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Richard P. LeBlanc., Jr.
Judge Richard P. LeBlanc, Jr. was born in Beaumont, Texas on May 20, 1938 and unexpectedly passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home on May 1, 2022 at the age of 83 years old.
More than anything, Richard was a family man. Richard dearly loved and cared for his wife, Cheryl, until her passing in 2016, and he adored his children and grandchildren more than anything. He never missed an opportunity to spend time with them and make cherished memories…whether it was a weekly lunch date, popping up unexpectedly at their house to work in the yard (which he loved to do), go to a sporting event or the countless hunting and fishing trips.
As a young man, Richard spent summers on horseback helping family members herd cattle across family lands; was a rice farmer; a honeybee keeper; and one of the first crawfish farmers in the area, before crawfish were popular.
A life-long resident of Beaumont, Richard graduated from St. Anthony’s Catholic school in 1956, where he played football as a center, was student body president and voted senior class favorite. After high school, he joined the Corp at Texas A&M University in College Station, but after only a year, being the avid outdoorsman he was, he longed for the daily bird hunting, the beauty of LaBelle marsh, and the convenient fishing trips on family lands in Jefferson County. Richard transferred to Lamar Tech (now Lamar University) and graduated in 1960 with a degree in accounting. While at Lamar he was active in the ATO Fraternity. Richard’s first job out of college was as an accountant for Texas U.S. Chemical, where in his words, he “spent five years crunching numbers in a room with no windows.” He jumped at an opportunity (if nothing more than to see more sunlight) to become Administrative Assistant to Jefferson County Judge, Chester C. Young from 1965-1969; he was then Jefferson County Treasurer from 1969-1971; Jefferson County Auditor from 1971-1977; and then he proudly served undefeated as Jefferson County Judge from 1977 to 1996. As County Judge, he won too many accolades and awards to list for various achievements, including bringing numerous businesses to the area which created many jobs, improving the water quality of the Neches River, improving the air quality in Jefferson County, and running an efficient and truthful local government. Shortly after retirement, the State of Texas named a prison after Judge LeBlanc in honor of the efforts he took to bring the prison complexes and thousands of jobs along with them to the area. The Richard P. LeBlanc Texas State Prison Unit is located along Highway 69 in Mid-Jefferson County. Upon his retirement as County Judge, he immediately took up a position running Jefferson County Drainage District No. 6 (DD6), which is one of the drainage districts created by the Texas Legislature for the flood prone areas like Jefferson County. He is accredited for making DD6 what it is today. He managed a sophisticated flood prevention operation where he successfully acquired numerous grants that led the completion of dozens of multi-million-dollar drainage, watershed, and detention pond projects to protect thousands of Jefferson County residences, businesses, farms, and ranches from flood waters.
He finally retired for good at the age of 81 after more than 50 years in public service to his community and the State of Texas.
Judge LeBlanc was well-known for his vegetable garden with at least 70 tomato plants and dozens of cucumbers that he planted without fail, to the joy of family and friends, every Spring, and his award-winning rose bushes. He remained active as he had throughout his years with managing his family’s farm lands and their oil and gas interests.
Judge LeBlanc is preceded in death by his loving wife of 40 years, Cheryl Barrow LeBlanc, his parents, Richard P. LeBlanc, Sr. and Dorothy Flynn LeBlanc, his sister, Patsy LeBlanc Flora, and his grandmother, Nora Bordages LeBlanc, who raised him and his sister. He is survived by his loving children, daughter Danielle LeBlanc, his son Richard P. LeBlanc III and wife Carolina, their children Richard IV and Gabriela, his son Stephen LeBlanc and children Kevin, Catie and Craig Cormier, his daughter Sharon Hale and husband Joe and their children, Garrett, Jacob, and Kacie, his grandchildren Josh Broussard and Cheryse Broussard-Stokes, her husband Scott and their daughter Kennedy. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Hugh Flora and numerous cousins whom he was very close to.
Memorial contributions for Judge LeBlanc may be made to CASA Southeast Texas, 2449 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77702 or Boy’s Haven of America, P.O. Box 5815, Beaumont, Texas 77726.
A gathering of Judge LeBlanc’s family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., with family reflections at 6:00 p.m., Friday, May 6, 2022, at Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, May 7, 2022, at St. Anne Catholic Church, 2715 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, with his interment to follow at Magnolia Cemetery, Beaumont.