Obituary of LeRoi Dillon

IN LOVING MEMORY OF LeRoi M. DILLON LeRoi Marcus Dillon, son of Marcus and Frances (Cunningham) Dillon, was born July 25, 1935, in Walkerville, Montana, and passed away at the Phillips County Hospital in Phillipsburg, Kansas, on May 14, 2017, at the age of 81. LeRoi grew up in Montana, and had a reputation for throwing rocks at Evel Knievel. Following his graduation from high school, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1954 until 1958. On October 25, 1958, LeRoi and Claudia Marie Chirnside were united in marriage in Denver, Colorado. They made their home in Denver; Kimball, Nebraska; Sheridan, Wyoming; Kalispell and Missoula, Montana, and Longmont, Colorado. He attended Colorado State University and obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Education. The family moved to Norton, Kansas, in 1974, where LeRoi and Claudia were both teachers in the Norton USD 211 school district for many years. LeRoi loved teaching and was lovingly known as "Mr. D" to all his students. Claudia passed away March 26, 1994. LeRoi later married Eva Babcock in Norton on February 3, 1996, and they made their home in Norton and Nickerson, Kansas, before moving to their present home in Logan, Kansas. LeRoi was a member of the Catholic Church and the Norton archery club. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, riding horses, and doing crafts, but his greatest joy in life was his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was also known as "Uncle Mud" by his great-nieces and great-nephews for his love of playing in the mud with them after a good rain. Survivors include: his wife, Eva Dillon, of their home in Logan; his children and their spouses, Wayne and Marcia Dillon, Hutchinson, Kansas; Annora Marie and Richard Matzek, Kearney, Nebraska; James and Michelle Dillon, Kansas City, Missouri; and Patricia and Lee Dreher, Drexel, Missouri; Diane and Steve Bliss, Logan; Steven Babcock and his significant other, Christy Shrader, Long Island, Kansas; Allan Babcock and his fiancée, Deanna Troutner, Lenora, Kansas; and James and Jama Babcock, Kechi, Kansas; 23 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren; one sister, Vera Bennett, Butte, Montana; other relatives and many friends. LeRoi was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Claudia, one great-grandchild, two brothers, and one sister. ROSARY SERVICE – Wednesday, May 17, 2017—7:00 p.m. PLACE – Enfield Funeral Home – 215 W. Main – Norton, Kansas MASS OF THE CHRISTIAN BURIAL – Thursday, May 18, 2017 – 10:30 a.m. PLACE – St. John's Catholic Church – Logan, Kansas BURIAL – Norton Cemetery – Norton, Kansas VISITATION – at the Enfield Funeral Home in Norton on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 – 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. MEMORIAL – LeRoi Dillon Memorial Fund