Leslie "Les" Earl Sumpter Jr.

Leslie “Les” Earl Sumpter Jr., 63, of Canon City, passed away on December 19, 2021, with his family by his side. Les was born on September 13, 1958, to Leslie Sr. and Mary Sumpter in Canon City.

After Les graduated from Canon City High School in 1977, he went on to study diesel mechanics at the University of Southern Colorado, receiving an associate’s degree. Throughout school, Les worked at Ready’s Ice Company.

In 1980, Les married the love of his life, Katrina (Wilcox) Sumpter. The couple moved to Oregon and were part owners in a transmission repair business before Les joined the United States Air Force in 1984. He served four years in the Air Force as an air traffic controller. Les and Katrina went on to have two children, Matt and Tyler.

Les worked for Wal-Mart for ten years advancing to the assistant store manager position quite quickly. Later, Les discovered a love of teaching when he worked as a driver trainer for Swift Transportation. He truly enjoyed training men from all walks of life and mentoring them through the start of their new careers. Les was medically retired in 2014.

Les was an avid cook and loved trying new recipes and cooking for family events. Les also enjoyed music, reading, history, movies, sports, and occasionally, politics. His favorite way to spend his free time, however, was with his two beloved grandchildren, Logan and Lilly. They were the lights of his life.

Leslie is survived by his wife, Katrina; sons, Matt (Angel) Sumpter and Tyler (Sarah) Sumpter; grandchildren, Logan and Lilly; and siblings, Cindy Mills, Kenneth Sumpter, Virgil Sumpter, and Tammy Asher. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leslie Sr. and Mary Sumpter.

A celebration of life will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, June 26, 2022, at Centennial Park, Pavilion 2, in Canon City. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to Autism Speaks, an organization Les felt strongly about. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Leslie "Les" Earl Sumpter Jr., please visit our floral store.