his pony to Stoney Creek school in Randolph County, Indiana. At school, he traded his black angus beef steak sandwiches for bologna, as they raised black angus on the farm and bologna was a treat for him. Lloyd was an excellent baseball catcher, playing varsity all four years. His teammates, at their last reunion, still raved about beating Losantville in the High School District finals. He graduated with nine students in his senior class in 1945.

The actual Stoney Creek ran through their farm and enabled lots of adventures during the rare "down times". He enjoyed telling stories about his beloved boxer, "Buck" and how Buck kept the sales people in their cars and how they "hitched" the boxer to a little red wagon.

When Lloyd was 20, he started working as a fireman on the C & O railroad - a job he loved. It was short-lived with the development of diesel engines, but he loved trains his entire life.

During this time, his parents purchased a cottage on Oliver Lake in LaGrange County, Indiana. While staying at the cottage, his brother, Maynard, introduced him to Jacqueline Nicewanner (from Muncie) on a swimming raft about halfway between the Leeka's and the Nicewanner's cottage on Oliver lake. She was a beautiful woman and an excellent swimmer. He was captivated. They were married in 1949, in LaGrange Indiana.

Lloyd and the love of his life, Jackie, were married 60 years before the good Lord took her home. They enjoyed raising their three children, sailing the Great Lakes on their 29-foot sailboat and exploring harbor towns in Michigan. They dearly loved Oliver Lake and built a new home on the east side of the lake (A6) in May 2000.

Lloyd was "extremely proud" of all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and all of their accomplishments. He loved when everyone could come and "play" at the lake. He was very blessed to have one of his daughters, Cris, living nearby; her care made it possible for him to live out his later years at home on Oliver Lake.

Lloyd was preceded in death by his parents, Clair and Elizabeth Leeka; brother, Maynard and Kay (Pittenger) Leeka; and great-granddaughter, Henley Jewell Berka.

He is survived by his children, Michael and Stephenie (Leeka) Cockerill, of Montague, Michigan, Frank and Cris (Leeka) Kopecky, of Sylvan Lake/Rome City and Matt and Tracee Leeka, of Holland Michigan; grandchildren, Casey and Kelly (Cockerill) Whiting, Jerriah and Jennifer (Kopecky) Miller, Jon and Tori Kopecky, Brandon and Jacqueline (Leeka} Berka, Christian and Emily Leeka, and Benjamin and Grace Leeka; great-grandchildren, Grady, Wyatt, Emery, Levi, Theodore and Ethan.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 2 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church in LaGrange, Indiana, 200 W. Michigan St., LaGrange IN 46761.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Lloyd's memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or The Oliver & Martin Lakes Conservancy & Improvement Association.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.meeksmortuary.com.