I'd like to share the thoughts about Dad's life that I shared with every one that day:
Good Morning. We the Massey/Etter family thank you for joining us this morning as we celebrate the life of this wonderful man that we love so much, and our Gracious Heavenly Father who shared him with us. I'd like to share a bit of Dad's life with you.
He was born on July 24th, 1918 in White City, San Augustine County, TX. His father owned a lumber mill there. But after the family lost the two eldest sons in childhood, and Dad's father became ill, they were told by doctors to move to a drier climate, and they moved to George West in Live Oak County. My dad was six years old at the time; just about to enter the first grade. Part of the un-official welcoming comittee was my mother, Lavinia Adair Schley, and her mother, Edna Schley. Dad with his usual charm, that we all came to know, invited mom to view his new puppies, and a life long friendship was started, which led to romance, and later on to enduring love.
One of my familie's favorite stories of their childhoods together is that of when my mother's parents invited the boy scouts to camp out in their yard. My grandfather was a boy scout leader. Dad positioned himself right under my mom's bedroom window, and my mom put her arm out the window, and they held hands all night long. That was my dad. He loved to hold the hands of those he loved. And he would always extend a hand in welcome to all he met.
He always loved George West, but after graduating from high school he headed off to A&M University where he was a member of the Corps. He often told a story on himself from this time.
This was at the beginning of WWII, and so the corps at A&M held mock battles, where those learning to fly, would fly over those learning to be soldiers on the ground, and drop flower sacks on them as bombs. One day as dad and others crouched in ditches, dad pointed up to the planes and said,"That's where I'm gonna be." And he enrolled in flight training, and then the Air Corps, which became the Air Force.
During WWII and the Korean War he was a bomber pilot in the Pacific theater. He received a number of metals, including the Distinguished Flying cross, the Air Force's highest metal of honor. He received this for saving his crew and plane when one of the four engines was shot out, and he had very little fuel, six hours less of fuel than he needed to reach land. And yet, with God's help, he did make it.
During WWII, on leave, he married my mom in Fort Worth, where she worked for American Airlines. During the wars and right after, his three children were born. After the Korean War, Dad worked with AFCS. When we lived in Japan, he and his squadron flew all over the Pacific, checking and maintaining the equipment that direct planes at airports, both military airports, and for good will, a number of civilian airports as well. Later he was in charge of AFCS crews at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth ,TX, and Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He flew into Vietnam just before and during the early part of that war, and then retired in 1967, after serving his country 26 years.
He completed his BA and then went on to complete his MBA in 1969.
He and mom then moved back to George West, where Dad accepted the position of one of the vice presidents of The First Nat'l Bank. Later, he bought and ran the Live Oak Ins. Agency, and also was mayor for a number of years. He was a hunter, an avid golfer, a gentleman cattleman, and most importantly a man of faith, a loving husband, father, grandfather, recently great grandfather, uncle and friend. As he aged, he endured 2 auto accidents, a stint and also pace maker in his heart, and a kidney removal, and each time bounced back to get back to his beloved golf course. In fact, he and my mom were known as the Ever Ready Battery Couple in George West for their ability to keep on going. Dad did so with a sense of humor and a great love of God, and family, and friends.
After mom's fall and illness, they moved to San Antonio in 2004, and moved to Chandler in Dec. of 2005. Mom died in March of 2007. She and Dad had been married almost 62 years, and to the very end, Dad spent hours by her side, holding her hand. In fact, the second beautiful woman he loved so well, Jewel Etter Massey, has said that she first noticed him as the dapper man in suspenders holding his wife's hands. Jewel was there so often visiting her husband. Dad and Jewel first met in grief support after their spouses died. Later, she moved into chandler where they developed a friendship over dominoes, which deepened into love. Dad was so blessed to have two great love stories with women who he loved so dearly, and who loved him dearly in return.
One of my new sisters, Kay Hudson, said at the time of their marriage, that Dad and Jewel taught us to love well, and I so agree. Dad and his two sweethearts not only have taught us to love well, to love wholeheartedly and unconditionally, with hearts as open as the south TX sky. They also taught us and are teaching us to live well, to live unselfishly and couragiously, in honor of God, and country, and family. In the last few days of Dad's life, as his heart, and kidney, and respirtory systems were failing, he went through moments of discomfort and moments of calm, sometimes responding to us, and sometimes not. But just as my mom had before him, Dad, in these last moments of his life taught us how to die; with courage and grace, and most importantly, with faith; the faith that knows so fully that this life here on earth is just the beginning of the life lived eternally with Christ and the Father.
My dad loved to entertain. He loved to host a party or meal. He loved taking family and friends out to a restaurant to eat. And he so loved to give gifts.
