Screwed his courage up so tight that the whole thing come unwound,
He got a running start, and bless his heart, he's headed for the ground.
He's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith.
Close your eyes and hold your breath and always trust your cape."
- Guy Clark
I've performed that Guy Clark song for years and on more times than I can remember I have dedicated it to my father in law, Frank Stivison. He really was 'one of those that knows that life is just a leap of faith.'
Frank was born in 1916 in Oakdale Louisiana. He grew up in that small town with his parents and brother and sister. After high school he enrolled at Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette) where he graduated in 1936 with a degree in engineering. His very first job out of college was with Continental Oil Co. later known as Conoco. He must have liked the job because he worked for Conoco the next 46 years. From Lake Charles, LA, Hamlin, TX, Grand Junction, CO then back to Lake Charles until retiring in 1982 in Eunice LA.
Amazing.
" Now he's all grown up with a flour sack cape tied all around his dreams.
Full of piss and vinegar and bustin' at the seams.
Licks his finger and checks the wind, it's gonna be do or die.
He wasn't scared of nothing, y'all and he's pretty sure he can fly."
Even more amazing, he married his sweetheart, Cathrine Lewis on a warm August evening in 1938 and they were married for 76 years until her passing in 2015.
S E V E N T Y - S I X - Y E A R S. Now that's amazing!
They had 4 kids and a lifetime of adventures.
They had a martini or cocktails every night. He worked the crosswords in the papers every day. He loved to play cards - gin was his favorite and we played many a game while sipping scotch or a glass of wine.
He also loved playing golf and outlived all his golfing buddies.
Frank lived across the street from the golf course in Eunice and the first time I ever played golf, I mean sure nuff' real no kidding 18 holes of golf was with Frank on May 21st, 2006.
His 90th birthday.
He beat the socks off me. (Well, he had been playing golf for a while...)
We played again the next year on his 91st birthday.
The first time I had a martini was in 1993 in Houston, TX on Frank and Catherine's 55th wedding anniversary. He always made double martinis. The first one was so good I had a second. Then we had champagne to toast the occasion. It was Mexican food for dinner so we had to have margaritas. Dessert? Tequila shots. About 1 o'clock that morning I walked a friend out to his car. We went through the garage. When I came back in and hit the button to close the garage door I guess those martinis and tequila kicked into overtime and I just had to sit down for a second and rest. Three hours later Lorna woke me up when she and my daughter Whitney realized I was missing : )
Great memories have always gone hand in hand with Frank 'Pawpaw' Stivison.
"Now he's old and gray with a flour sack cape tied on around his head.
He's still jumping off the garage and will be till he's dead.
All these years the people said, he's acting like a kid.
He did not know he could not fly
So he did!"
On Saturday, December 3rd, 2016 he decided it was time to start his next adventure in his Heavenly home after 100 amazing years.
Here's a link to his obituary if you're interested.
One of his favorite songs was "That Lucky Old Sun"
The last verse goes:
"Oh, show me that river, take me across,
wash all my troubles away.
Like that lucky old sun, gimme nothin' to do,
But roll around heaven all day."
So long old friend, you'll be missed.