Leslie Asbury

Leslie E. Asbury "Les" Family Nickname: "Sunny" Les died at his Fort Collins home on January 15th, 2012 at the age of 81 after a long illness due to heart disease. He served in the United States Marine Corps. His Life: Les will be remembered most by his trademark bib overalls and colorful welder caps (his favorite had jelly beans on it); as well as being the tractor guy and telling corny jokes. A Colorado native, Les was born in Limon, CO on April 15, 1931 to Owen Ralph and Bessie Florence (Harris) Asbury. He was the 5th child of 14 children; He was survived by wife Virginia; his son Michael; and daughter Sandra (and her husband Herb) Kelly also of Fort Collins. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Jade Cordova of Thornton, Austen Kelly and Danielle Kelly of Fort Collins; five great-grandchildren, Shaelyn, William, Alesia and Elijah Cordova of Thornton; and Mason Logan Kelly of Loveland, CO. He is survived by his brother Owen (Bud) Asbury and sister Bonnie Bruckner of Grand Junction, Patricia Stout of Salem, Oregon, James Asbury of Pueblo, CO and Judith Light of Longview, Texas, Marie Hooper of South Dakota. His parents were originally from Rifle, CO. In 1955, Les and Virginia Neville were married in Rifle. At the time of his passing they were married for 56 years. He had lived in Lafayette for 28 years and moved to Fort Collins, CO in 1998 by the Horsetooth Reservoir. He was a self educated and very successful Mechanic a natural, and also trained as a plumber /pipefitter and worked for Kennecott Copper in Ariz, and Local #208 out of Denver Co, he was a union member for over 35 years, he bragged to someone once that he had worked at the King Soopers Store on 30th Street in Boulder, CO he told them he put the pipes in under the floor they were standing on, at the time. He was talented and invented many of his own tools, such as a log splitter, if he did not own it or could not afford it he made it for himself and in his retirement kept himself busy helping others with mechanical problems and rebuilding old tractors and selling them. He made a car run once by installing a crank on the front of the Radiator, a tire iron was used to crank it, just like the old model T's we were the only ones in town who had a car like that. Eventually he fixed it and A lot of our friends admitted later that they had learned to drive in that car , we had five acres to drive around on, and not much to run into, a few old tires maybe. He was happy to advise you on anything mechanical. When his hearing got bad he once used a stethoscope to listen to an engine. He had an unforgettable personality and was known by his trade mark colorful welder hats and corny off the wall jokes. He attended church regularly at the Snowy Ridge Church in Fort Collins and made many friends; he helped in building a new church in Lafayette and tried to participate in many church functions. He loved western music and spent a lot time falling asleep in his recliner watching his old country and western videos, he was not shy about his political views and frequently had to be reminded not to tell his political jokes to strangers, but it did not stop him, he wanted young people to know how important unions and politics are to this country. He also was a devout Democrat, but registered as a Republican just so he could receive the literature, he was stubborn to the end. He was preceded in death by Louise Asbury of Rifle, Donald Asbury of Pueblo, Kenneth Asbury of Fort Collins, Dorothy Perry of Delta, CO, Mary Ellen Asbury of Rifle, CO, June Johnston of Delta, CO and Gerald Asbury of Grand Junction, CO. The Asbury Heritage goes back to England and the Asbury name goes back more than 12 generations here in the U.S. as far back as the year1620. The twelfth Great-Grandpa, Frances Asbury came to this country on a boat from England. A service will be held in his honor at Snowy Ridge Church at 320 W. Trilby Road, in Fort Collins, CO., from11-2 (snacks will be provided at the church) and a graveside service in Lafayette, CO., Cemetery North West corner from 3- 4 PM Saturday. Three words that sum up his life: Friendly, Talented, and Unforgettable His greatest joy: His Grandchildren His Greatest sorrow: two sons preceding him in death, Steve age 24, and Greg age 52. He had the most fun joining his friends at any greasy spoon, telling jokes, and talking about working on vehicles.