Leo A. Rizzuto

Leo A. Rizzuto, Jr., 83, of Lockhart passed away peacefully in his home on December 13, 2020. Leo was born on October 8, 1937, in Baytown, Texas to Leo Sr. and Katherine (Clark) Rizzuto. He attended La Porte High School and was known as “Scooter,” “Sonny,” and Leo to friends and family. He was “Mr. La Porte High School” and played running back on the football team and always had a line of eager young ladies to dance with him at school events. After graduation from La Porte High school in 1956, Leo served in the Air Force Reserve for 6 years. He attended the University of Texas at Austin studying to be a pharmacist when he realized he needed to change his career path where he wanted to make an impact in people’s lives in social work.

He married the love of his life, Amelia Rizzuto, on October 31, 1981, in La Porte, Texas and they were married for 39 years. His sense of humor and selfless love for his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will leave a lasting impact in their hearts and lives. Leo and Amelia spent most of their free time watching their grandchildren in their many activities such as sports, plays, and recitals. His joy was seeing them happy! He loved to watch his Longhorns play football, he would never turn down dessert, and he enjoyed a good ‘ol Shiner Bock.

Leo is survived by his wife, Amelia G. Rizzuto; sister, Paula Rizzuto (Clarence Anderson); children, Bill Rodriguez, Joann (Doug) Alfier, Paul (Gladys) Rodriguez Sr., Melissa (Chester) Patton; grandchildren, Jeremy (Karli) Rodriguez, Anthony (Renae) Alfier, Stefanie Rodriguez, Paul Rodriguez, Jr., Zachary (Katelyn) Alfier, Malarie Rodriguez, Kevin (Malorie) Rodriguez, Lara (Gabriel) Cohen, April Walker, Meghan (Dustin) Nichols, Landon Patton; great-grandchildren, Ezekiel Rodriguez, Eden Rodriguez, Emori Rodriguez, Elijah Rodriguez, Ezra Rodriguez, Berkleigh Alfier, Bowen Alfier, Baylee Smith, Jayden Smith, Sienna Yu, Kaelyn Servantes, Maddison Nichols, Mila Nichols, Almond Alfier, Hezekiah Cohen. He was preceded in death by Leo A. Rizzuto, Sr. (father), Katherine Rizzuto (mother), Enriqueta H. Garcia (mother-in-law), Vicki Rizzuto Warner (sister), Matthew Rodriguez (son), Jacob Rodriguez (grandson).

Leo A. Rizzuto, Jr. was the first employee and the Chief of the Community Supervision and Corrections Department (Adult Probation) serving the counties of Caldwell, Comal, and Hays. He served as the Executive Director from 1969-2002. When he retired, he held the distinction of holding his position longer than any other Chief Probation Officer in Texas. Early in his career, he was integral in the research and publication of a handbook for probation officers that was considered a model for the state and was designed to be used by Adult Probation Departments in rural areas. Throughout his career, Leo’s leadership was recognized state-wide. In 1989, he was appointed to the Judicial Advisory Council by the Presiding Judge of the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals, where he advised the Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Community Justice Assistance Division and the Texas Board of Criminal Justice on matters of interest to the Texas Judiciary. In his thirty-three-year tenure, Chief Rizzuto grew the department to have eighty-five full time employees and nineteen part-time persons who assisted with facilitating programs. He retired on December 31, 2002. During 2003, the Leo A. Rizzuto, Jr. Award was created by the Department as an annual award. For 17 consecutive years, an officer has received this award in Chief Rizzuto’s honor continuing to recognize all of the ideal qualities Chief Rizzuto stood for during his career.

Visitation Service will be on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at McCurdy Funeral Home at 5PM with Rosary to begin at 7PM. The funeral will be on Friday, December 18, 2020, at 10AM at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with burial to follow at the Lockhart City Cemetery.

To view and sign the guest book, visit www.post-register.com/leo-a-rizzuto