"Ted" Theodore Leik

Theodore "Ted" Leik, age 89, passed away on October 23, 2019. Ted was born to Theodore and Margaret (Bock) Leik. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Tom and his sister Sandra. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Bebe (Bryant) Leik, his son Mark (Anne) Leik, and daughters Cindy (Jim) King, Karen (Jeff) Kerns, Sasha (Patrick) Davidson, and Molly (Joel) Kufeldt; and 13 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and 7 nieces and nephews. Ted was proud to be from Casper Wyoming. He was a 3rd generation Wyomingite whose grandparents homesteaded outside of Sheridan. He was born on Easter Sunday and so was nicknamed "Bunny" by his mother and the moniker remained for the rest of his life. At the age of three he began playing the accordion and continued playing throughout his life. Ted attended Natrona County High School, graduating in 1948. During his time at NCHS, he was the drum major in the marching band and played the alto saxophone. Ted attended the University of Denver where he majored in business and graduated in 1952. During his college career he was the drum major for the university band and a member of the Lamda Chi Alpha fraternity. After graduation, he married Lois Thomas (Boyd) and moved back to Casper where he worked in the Wyoming Paint and Glass family business alongside his father and grandfather. He and Lois had three children: Mark, Cindy and Karen. When his children were attending Pineview Elementary School he served on the local PTA board. Later he served on the Wyoming State PTA board because he was a strong believer in education. He and Lois later divorced and he moved to Riverton and then Montana where he pursued a career as a realtor. Eventually he moved back to Casper where he met and married Bebe (Bryant) Leik on November 30, 1981 and was blessed with two additional daughters, Sasha and Molly. He and Bebe moved to a new home in 2005 where he loved to sit on the back patio, listen to the birds, have a glass of wine and watch the sunset. Ted was involved in many activities in the community during his lifetime. In his 20s & 30s Ted loved to sing and act at the Paradise Valley PlayHouse and in the Red Dog Saloon. All his children know his signature song was "I was born under a wand'rin star" from the musical Paint Your Wagon, in which he played the character of the Mormon Bishop. He loved to sing and at many Christmas parties would entertain family and friends with his beautiful baritone voice. Ted was also active in the Casper Kiwanis and the Elks Club, where he was a lifetime member. Due to his strong ties to Wyoming, Ted loved the Wyoming Historical Society and he and Bebe went to many presentations and lectures until his last years. Ted loved all things Wyoming: it's rich history, its mountains, lakes, streams and most of all it's people. Ted was a people person that never met a stranger. He spent much time in his earlier years fishing, hunting and was a lifetime boater and belonged to the Casper Boat Club for a quarter century or longer. His cabins at Alcova Lake and Casper Mountain were joyous places where Ted spent lots of quality time with his extended family and many friends. He was especially close to his Uncle Howard and Aunt Polly during his lifetime. He loved traveling and exploring and learning of history of every place he visited. One of his most memorable trips was visiting the Leick house in Germany. He discovered at that time that the last name was changed when the family emigrated to Iowa in the United States and then finally settled in Wyoming. Everyone who knew Ted knew he had a great sense of humor and had an endless arsenal of jokes, stories and tall tales. Some of his practical jokes are legendary and he was always quick with a smile. He was known as a gentle giant who loved to tell people he was five foot seventeen inches. One Halloween he embodied this spirit when he dressed up as the Jolly Green Giant to his wife's Little Pea. However, much to his chagrin, his hair remained green for an entire week afterward. Throughout his life, Ted always had canine companions from his Saint Bernard Archie to his Aredale Pat. He always claimed that he hated cats but found the "love of his life" in a small black cat named Lil in his later years. Be that as it may, to remain true to his canine roots, he taught the cat to retrieve bottle caps that he would throw. A memorial service will be held at St Mark's Episcopal Church at 11:00am on Monday, October 28, 2019. A short reception will follow, with internment taking place at Highland Park Cemetery at 1:30pm. Ted's honorary pallbearers are as follows: Frank "Pinky" Ellis Jr., George Rummell, Ed Reasoner, Bill Snodgrass, Jay Smith, Fred Eiserman, Loren Johnson, and Francis Wellman. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Central Wyoming Hospice and Transitions.

Service

Monday, October 28, 2019 11:00am

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

7th and Wolcott

Casper, Wyoming 82601

Reception to follow service. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Central Wyoming Hospice.