My Dad

Boyd Bunning

My Dad passed away last year while I was in Kazakhstan; he died from an autoimmune disorder that would not allow him to develop red blood cells.  The obituary at the bottom of this letter provides some salient points of his life, most likely supplied by him prior to his passing.  I would like to take the opportunity to provide you with what I consider to be the important facts of his life…

As far back as I can remember my Dad could do anything and fix anything.  For the longest time I did not even know there were plumbers, electricians, mechanics or carpenters because he was all of these.  We were living in Oak Harbor, Ohio when we under took remodeling our house, he and his friends did all the work on weekends and after work… I remember my Mother, brothers and sisters collecting flat rocks for the fireplace at a quarry near our house, loading them in a trailer and bringing them home unloading them while Dad was at work. Then as natural as can be he built the fireplace…

 

The Fireplace he built in Ohio

He occupational history was as follows: a construction worker (Ohio), every night he would come home driving a dump truck, Heavy Equipment Instructor for the Job Corps (Oklahoma), Trapper and then bought a Restaurant (Chimney Rock, Colorado), retired and moved to Oregon where he died.  Through out his life his ability to fix anything and work on everything, I believe is what made him so independent and confidant.   

My Dad had an eighth grade education and as far as I know never went back for any additional education.  He indicated he dropped out of school to help on the family farm but most of his 11 brothers and sisters finished high school and some went to college.  My Dad really did not cherish education and to tell the truth I don’t think he saw the need.  He was always concerned that I would become a professional student and not work for a living.  It was always a joke between us!

He favorite drink was Seagram’s and Coke and he would often joke that he would only have one drink a day but if you saw the size of the glass it was more like 10!  He loved to read Western books by authors like Zane Grey and Larry McMurtry.   He always liked to talk politics and was a diehard republican.   I believe he switched from democrat to republican because he hated paying taxes of any kind.  My Grandmother Thelma was a die in the wool democrat and so for him to be a republican was a big deal. 

During the time that I played high school football he was very much involved in the booster club in Snyder, OK and was the guy who fired the shotgun when we scored.  I always liked having him on the field with me.  He was a volunteer fireman in Bay Township and really seemed to enjoy this and I think he was good at it… He was a scuba diver in the Sixties, back before all the new fangled gear and made a living doing this for a while on Lake Eire with a boat, named the Minnow.  He was always looking for a way to combine work and fun and for the most part was successful doing this… He was an avid hunter and loved to go to Moosehead Lake, Maine once a year on their annual hunting trip.  He continued this passion in Colorado where for two years he made a living trapping and hunting, I believe if he could tell us these were his happiest years. 

One thing I regret is not trying harder to break through that hard outer shell and ask him more personal questions.  There is so much I don’t know about him and wish I did, especial since “I see my father in me.”  

Boyd Emerson Bunning passed away June 14, 2012 at his home in Gold Beach, Oregon. He was born April 8, 1925 in Oak Harbor, Ohio where he lived on the family dairy farm until he married Martha Jane Curtis of Monclova, Ohio. He went to school in Port Clinton, Ohio. He served in the Korean conflict. He was a volunteer fireman in Bay Township, Ohio. He worked heavy construction and was a part-time salvage diver. He and the family moved to Lawton, Oklahoma in 1970 where he was a Job Corps supervisor. The family moved to Colorado in 1972 where he and Martha bought and operated the Chimney Rock Restaurant. He retired in 1989 and Martha died in 1991. He remarried in 1994 and moved to Gold Beach, OR in 2003.

He is survived by his wife Dianne Bunning of Gold Beach, Oregon, brother Russell Bunning of Newark, Ohio and sister Wilma “Peg” Greider of Fremont, Ohio, his sons Tracy (Karen) Bunning, Pagosa Springs, Colorado and Dr. Michel Bunning, San Antonio, Texas, and his daughters, Sharon (Michael) Frederick, Boquete, Panama, and Peggy Jenkins, Bayfield, Colorado, seventeen grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence W. Bunning and Thelma J. Brunkhorst, and siblings Roy Bunning , Joy Latham, Kenneth Bunning, , John Bunning, Norma Jean Johnson, Edna Ann Bunning and son Terry Bunning.

Patriotism

It is the guy in the middle

With age comes wisdom and an understanding of things that are nether clear or important when you are young.  From 1982 to 1988 in Clinton, Oklahoma I would attend Rotary meeting every Wednesday at noon.  We would start the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of the National Anthem and I would scan the room looking for them.  You could always pick them out and at the time I just knew there were different, I was never sure why. They stared at the flag during the Pledge of Allegiance, their eyes were moist and then bodies ridged, standing very straight and proud.  They hands would cover their heart almost reverently, they knew or felt something that I did not share or understand but I wanted to.  

A few years later I joined the United States Air Force, economic times were tough in Oklahoma, post oil boom and I needed a way to make a living.   It was nineteen eighty-eight and I was 34 and Oklahoma was in a depression.  I would like to think I joined the Air Force for strictly altruistic reasons, patriotism and apple pie.  The truth is I always liked the idea of serving in the military, I was never quit sure what they did when there was not a war… I grew up during the Vietnam War and the military’s reputation took a beating during this time.  My Sister was in the military, my Dad had served in Korea but I never really could see my self in a uniform… and just as important I was not sure what I would be doing?  

I quickly learned that in the medical field you basically do the same thing in peacetime that you do during war, the only change is where you do it.  I ended up serving in the AF until 2008 when I retired.  We raised three children along the way, living in far off places like Spain and Turkey.  I served one tour in Iraq and believe in my own way that I made a difference.  I came to admire the people I worked with and appreciated their sacrifices for both country and family. 

I am not sure when it happened but somewhere along the way, I realized that those men back at the Rotary Club were all prior service members or had family members who were.  There is something that happens when you serve in military, you gain an appreciation for the men and women you are following, you have a feeling of great satisfaction.  You start to understand that you are a part of something very great and you represent something very important, you are a part of American history. 

As I grow older it seems that lump in my throat comes more often and often brings a tear to my eye when I see or hear something patriotic.  I know the United States has made many mistakes but I will always believe “we try to do the right thing for the right reasons.”  I am very proud of my country and would only hope you feel the same way about whatever country you hail from.  Written in Hanoi, Vietnam 2013.     

Sometimes a cigar is "just" a Cigar...Sigmund Freud

There are certain truisms that are universal and therefore I believe helpful to getting along in life.  One of these is the art of smoking a cigar.  Smoking a cigar in it self is not a big deal but what is important is whom you smoke them with as well as the thoughts and conversation you have while smoking a cigar. I must say that my preferred  cigar is a Cuban and specifically the #3 Romeo Y Julieta.
I first learned of this cigar while living in Spain, very special.  When gathering with our Spanish friends we would end the evening with a good Cuban cigar, scotch and lively conversations.  I have maintained the habit over the years and when I get together with family or friends some where in the evening the Cigars will come out and everyone settles in...
You might ask why does the type of cigar matter, in other words why are Cubans cigars better, if it is the conversation or thoughts you have while smoking, then any brand will do, right?   The type of cigar is not really the point but as with life there is always more to the story.  When you take the time to find and buy a Cuban cigar this helps to signify the importance of the coming event.  Smoking a Cuban cigar is a special occasion…you don't do this everyday and this makes the thoughts you have, the conversation and the friends you smoke with that much more important.  When someone asks to smoke a cigar with them, or visa-a-versa it means they want to spend time with you…know what you are thinking or seek your advise. I hope life gives you all you want but most importantly I hope you are happy and take time to smoke lots of cigars.