Leveda Lee Troy passed gently to her Savior on January 30, 2026, at home in Smoot,
WY in the arms of her loving family. She was born on June 3, 1945, in Chattanooga,
TN, the daughter of Lewis Cross and Ruth Mooney Cross. Two years later, her mother
and new husband Otis Thomas took Leveda to Butler, NJ, where she grew up. Leveda
excelled in school subjects, and upon graduation she received a scholarship to Albright
College in Reading, PA. She later transferred to Rutgers University in Newark, NJ.
While in college, she met and married Howard Brandt. Two daughters, Lisa Gail and Jill
Amanda were born in ensuing years. Not long after they were married, the family
moved first to Rochester, NY and then Miami, FL for Howard's graduate schooling.
Besides her tasks as a young mother, Leveda found employment as a Postal letter
carrier in the Miami area. She and Howard were later divorced.
Leveda moved with her daughters to Newport, TN, where she obtained a small dairy
farm. The farm was very hard work for her and the girls, but with a side job as a rural
mail carrier she was able to make ends meet. Leveda had discovered and worked with
a group called The Light Center in Black Mountain, NC which made trips to various
countries to pray for the people there. After the girls graduated from high school, they
moved to Portland, OR to be with their father, and Leveda moved to continue working
with that group. She had the opportunity to travel with them to numerous countries,
including Egypt, Israel, Syria, several African nations, and a number of Far East
countries.
On New Years Day in 1985, Leveda met the true love of her life, Eugene (Gene) Troy.
They later married and she moved with him first to Maryland, where he was a computer
scientist doing cybersecurity work for the government. In succeeding years, they moved
to Denver and then to Colorado Springs, where he worked for a Defense contractor for
three years. While in Colorado, Leveda and Gene did community service work with the
Colorado AIDS Project, where they provided emotional support for young men dying of
that terrible disease. In 1989, they went back to Maryland upon Gene's return to his
former employer there. During that time, they became active in The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, including serving as ordinance workers in the Washington
DC temple. Upon Gene's retirement in 2001, they moved to Star Valley, WY, where
they resided until Leveda's passing.
Leveda had a sweet and loving character, a joy to be around. She was very generous,
readily sharing whatever she had, as well as what she knew. She was no stranger to
hard work. She particularly loved the special times when she could be together with her
daughters and grandchildren. She and Gene had made a special study of preparedness
topics, and they often gave presentations on that subject to church members and others

in the community. Leveda had numerous talents and interests, among them quilting,
gardening, and her art, especially the latter. She was an accomplished artist and loved
working in various media, especially acrylics and watercolor, also woodburning and
pottery. Her art talent was recognized as early as elementary school, where she
illustrated a children's book being written by one of her teachers. While in Star Valley
she continued her painting, exhibiting her work often in the local Lincoln County Fair.
She won numerous awards there, including two "Best of Shows" and many blue
ribbons. Leveda particularly enjoyed sharing her artwork with others, often giving her
pieces away to friends.
Leveda often joined Gene as he went on foreign travel for his job, the two of them
frequently taking side trips to interesting places. They explored the British Isles, various
locales in Europe, and even spent the night in a medieval French castle. They also
traveled to South America, visiting the ancient city in the Peruvian Andes called Machu
Picchu.
For many years while her health permitted, Leveda was active in her church, serving in
several callings in the Relief Society and elsewhere.
Leveda was preceded in death by her father Lewis Jackson Cross, mother Ruth Leona
(Mooney) Thomas, and brother James Thomas. She is survived by her husband
Eugene, daughters Lisa (Mark) Friedly and Jill Brandt, stepchildren Clifton, Victoria, and
Eugene Troy Jr., and her three grandchildren Ian, Amanda and Sara.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026, in the Dry Creek Ward
Chapel on Highway 241 south of Afton. A visitation will be held prior to the service from
10:30 am to 11:30 am.