LEAS, Burdett (Ted)

The Verde Independent, Cottonwood, AZ January 11, 2006 Burdett "Ted" Leas, 75, of Camp Verde died Dec. 28, 2005. Ted was born in Roseburg, Ore., on Aug. 22, 1930. He grew up to become a heavy equipment mechanic. In 1957, Ted and his family moved to sunny Arizona where he became a small business owner and in 1963 he hired on with the City of Phoenix and retired after 26 years of service. Ted spent his retirement in Camp Verde doing gardening and growing the best dog-gone tomatoes around and spent most of his time on projects he never had time to do before. His passion was race boats and building high-performance engines. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Alice Leas; three children, Ernest Leas, David Leas, and Brenda Kauffmen, of Phoenix; and three grandchildren, Aron, Whitney and Ryan Kauffmen. Services were held on Jan. 4 at the Greenwood Memory Lawn Chapel in Phoenix. Donations may be made to the Northern Arizona Hospice, in Cottonwood.