Jasper “J.T.” Leone

Mr. Jasper Thomas Leone, 88, of Beaumont, Texas, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, January 8, 2023.  J.T., as he was known to his friends and community, was born in Beaumont, Texas, on November 11, 1934, to the late Dominick and Angelina Napoli Leone.  J.T. was the youngest of four children, all of whom preceded him in death.  His deceased siblings are Mary Theresa Leone, Grace Elizabeth Leone Simon, his older brother and mentor, Vincent D. Leone, and Sammie Napoli, his Godson.

Mr. Leone is survived by his daughter, Leslie Anne Leone, his son, Jason Thomas Leone, two grandsons, Joshua and Jasper, Mrs. Delores Leone, Jacquelyn Stephen, Daniel Leone, Vincent Leone, Jr., Paula Mabry and her husband, Michael, Mike Simon and his wife, Sherryl, Ralph Simon and his wife, Kathleen, and many nieces and nephews.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife, V.J. Leone, and his stepchildren, Robert A. (Tony) Wisenbaker and his wife, Cheryl, Brandi Valenzuela, and Brandi’s two children, Mark and Alexis.

While attending Beaumont High School and throughout college, J.T. worked for Sun Oil Company in Texas and Louisiana as a roughneck and eventually a roustabout.  With the money he saved, he enrolled in The University of Oklahoma to pursue a degree in Petroleum Engineering.  J.T. told tales of hitching rides back to Beaumont, picking up the family car, driving back to OU, going on dates with the prettiest girls on campus, and then driving the car back to Beaumont, and hitching rides back to the OU campus.  Anyone who knew J.T., would never doubt these stories.  He was a man of determination.

At the end of J.T.’s sophomore year at OU, his sister, Mary, died in a tragic accident, and his parents insisted he return to his family in Beaumont.  After returning, he enrolled at Lamar State College.   At that time, Lamar did not offer a degree in Petroleum Engineering and recommended a degree in Geology. After two short years, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology.

During his college years, J.T. served in the U. S. Naval Reserves and received an honorable discharge in March 1961.  He was a proud member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

Following graduation, J.T. trained in Special Core Analysis with the Ben Endauhl Engineering Group in Houston, Texas, before traveling to Maracaibo, Venezuela.  Once there, he joined his brother’s oilfield services company.  After a couple of years in Venezuela, he transferred to Trinidad where he headed up the oilfield services company there.

After a four year stay in Trinidad, J.T. returned to Texas where he formed his own oilfield services company, Drilling Well Specialties, Inc.  He then opened businesses in Germany and eventually in Holland to cover the rigs in the North Sea.  At the time, J.T. could not speak a word of German or Dutch.  These companies began as a one-man operation, and J.T. was the one man.  They survived and prospered because of sheer luck, unbelievable determination, and the fear of coming back to the states as a failure.  J.T. was quick to attribute his success to God for putting him in the right place at the right time.

DWS was sold when J.T. was in his late forties, and he returned to Texas to pursue his second career – living the good life.  J.T.’s good life was lived on the golf course, in duck, geese, deer, turkey blinds, in boats, and in beautiful cars.    Some of his best days were spent with his buddies at the Reeses’ Silver R Ranch in Uvalde, Texas.  He looked forward to these gatherings and sharing in the camaraderie of this special group of friends.  J.T. was a member of C.C.A., Ducks Unlimited, Wild Turkey Federation, and many other sporting and conservation organizations.

To have friends, one has to be a friend.  J.T. was blessed with true friends.  They loved him, he loved them, and he was not bashful in telling them so.  May eternal rest be granted unto him.

A gathering of Mr. Leone’s family and friends will be from 5:30pm until 7:30 p.m., Thursday, January 12, 2023, at Broussard’s, 1605 N. Major Drive, Beaumont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Friday, January 13, 2023, at St. Anne Catholic Church, 2715 Calder Avenue, Beaumont. Cremation arrangements were handled through Broussard’s Crematorium, Beaumont.