Paul "Randy" Leake Obituary

To his friends, he was Randy. To his clients and colleagues, he was Paul. To his family, he was a loyal son, a mischievous younger brother, a whimsical uncle, and a loving father with refreshingly blunt opinions. To Dianne–his wife of 43 years–he was everything. Randy passed away on Thursday, September 4, 2025 at the age of 70.

Randy was born in Dallas on March 12, 1955 and raised in Mesquite by his father, Loncy, mother, Bettye, and his two older brothers, Stephen and David. The latter two each were Eagle Scouts and locally revered musicians. Randy was neither. He instead preferred playing sports and going to rock 'n' roll concerts as a member of the Mesquite High School Class of 1973. His yearbook had a poem about the basketball team that said, "the girls would roar every time handsome Leake hit the floor." His brother Steve swears that really was true. His sons still believe that was just a nice way of saying he came off the bench.

Randy never did learn to carry a tune, but he did develop a lifelong love for the outdoors. As a young father, he bought 100 acres in Eastland County with a rundown cabin on it, which the family strangely always referred to as "the deer lease." It was neither a lease nor ever had that many deer on it, but it became a beloved family institution. Randy spent countless weekends there teaching his sons to fish, hunt, and play cards–as well as how to spare their mother from learning how many close scrapes they had repairing jerry-rigged deer stands and riding the four-wheeler.

Randy was pathologically generous. He consistently gave to the church and numerous charities. He almost always gave money to homeless people on the street because "you can't take it with you." Dianne once asked him what happened to his long coat, and he responded that he gave it to a homeless man the prior winter because "he looked cold."

Wasteful or lavish, however, he was not. He usually drove base model Toyotas, Nissans, and Fords. His hotel preferences consisted of the cheapest one Dianne would let him get away with. First-class tickets were unthinkable. He took his kids to numerous Mavericks and Rangers games in the 90s because they were bad–and thus cheap. He never took them to Cowboys games in the 90s because they were commensurately expensive–but probably mainly because he hated Jerry Jones. He once took his wife and four children to Disney World and came back from a concession stand with two sodas and six straws. It is thus truly a wonder he survived attending Southern Methodist University, from which he obtained a bachelor's degree in business in 1977.

Randy put himself through college and law school by working a series of blue-collar jobs. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from the South Texas College of Law in Houston in 1980. He then headed back to Mesquite to join his father's law practice. "Paul R. Leake" went on to become one of the most experienced trial lawyers in eastern Dallas County, including notching a now-unheard-of 100-plus jury trials. Over his forty-three-year career, he helped thousands of clients through difficult times, which always brought him great pride and satisfaction. He worked too much, but he loved it. His son, Blair, and daughter-in-law, Erin, each went to law school, but they learned how to actually practice law from him.

Randy had a servant's heart. One of Randy's best friends went blind later in life, and Randy regularly visited him, took him fishing, and brought him to his own family's holidays. He was elected to serve multiple terms as a Trustee for the Dallas County Community College District. His community service included, but was not limited to, volunteering with the Bucket Ministry in the Amazon rainforest, the Mesquite Lions Club, and assisting with the founding of Main Street Mesquite, Mesquite's annual Kid Fish event, and Mesquite's KidsQuest playground.

Randy was a devout Christian in every sense of the word. He made sure his family attended church without fail. He attended and led bible study classes, participated in various ministry groups, and made a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. He read his bible regularly–including ominously in the living room when one of his kids broke curfew. Most importantly, he really did live it. He gave. He served. He loved. The purity of his heart was unquestionable.

Randy's greatest passion, however, was always his family. He is survived by his wife, Dianne, and his four children, Carissa Meyer and husband, Matt; Aaron Jordan; Shelly Ruggiano and husband, Justin; and Blair Leake and wife, Erin. Dianne's love and support was like oxygen to his lungs. As a father, Randy balanced tough love and high expectations with cheesy dad jokes and unconditional love. He was his children's biggest fan and a source of wisdom for them that can never be replaced.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Loncy and Bettye Leake. He is also survived by his two brothers, David and Stephen Leake, two sisters-in-law, Susan and Judy, and his ten grandchildren, Molly, Claire, Chloe, Jackson, Garrett, Brooks, Ava, Charlie, Eleanor, and Henry. For them, the tough love and high expectations were dropped in favor of lopsided love and spoilage, as is every grandparents' right. He eventually traded in the deer lease for "the farm" in Wood County, where he doted on both his grandchildren and the cattle he was allegedly raising for profit. He never was a successful cattleman, but he proved to be one hell of a pet owner–and an even better grandfather. His family's world will never be the same without him.

Please join us in celebrating the life of Paul "Randy" Leake.

Location: The Bridge at Lakepointe, Rockwall

Visitation: Friday, September 12th at 10:00 AM

Memorial Service: Friday, September 12th 11:00 AM (immediately following visitation)

Location: The Bridge at Lakepointe, Rockwall

701 E Interstate 30, Rockwall, TX 75087 In memory of Paul "Randy" Leake, please consider making a donation to one of the following charities:

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