So Long, Dad.

As most of you know by now, my dad passed away last week marking the end of an era for our family. I cannot say it was not without some degree of relief. Not so much for us but for him, because for the last year, his health had declined dramatically. My dad was a Navy veteran. He joined up when he was 17 and spent two years on an aircraft carrier and then a destroyer in the sea of Japan during the Korean War. He was just a regular guy but he did his part to keep the war ships in operation and I am proud of his service to our country. My dad’s name was Donald Caz Armes. His father, my grandfather was Marion Caz Armes. The name Caz had to be from somewhere back in the family. Everybody I have talked to said “what a cool name”. But, my middle name is “Lee”. I guess he thought “Caz” was an awful thing to name a kid. I remember a lot of the old timers in my family referring to my grandfather as “Caz”. My dad and his brother always called him “Pop”.
My dad’s life was far from a storybook. He and my mom divorced when I was very young, in fifth grade. For many years, my sister Laura and I were not around my dad much. But, for the final part of his life, I realized that there can always be a rebirth. It is never too late to work on a relationship. Dad lived in Ft. Worth and was Head of Security for the Tandy Corporation. He had been in the security business for a number of years and had spent time with the Pinkerton Agency as wells as Guardsmark Security. During his time in Texas, he remarried and I have a half sister from that union named Melissa.
About 15 years ago he had a heart attack and almost died. That could have been the end of his story, but in reality that was the beginning. After recovering from quadruple bypass surgery, he moved to Oklahoma and spent 15 years as “Grandpa” to my girls. He helped us clerk auctions, was a great deal of help to me in taking care of cattle and was a pretty good hand on a tractor, as well as a good herdsman helping his granddaughters with their livestock show projects. When Dede and I went to work for the Bank of Elgin and were hired to open a new branch in Cache, Oklahoma, dad became the currier for The Bank of Elgin which evolved into what is now Liberty National Bank. It was a great job for a semi-retired guy because he made the rounds with each day’s work from each bank branch and usually got off early enough to be Kelsey’s ride home. She would get out of school and meet him at the bank and they would come home and take care of the animals together. When we moved into Western Comanche County, he came with us and lived on the farm right next door. He was an integral part of our family. I hope that the last chapter of his life was, for the most part, happy. As with most people’s lives, there were ups and downs. I know that his final years he shared with us on our farm on Pecan Creek were good ones. He spent many mornings watching a flock of wild turkey crossing the yard or watching a little band of deer make their way through the mesquite trees and living what I hope was a pretty good life. His life was pretty simple but I hope that I was able to honor him by providing him a home and a sense of family. I know that when he died, he did not die alone. He died around a family that loved him and he will be missed. He spent the last six months at the Lawton Veteran’s Center pretty much confined to a scooter but at least for a while, was able to get around and visit and even got to do a little fishing, which was probably the one thing that he thoroughly enjoyed. I was so glad we had a facility like the Veteran’s Center that was able to care for him and provide some quality of life to an old Navy veteran with a bad heart. I know that he was always proud of me. When I had my first campaign in 2002, he took the camper shell off his pickup and welded up a frame and carried a “Don Armes” sign with an American flag in the back of his Ford Ranger. I had scheduled a time this past session for my dad to serve as Veteran of the Week. My only regret is that I did not do that sooner, because he got sick and was not able to attend. That was really the beginning of the end as his health continued to decline. I had made up my mind that this year he would be there, even if he had to come in his scooter. But it wasn’t to be. Monday, I hope we made up for it as we laid him to rest at the Ft. Sill National Cemetery. A small trio of Navy men expertly folded the flag that was draped over his coffin and handed the flag to me while a young bugler played taps. One of the neat things about where his final resting place will be is that his gravesite will be right East of Ronnie Jeff Glover’s front pasture and he will always be looking over a pasture full of really good cattle which is actually kind of fitting because the last years of his life were overlooking our pasture and I think that was when he was the happiest.
For me, there is a sense of peace that I was able to provide a place and a family for my dad. I hope that I was a good son and was able to honor his life by caring for him at the end of it. Our family was very grateful for all the support of our community and friends. We will forever be indebted to all those who uplifted us at the passing of Donald Caz Armes. So long, dad. May God rest your soul.

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich". -Colonel Potter