Cecil “Lefty” Beckner
( December 28, 1915 – November 03, 2019 )
Cecil D. “Lefty” Beckner, age 103, died on Saturday, November 3, 2019 in Pflugerville, Texas.
SERVICES: A Celebration of Life for Lefty will be held at a future date in Clayton.
BACKGROUND: Lefty was born in Union County in the Otto Community west of Clayton, New Mexico to George W. And Jessie L. Beckner. He resided in Union County for the next 90 years with a short absence when he served in the US Army during WWII. He attended the Otto Community country school until he was a high school junior and then he had to go to Clayton High School to graduate in 1935. He married Nora Berlier Beckner in February, 1939. They raised 3 children in Clayton. Nora died in 1996 after 57 years together. He managed the Farmers Feed and Seed in Clayton for 34 years, then worked for the Town of Clayton for 10 years. After retiring, Lefty really went to work. He was a handy man, Jack of All Trades and stayed busy 7 days a week with odd jobs…many of them for the widowed ladies of town who knew they could call on him day or night if necessary. Lefty was honored in 2002 by being chosen as Distinguished Union County Citizen and he was very proud of that. In 2005, Lefty chose to make the decision to leave his life long home of Clayton for a new adventure and so he moved to Pflugerville, Texas where he remained until his death. Although he was hampered by the inability to walk…it did not slow him down. He learned to compensate by use of a motorized scooter and he adjusted to almost every situation. He became somewhat of an internet sensation when he began building dog houses for people and selling them on “Craigslist”. This new opportunity gave him a new lease on life and his little business thrived for the next 10 or so years and he became a neighborhood phenomenon. Lefty was the last of his original family and was preceded in death by 4 brothers; Ben, Arthur “Ock”, Ken and George and 2 sisters; Etta Mae and Annie. (Two brothers and one sister died in childhood.).
SURVIVORS:
1 DAUGHTER: Wilma Black of Pflugerville, Texas.
2 SONS: Howard Beckner of Amarillo, Texas and Norman Beckner of Round Rock, Texas.
GRANDCHILDREN: Kelly Shaw (Tommy), Sterling Beckner (Robbie), Stephanie Sanders (Duke), Shelley Rector (Jerry) and Vance Black.
12 Great-Grandchildren and 13 Great-Great-Grandchildren.
