Heard some sad news yesterday that my favorite Uncle Gene died in a car accident near his home. Apparently a big truck broadsided his car and killed him instantly. He was 80 years old.
Gene DeSpain was the nicest man I ever met, and he became a huge influence on me in my formative years. My sister and I used to visit my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Gene for a week every summer when we were kids. We'd fly down from Denver to San Antonio, where they lived. They had a beautiful house which was palatial compared to my family's home, and I remember vividly the summer when they installed the swimming pool in the back yard. It was like heaven!
Besides hanging at the pool, we always took a drive to my Uncle's ranch outside of the city. He had over 200 acres of land with open fields, big trees, and several ponds called "tanks." My Sis and I rode horses, hunted snakes, and generally enjoyed the hell out of ourselves. I can still hear Uncle Gene shouting "Rocky!" to call in his favorite horse when we arrived at the ranch house. He even gave my sister her very own horse named Burt. My favorite summer trip may have been the year we took the boat down to the coast at Port Arthur and Corpus Christi. Piloting that boat and fishing in the Gulf of Mexico was a great time for me.
Uncle Gene was very intelligent and well-mannered and he became a powerful role model to me. He rarely watched television, but constantly read books and magazines about history, business, and golf. He stayed fit mentally and physically. He taught me how to drive a car, how to hit a golf ball (he was an avid golfer with a 2 handicap), how to enjoy a cold beer on a hot day or a glass of wine with dinner, and how to treat a lady with the proper respect. My Dad taught me how to be a man, but Uncle Gene taught me how to be a gentleman.
Uncle Gene knew everyone of importance in San Antonio. People recognized and greeted him everywhere we went. He had many friends and business aquaintances, and every maitre d' in town said, "Welcome, Mr. DeSpain!" when we went out to dinner. I'll never forget one hot day we went for lunch at a local cafe and happened to run into some aquaintances at the restaurant. After exchanging pleasantries, we sat down and Uncle Gene cringed in embarrassment for being spotted in public wearing short pants! He was very reserved that way.
Uncle Gene was the Vice President of the Holt corporation, the largest dealer of Caterpillar construction equipment in the United States. We got to visit the plant one time and see the big tractors in action. I was too young to drive one, but my cousins Tim and Tracie climbed aboard to handle the huge machines. Typical of his generation, but very rare in mine, Uncle Gene started at Holt as a young man and worked his way up the corporate ladder all the way to the vice presidency. He retired after 40 years of service, for which the company gave him a 40-foot Winnebago as a retirement gift. My aunt and uncle traveled all over the country in that RV (affectionately dubbed "The SanGee"). They loved to visit family and go on golfing trips.
Because of his connections in the construction industry, Uncle Gene knew a lot about the buildings and developers of downtown San Antonio. I'll never forget the time we took a horse-drawn carriage tour of downtown and the tour guide apparently told us some wrong information about a particular building and its developer. Uncle Gene politely corrected the young man, explaining "I know the man who built that building; he's a customer of mine."
I hate to think I'll never see him again, nor hear his funny way of speaking. Every time we met, he'd say the same thing: "Scotty, you're too thin!" And he always referred to my Aunt Sandy as "Sugar." He was generous to a fault and had little patience for fools. We all idolized him for taking care of my aunt after her unhappy first marriage and divorce. Years later, after my Mom divorced, she always said, "I hope I can find me an 'Uncle Gene' someday." We should all be so lucky.
Gene DeSpain was the nicest man I ever met, and he became a huge influence on me in my formative years. My sister and I used to visit my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Gene for a week every summer when we were kids. We'd fly down from Denver to San Antonio, where they lived. They had a beautiful house which was palatial compared to my family's home, and I remember vividly the summer when they installed the swimming pool in the back yard. It was like heaven!
Besides hanging at the pool, we always took a drive to my Uncle's ranch outside of the city. He had over 200 acres of land with open fields, big trees, and several ponds called "tanks." My Sis and I rode horses, hunted snakes, and generally enjoyed the hell out of ourselves. I can still hear Uncle Gene shouting "Rocky!" to call in his favorite horse when we arrived at the ranch house. He even gave my sister her very own horse named Burt. My favorite summer trip may have been the year we took the boat down to the coast at Port Arthur and Corpus Christi. Piloting that boat and fishing in the Gulf of Mexico was a great time for me.
Uncle Gene was very intelligent and well-mannered and he became a powerful role model to me. He rarely watched television, but constantly read books and magazines about history, business, and golf. He stayed fit mentally and physically. He taught me how to drive a car, how to hit a golf ball (he was an avid golfer with a 2 handicap), how to enjoy a cold beer on a hot day or a glass of wine with dinner, and how to treat a lady with the proper respect. My Dad taught me how to be a man, but Uncle Gene taught me how to be a gentleman.
Uncle Gene knew everyone of importance in San Antonio. People recognized and greeted him everywhere we went. He had many friends and business aquaintances, and every maitre d' in town said, "Welcome, Mr. DeSpain!" when we went out to dinner. I'll never forget one hot day we went for lunch at a local cafe and happened to run into some aquaintances at the restaurant. After exchanging pleasantries, we sat down and Uncle Gene cringed in embarrassment for being spotted in public wearing short pants! He was very reserved that way.
Uncle Gene was the Vice President of the Holt corporation, the largest dealer of Caterpillar construction equipment in the United States. We got to visit the plant one time and see the big tractors in action. I was too young to drive one, but my cousins Tim and Tracie climbed aboard to handle the huge machines. Typical of his generation, but very rare in mine, Uncle Gene started at Holt as a young man and worked his way up the corporate ladder all the way to the vice presidency. He retired after 40 years of service, for which the company gave him a 40-foot Winnebago as a retirement gift. My aunt and uncle traveled all over the country in that RV (affectionately dubbed "The SanGee"). They loved to visit family and go on golfing trips.
Because of his connections in the construction industry, Uncle Gene knew a lot about the buildings and developers of downtown San Antonio. I'll never forget the time we took a horse-drawn carriage tour of downtown and the tour guide apparently told us some wrong information about a particular building and its developer. Uncle Gene politely corrected the young man, explaining "I know the man who built that building; he's a customer of mine."
I hate to think I'll never see him again, nor hear his funny way of speaking. Every time we met, he'd say the same thing: "Scotty, you're too thin!" And he always referred to my Aunt Sandy as "Sugar." He was generous to a fault and had little patience for fools. We all idolized him for taking care of my aunt after her unhappy first marriage and divorce. Years later, after my Mom divorced, she always said, "I hope I can find me an 'Uncle Gene' someday." We should all be so lucky.
2 comments:
You said it! Despair has prevented me from finding the beautiful words you have laid down in tribute. I love Uncle Gene like no other! Sis
Sorry to hear about your uncle. A nice tribute, though.
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