He would have been 91 in nine days. From growing up in the small dry West Texas town of Kermit he never would have suspected he'd spend his late teenage years at sea with the Navy aboard an LST depositing Marines on untold numbers of beaches (including Okinawa) as the US marched towards Japan. He never really spoke much about his time in the service with the family; as much as I wanted to ask him all sorts of questions I always tried to respect his wish for privacy about that time. I did know that he had kept a fairly detailed record of his time; what I didn't know was how extraordinary this log was; it consisted of his journey, map positions, and pictures of significant events/locations on a daily basis during his service. Three years ago he presented my younger brother and I a copy of his log which he'd compiled specifically for us.

After the war he returned to Texas and the blossoming West Texas oil industry. Travel to/from West Texas and his home and family in DFW pushed him to pursue his private pilots license as a means of cutting down commute time. It was on one of these trips with a fellow landman that a storm forced an emergency landing that ended up as a crash. Miraculously both he and his peer survived (though from the condition of the plane neither should have).

Later in life he retired, but always kept busy. From sailing to woodworking he was a man of many talents. In middle school I spent summers helping with his lawn care business. Even as he entered his 70s he never slowed down. What started as a way to help older members of his church turned into a post retirement job. His reputation for doing everything the right way and his meticulous nature lead to him picking up quite the client list in his little town. It was during these summers that he taught me the lessons that I'll never forget. Doing things right the first time means not having to re-do them later, and that a man is only as good as his word, so you never do anything to tarnish your name. He also introduced me to the "buy once cry once" philosophy and the phrase "a place for everything and everything in its place."

His last decade saw the emergence of yet another hobby, that being woodworking. His meticulous nature lead him to strive for perfection, and it was his woodworking where you could clearly see it. He started with cutting board made from exotic hardwoods and branched out into other kitchen and household related items. He was never one to make something sheerly for the artistic value, all his work had to have utility, but that didn't mean it couldn't be striking beautiful, and his woodworking was just that.

He was never the emotional type, preferring instead for an even keeled stoic attitude. It was only on my last visit with him a couple months ago that I can ever say I remember him saying "I love you", but then again he never had to, I always knew he did. I was fortunate to have been given 35 years with this man. I'm just thankful that we were able to get to see him this summer (and he his great-granddaughters, 4 and 1 y/o) along with my brother and his family (including his first great-grandson, 3 weeks) before he passed. I'm also thankful that there was no pain associated with his passing, just the toll of a life well lived.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SigM4,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Thanks for sharing those stories of his life.

Definitely a part of the Greatest Generation.

I think it would be good if all of his great grandsons and great granddaughters knew the magnificent story.

Thank you SigM4, that was great of you to share. What a pix.
God Bless him and his generation.

Reading this reminds me of what is truly important. All the non sense in this world and that gets kicked around here quite a bit is so pale to things like this.

Thank you again. And may God rest his soul.

My condolences on your loss.

Very sorry for your loss but glad you had the chance to learn about life from this man.

Jim

Our condolences and prayers for you and your family.

I am sorry for your loss. It is also clearly a loss for the entire community and indeed the country. Men like your grandpa are being rarer. Thanks for sharing a little bit about his life.

So sorry for your loss.
My dad - a WWII vet - who was 90 and signed up for the Navy at age 17 in HS also died about two months ago - so I know how you feel.

my condolences

Thank you to everyone for the comments. While it's a sad day for the family, we know now that he's at peace and in a better place. To steal a comment from the thread about Sgt. Malarkey of BoB fame passing:

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
When someone goes through what he did, comes out the other end, and lives into his 90's, you don't mourn is death, you celebrate his life.

I am so sorry for your loss. I pray God helps lift your family up and gives them strength.

If I were nearby As a Patriot Guard Rider I would be Honored to escort and stand a flag line for him.

Please thank about allowing us to honor him and request us at https://www.patriotguard.org/content.php

What a great idea kg. And I am sure you would do as you say.