Leslie L. Crane
When Les Crane left this world on Jan. 30, 2016, it became a little bit smaller place.
Leslie Leroy Crane was born on Dec. 12, 1945 in Champaign, Ill., to George Howard Crane and Alberta Swartz Crane. The family moved to his father”s home state of Texas where he graduated from Eagle Lake High School, Eagle Lake, Texas, in 1964 and from Southwestern University, Georgetown, Te
xas, in 1968.
Soon thereafter he entered dental school, graduating from the University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston in 1972. After graduation, he practiced dentistry as a Captain in the U.S. Army and in Alice, Texas, before moving to Austin where he remained active in dentistry until his retirement in 1999.
His career as a dentist was varied and successful. His first Austin practice was in Hyde Park. In 1983 he and his partner at that time began a practice called Longhorn Dental located on Guadalupe Street; many will probably remember the giant tooth at 26th and Guadalupe dressed in various attire as seasons changed. Over the years that practice grew into the largest group dental practice in Central Texas and is now known as Carus Dental.
For those who knew Les, they knew he was an adventurous soul with many interests. He and his wife enjoyed many successful years of breeding and racing Arabian racehorses across the United States. Having almost always had cattle somewhere, he later became interested in Japanese Wagyu cattle and was on the forefront of the introduction of this cattle to the American market.
His final project was a non-profit venture introducing those genetics to farmers in Belize to create a new breed both suitable for the climate and for the improvement of the quality of beef in Central America.
Many happy days were spent traveling extensively and adventurously; Belize was always a special place for him and his family.
Surviving to treasure his memory are his mother, Alberta Crane; his wife, Lisa McDaniel Crane; son, Jack Tanner Crane and daughter, Leslie Crane Whisler (Russell). Also surviving are his brother, Mark Crane (Deborah); brother-in-law, Michael McDaniel (Samantha), nephews, Shawn Crane (Krista) and Ellis McDaniel; nieces, Tamara Hayley (Jason) and Lily McDaniel; and five great-neices and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father.
An event honoring his life was held on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016 from 3 – 5 p.m. at Memory Lane Event Center in Dripping Springs, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in honor of our servicemen and women or a charity of choice.
To view and sign the guestbook, visit www.post-register.com/obituaries/leslie-l-crane.
Les and I were friends from the moment we met as freshmen and pledge brothers our freshman year at Southwestern. We completed our science training at Southwestern and went on our separate career paths but I was so lucky to keep up with him and remain friends over the years. His family knows what a wonderful person he was but I want the family to know that so many others felt the same way. Wym