Walter Raymond (Dad)

 

My Dad was a very interesting guy and he was very intelligent. He loved his family and really loved to go fishing. He always tried hard to do the right thing. Here’s a poem that just catches some of his traits

 

 

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Walter Raymond (Dad)

 

 

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Walter Raymond was a man that most people call Bill.
I called him Dad and as his a son he treated me well.
He married my Mom in 1940 just before the big War.
And joined the Navy with two kids to provide for.

 

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We followed him all around this great nation of ours,
Then he fulfilled his duty with a wartime Philippine tour.
He went back to work for Phillips at the Refinery Plant,
And put food on our table and never once said he can’t.

 

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When I got a little older he taught me how to go fishing.
An expert I then became, with no fishing talent missing.
I loved to go to the lake with him to fish for the most,
But he worked very hard, so the win he would post.

 

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For vacations in the summer, we went to Sulphur Springs.
We fished most days and had many fun outdoor flings.
He loved those trips dearly and we fished in three states.
That’s in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma fishing lakes.

 

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Dad was a history buff and he loved to play trivia games,
He knew all the right answers and all the right names,
And he usually won because his memory was quite sharp.
I think he liked this game even more than catching carp.

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Dad had a temper and got mad and would start to rave,
Fishing on the bank, a boat ran in and gave us a big wave.
He found a rock big as a potato and said “you ready to fight.”
I said yes and he threw it hitting the boat side on the right.

 

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The boat took off and he said, “I guess they were pussies”
Dad did this often, but most of the people were wusses.
Sometimes I thought we may have had just a little luck.
That no one kicked our butts, or hit us like a big truck.

 

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When we lived in Bartlesville and dad came to see visit us,
I filled the whiskey decanters up to the brim for his use.
Dad and his dog Ralph went to the basement for shots,
When he left to go home, they were down to the refill slot.

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At home he had a bottle hidden in the garage shelf,
Mom disapproved a lot so he improvised for himself.
He would sneak out and take one big whiskey drink
While Mom pretended she couldn’t smell the stink.

 

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When dad bought that cabin up on the Rio grande river,
We rafted hard and caught trout fast like we had a fever.
Dad, Craig, and I took many fish from the river in the pines
We all loved the thrill of having a brown trout on our lines

 

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Dad was a good man that loved Mom with all his heart.
He took good care of us all as he was very street smart.
He loved to have fun on outings with all of his family.
Dad, we do miss you and wish you were here to see.

 

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By Bill

 

 Dad holding JerrylDine while on leave from the Navy near the Kendrick’s home in Phillips, Texas.

 

 

Dad looking good in a suit in his prime. He was quite a handsome man.

 

 

Dad with my daughters Kristi and Tamara next to his cabin near the Rio Grande in South Fork, Colorado. Cool shades and Indiana Jones hat he’s wearing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading Walter Raymond (Dad),
Bill