Howdy Ray and Ken,
My best wishes to y'all in the memory of both your great parents and now in celebrating your super dad, also my cool uncle Charles! When I was a young teenager I was enamored with Uncle Charles because he was descended from one of my wild west heroes, Bat Masterson and your family were friends with the Shah (back when Iran was an ally of the US)!
It was fun as a kid in telling people my uncle was a descendant of Bat Masterson and my cousins, you guys played football for SMU. I wish I would have stayed in closer contact along the way with all your family. It was very nice to see y'all in 2015 when we came down for my 50th high school reunion as I was not going to miss that opportunity! I had hoped we would all make it to my 60th next year to see all of y'all again, but I do know that Uncle Charles and Aunt Elizabeth are happier now, free of pain and together again!
It was so fun in 2015 to bring a repro of a historical photo taken in Hunter Hot Springs, Montana of so many well known westerners famously labeled "The Gathering" -"Most Unique Picture Ever Taken 1886" showing not only Bat Masterson, but 14 other well known friends, all of which have been immortalized in movies, some of these being Wyatt & Virgil Earp, Doc Holliday, Jeremiah Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt, Butch Cassisdy, Sundance Kid and Judge Roy Bean. I also have a framed copy of this hanging on a wall with numerous family members of the period.
It is cool that Uncle Charles and Ray have carried on Bat's middle name of Barclay! I reckon you guys have a really neat paternal bloodline if you have done your genealogy paternal family tree. You also have a great maternal bloodline as I have found in logging over 7,000 of our direct ancestors, including many kings and queens in my genealogy research.
Now that all my aunts and uncles have moved on to their eternal rewards, all of us are the new generation of old folks (though you two are a good bit younger than Mary Ann and I on the Farley side)! I am so thankful for Mary Ann in notifying me of this transition of Uncle Charles, allowing me to make my little tribute!
I wish you much joy and faith in the continued happy journey of your beloved and fun folks! Luv Y'all in being our extended family!
Happy Trails,
Cousin Jim