Les began working at an early age in his family’s 50-year enterprise in Circleville, the Loessin Gin, while attending elementary classes at the old Circleville school and later transferring to Taylor schools. While in high school, he brought his mechanical skills learned working in the cotton gin to auto mechanics classes, his high school job at Balderson Implement Company, and into his teenage passion – tearing down and rebuilding motorcycles.

After graduating THS in 1954, he began work as a lineman for Texas Power & Light Co. During this period, he and his dad acquired certification in electronics and began their side business in TV and radio repair.

In 1960, following his twoyear army service, Les returned to Taylor and met a recent Granger High grad, Rubie Machu. The two were married a year later in the Granger Brethren Church.

Seldom missing a Sunday service with Rubie, he would serve in multiple capacities in the church over the next 50 years as well as actively participate in the Granger Lions Club and S.P.J.S.T.

At their home of 61 years in Circleville, the couple raised two sons along with dozens of other local children who passed through Rubie’s daycare. Each weekday, Les would come home from work and deposit himself into his kitchen chair where Rubie had his cup of coffee waiting. Slowly, the tots would trickle in from the den, “Hello Mr. Les, how was your day?” and before long he’d be encircled by the whole lot of them sitting cross-legged on the kitchen floor anxious to hear about his workday. He always said this was the highlight of his day.

Les transitioned after 10 years at Taylor Manufacturing Company to the newly opened Westinghouse plant in Round Rock in 1973. In 1982, Les would bring his electrical skills to the Maintenance Dept. at Southwestern University and, in 1986, transitioned into this same role at The University of Texas at Austin where he worked until his retirement in 1998.

Recognized as a jack-of-alltrades, Les will be remembered by family and friends as someone always willing to volunteer his help and expertise when called upon – whether in maintenance of this area’s cotton gins, repair of local folk’s electrical appliances or workdays at the Machu family’s cemetery.

Les and Rubie were avid country music fans and, for three decades, enjoyed their annual pilgrimages to Opryland, Dollywood and Branson.

Following his retirement, Les turned to repairing lawnmowers, restoring old radios and gathering abundant harvests from his pecan trees and garden – fresh produce that would wind up in wife Rubie’s kitchen creations.

In 2021, Les transitioned to the Winnie L Nursing Facility in Cameron.

His sons wish to thank their aunts, especially Angie and Sharon, for their help with care provided in their parents’ sunset years as well as the selfless and dedicated staff at Winnie L and Amedisys Hospice Care.

Les outlived his “sweetie” Rubie by eight months, rejoining her three days prior to their 62nd wedding anniversary.

He is survived by son, Terry of Circleville; son, Kelly and his wife Stacey of Georgetown and their children Trevor (wife Sam) of Brenham; Payton Ames of Austin; and Lauren of Bryan-College Station.

Visitation was from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at Providence Funeral Home in Taylor with a 6 p.m. memorial service led by Pastor James Hejl of the Taylor Brethren Church.

An interment service at graveside was the following Friday morning at 10 a.m. at the Machu Family Cemetery in Granger.

The family requests that memorial bequests be made to the perpetual care fund of the Machu Family Cemetery Association, machu-cemetery. org, where the couple planned their final resting place, or the Hus Encampment of the Unity of the Brethren Church.