Dwayne

“Some trails are happy ones,

Others are blue.

It's the way you ride the trail that counts…”

Happy Trails by Dale Evans

“Life is far too important to be taken seriously” by Oscar Wilde is one my favorite quotes.  Not sure if Dwayne ever heard this quote, but to all outward appearances he lived his life with this philosophy.  Always ready with a joke and a less than serious observation of life’s circumstances.  He most times had the smile on his face and the twinkle in his eye of either just pulling something off or just about to.  Let’s remember him when we become a little too concerned with the rest of the world.

Dwayne was for several years growing up my closest neighbor.  We had many adventures as kids and teenagers.  And yes he was a cousin too.  Someone once remarked that the grandchildren of Ben and Montie Wann didn’t have friends, they just have cousins.  And, yes there is a unique bond among this group, but especially with Dwayne, there were many, many friends. 

Here are a few thoughts and memories from the past few days.

As teenagers, Dwayne and I had small motorbikes. We rode to school together many times.  We would probably have been grounded until our adult years if our parents observed the way we rode and the stunts we pulled in the pecan bottoms by the river.  We survived with only minor injuries. When we graduated to cars and the motorbikes quit running, Paluxy became a remarkably quieter place.

We also rode horses together. Sometimes herding cows or goats for relatives and sometimes for neighbors.  We rode in many small town parades and rodeos as part of the Tolar Riding Club. Whether in a rodeo grand entry or in a parade, Dwayne would lead with one flag and me with the other, one with the US and the other with the Texas flag.

Many who don’t know, will be surprised to know Dwayne was a track star.  He was one of only a very few from our time and high school to qualify for the State Track Meet. Yea, many are thinking “I don’t remember Dwayne as being very fast”.  You are right.  But putting a bunch of high hurdles in front of him did nothing to deter what speed he had.  Probably had the most perfect natural form for running high hurdles as any you will ever chance to encounter.

After high school, we mostly met at family or community events.  Think a wide brimmed cowboy hat, jeans, boots, and a white western shirt became his uniform, rarely saw him in anything else.  I remember when one of my nephews saw him for the first time, his remark – “He’s a real cowboy”.  Yep. 

When we spent so much time and effort to save the Paluxy River, no one worked as hard as Dwayne at our monthly fish fry fund raisers.  He was there early setting up. Manned a commercial grade fish fryer for the evening and was the last to leave after we cleaned up. And always with the hat and white shirt that seemed never to get dirty.

We didn’t see each other very many times for the past few years.  Dwayne was retired and probably already sick the last few times we talked. We joked about our redneck cousins, ourselves included. He entertained me with stories of his very successful steak cooking team.  This seemed to be a favorite time. He spoke with true comradery of his teammates.  And, he truly enjoyed the appreciation and delight from all who attended the events.

Waylon Jennings sang “Mommas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys”. In Dwayne’s case, he couldn’t have been more wrong.  Rest in peace Dwayne, we will all miss you. And if thoughts of you are sometimes needed, reminding us to not be so serious, we will welcome the memories.

Cousin, friend, and neighbor Terry