Longtime CoServ Board Member Leon Pelzel retires

After 23 years, District 2 Director Leon Pelzel retired from the CoServ Electric Board of Directors in August.

The Pilot Point native helped make decisions that will reverberate for decades, including forming the CoServ Charitable Foundation in 2004, expanding CoServ’s ability to borrow in the private equity markets in 2012, growing CoServ Gas into the fifth-largest gas utility in Texas and freeing CoServ to make its own electricity purchases in 2023.

But Leon’s legacy with CoServ is much deeper than that. His late father-in-law Virgil Berend served on the board for 27 years himself, planting the seeds for growth when the co-op had less than 100,000 meters. Before that, it was Virgil’s father Aloysius Berend who was a strong advocate for CoServ’s predecessor, Denton County Electric Cooperative (DCEC) to bring electricity to rural Pilot Point, including the Berend farm.

“I was always inspired by [Virgil’s] passion for CoServ and his desire to be of service to the Members,” Leon said. “Being close to the people who actually got CoServ off the ground and brought electricity to rural areas – it was a big deal and it has been a privilege to continue building on the foundation that they laid.”

Leon has farmed his whole life, growing peanuts, wheat, cotton and grain. Stepping down from the board will free him to travel and take up new hobbies, such as woodworking and restoring tractors.

“Serving on the board takes a significant amount of time and you have to schedule your life around that,” Leon said. “Now I will have more time to do things with family.”

The CoServ Board of Directors will work on appointing a District 2 Director.