Jonnie Ray Crabb

Louis (Lou) E. LeBrun, Jr of Garner, NC, devoted husband, father, and grandfather passed away on the evening of 18 March 2026 surrounded by his immediate family. He was born on 31 March 1939 in Baltimore, MD as the 3rd child and first son of Louis Everett (senior) and Dorothea LeBrun.

Lou was always deeply committed to his family. He chose to leave high school early to enlist in the US Navy to help support his parents after his father was seriously injured in a work-related accident. The Navy proved to be his path to his career as an Opticalman (OM) first-class, responsible for servicing submarine periscopes and other optical instruments for the Atlantic fleet. Not long after training he was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and became a firsthand witness to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. During his time in the Atlantic fleet he served in New London, CT; Norfolk, VA; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Charleston / Goose Creek, SC; Biloxi, MS; Rota Spain; and Lisbon, Portugal. He served on the submarine tender crews of the USS Cadmus (AS-14) and later became a plank owner and member of the original crew of the USS Canopus (AS-34)

Home on leave in early 1965 he met the 'pretty neighbor girl' Halyna Woznyj, proposed to her on April fool's day, and the two were subsequently married in June. For the first few years of their marriage Lou and Halyna traveled across the southeast on various Navy assignments. Looking for an opportunity to settle down, he left the Navy in late 1967 to take a job in Boston, MA with a company that manufactured many of the submarine periscopes that he has spent time servicing in the Navy. In 1969 Lou and Halyna welcomed a son whom they also named Louis (IV). The young family returned to Baltimore, MD in late 1970 where Lou began his long career with a division of Carl Zeiss servicing laboratory and surgical microscopes.

In the fall of 1980 work brought Lou and his family to Raleigh, NC where they raised their son who went on to attend NC State and later Duke University. After living in Raleigh's Brentwood neighborhood for some 18 years, Lou and Halyna moved to Garner, NC where they have lived for over 28 years. In his retirement years Lou enjoyed coffee on the deck with his wife, tinkering with hobbies around the house, and spending time with his grandson Gavin building many, many Lego sets. Lou also deeply enjoyed the holiday season and would spend many evenings just sitting and watching the decorated Christmas tree.

Lou is preceded in death by his parents Louis Everett (Sr) and Dorothea, and his sisters Betty Stapelton and Marlyn Schneeman. He is survived by his brother John LeBrun and family, his wife of nearly 61 years Halyna, his son Louis (IV) and wife Jennifer, and grandson Gavin.

A remembrance of life service will be held on 9 am on 27 March 2026 at the Byan-Lee Funeral Home at 1200 Benson Road, Garner, NC 27529. A reception will be held at their nearby home immediately after the service.