Les E. Shackelford Jr.

Lesta (“Les”) E. Shackelford, Jr., was born March 31, 1937, in Livingston, TX and passed away at the age of 88 on October 7, 2025, in Nacogdoches, TX. He was the first of three sons to parents Lesta E. Shackelford, Sr and Jewell (“Betty”) Blanche Robbins.

As a child, he enjoyed playing shoeless in the great outdoors of Polk County with his cousins. Les’s parents enrolled at Stephen F. Austin State University in the early 1940s but WWII soon brought big changes to the family. His father served overseas in the war and young Les soon was enrolled in the precursor to SFA’s Early Childhood Lab so his mother could continue her college classes. After the war, the family moved to Austin, TX. Towards the end of his high school years, the family moved to Superior, AZ, where his father found employment inspecting mines. Les entered the University of Arizona in Tucson and finished with a law degree. As a young attorney, he joined the military, earned the rank of Captain, and served as a military lawyer for several years. He met Rose Lehmann on a blind date and they were married in 1961. They settled and raised a family in Dallas, TX, where, as a practicing attorney for several decades, he specialized in personal injury law.

Standing at 6’5” in height with a slender build, he had a commanding presence whenever he walked into a room or courtroom. As a resident of Dallas for over 5 decades and a sports fan, he cheered for the local pro teams including the Cowboys, Mavs, and Rangers. He enjoyed maintaining a large vegetable garden and often shared green beans still on the stem with the local cottontail rabbits. He was also an all-around repair guy at the house and kept his lawn tidy. One of his favorite lawn activities was in fall when the oaks and pecans dropped their leaves. He quickly raked them into huge piles so his kids, and later grandkids, could jump and hide in the leaves which eventually scattered them all around again. He never complained about having to re-rake the piles multiple times so the children could continue having fun.

Les was married for 59 years to Rose until she passed away in Dallas in early 2019. He outlived his siblings, two younger brothers, who were special to him and, throughout the majority of their adult lives, all lived in the DFW area. Les is survived by his four children, daughter Rhonda and husband Keith Rayborn of Albuquerque, NM, son Cliff and wife Julie of Nacogdoches, TX, son Karl and wife Lisa of Austin, TX, and daughter Miranda of Austin, TX. He is also survived by 8 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, who all know him as “Big Daddy.”

When he could no longer maintain his house and lawn of 51 years in Dallas, he moved to Magnolia Court Assisted Living in Nacogdoches for the last 3 years of his life. While there, he loved reading books about astronomy, physics, evolution, and archeology. Magnolia Court staff and Hospice staff kept him comfortable, as did his caregivers during his final months.

Les chose to be cremated with his ashes released during a private family gathering at his beloved family property in Cherokee County.

Arrangements are under the direction of Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors.