Leslie Joe Silhan was born June 6, 1917 in Houston, Texas. He was the eldest of seven children born to Ladislav and Bessie Silhan. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1935 and sailed on the USS Yorktown. After an initial four years of service, he re-enlisted and served an additional five years through World War II. In 1940, he went to work for the Texas Company (Texaco) for which he would work for more than 40 years. He met Della Novak and married her in 1949, living briefly in Rosenberg before settling in their new home in Houston's Sunset Heights. They raised a family of eight children. He was a faithful parishioner of Christ the King Catholic Church and a Fourth Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus. Leslie passed from this life on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at the age of 102 with family by his side. Leslie was a wonderful husband, loving father, grandfather and great grandfather. He is survived by three daughters, four sons, 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. He was much loved and will be greatly missed. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from three o’clock in the afternoon until six o’clock in the evening on Sunday the 19th of January, in the Heights Funeral Chapel. The recitation of the Holy rosary is to commence at five o’clock. The funeral mass is to be offered at ten o’clock in the morning on Monday, the 20th of January, at Christ The King Catholic Church, 4419 N. Main, Houston, Texas 77009. Mr. Silhan will be laid to rest Tuesday the 21st, one o’clock at Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Dr., Houston, Texas 77038.
