Louis Benton Gillespie

Louis was received in Heaven by the Almighty, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Friday, December 18th, 2020. He was a resident of Waxahachie, Texas, and a proud member of The Cowboy Church of Ellis Co., Texas. A godly man who lived and studied the Word daily, Louis was born February 25, 1947, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Henry Bentley Gillespie and Ruby Mae McBride. He left us for his Heavenly Father after a short but fierce battle with Covid-19. He is survived by his dearly beloved family including wife Linda Woodall Gillespie, sister Ethel Lee McBrian, daughter Ranae Gleason and her husband Brian, son Ben Gillespie and his wife Alison, granddaughters Teagan & Brenna Gleason, brother-n-law Charles Woodall, nephew Vince Golbeck and his wife Lois, nephew David R. Gillespie Jr., sister-n-law Linda Gaye Gillespie, nieces Claudette Price, Carol Villasenor, and her husband Jose and many other grand nieces and nephews. Louis moved to east Texas as a young man and completed high school in Queen City, a small East Texas town where he excelled in football, basketball, and track and field, and then went on to East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University-Commerce) on a full football scholarship. Louis met his true love, Linda Woodall in 1964 on a blind date. She lived in Linden and he lived in Queen City. It was a 56-year love affair, 53 years in marriage. After completing his master’s degree of Educational Administration Louis became an esteemed teacher in Lancaster, Texas, where he taught for 30 years, most of which was at Pleasant Run Elementary. He was a rock star dad to his daughter and son and a father figure to many relatives and students who affectionately knew him as “Mr. G”. Louis also drove the school bus for Dallas County School District for more than 30 years. Involved in the church his entire life, he began as a youth leader and camp counselor at St. Martins Episcopal Church. He later became involved in Buckaroos (a children’s ministry) and helped manage the church grounds at The Cowboy Church of Ellis Co. Louis lived out his lifelong dream of living on a ranch with the love of his life Linda, where they spent the last 25 years. He reveled in taking care of their horses, cattle, and especially his chickens. He was a good listener, a hard worker, a person everyone has fond memories of, and could make you laugh until you fell off the seat of your chair. He could recite math off the top of his head, loved word puzzles, read maps, was crazy about golf, could fix just about anything, and was a perfectionist, but always served others before himself. He was loved beyond measure, and for those of us he left behind, there will be a piece of the puzzle missing for all time. A celebration of Louis’s life will be held in 2021 when it is once again safe and appropriate for all his family and friends to gather and share their wonderful memories in the spirit as Louis would have enjoyed. In lieu of flowers, the family would be honored if you would send your tributes to Emergency COVID-19 Combat Service | Gary Sinise Foundation, dedicated to those who serve and especially the Baylor Scott & White Hospital medical team, who were with Louis, and comforted and cared for him like family until his passing.

Louis Benton Gillespie

February 25, 1947 - December 18, 2020