Skookum Traveler: Dad’s Farewell (AZ)

My dad, Don, and his wife Clarice, as most remember them.

Dad and Clarice (our stepmom), sad to say, slipped over a far horizon in October and March of 2012. They had a lot of friends around Safford, Arizona, their home since the late 1970s, and my brother and I had meant to hold a memorial gathering for them in town last spring. But life got in the way. Summer’s way too hot in the desert, so we planned an event for the fall, November 2nd to be exact, while the weather was mild.

My sister picked up sandwiches and cookies on her way down from Phoenix. My brother flew in from Philly and grabbed the ice and beverages, while I arranged with Ponderosa Aviation at the Safford airport to hold the event in one of their spanking new hangars. Don and Clarice were aviation connoisseurs, of course. (They completely restored the PT-19 in the photo above.) The Hardys helped us set up the tables and chairs at the hangar and I picked up some flowers at a local florist for the occasion. I had also enlarged some pictures of Don and Clarice and brought along the photo albums and log books to share from their many years among sailing vessels and flying machines.

Dolan, a friend who did a little work on Dad’s airplanes as well, brought the model of the Great Lakes biplane, a memento I had given him last fall. We set it next to the flowers. Dad built the model after also having built the actual airplane and flying it around the West for about three decades. It was a familiar sight over Safford and everyone wanted to go for a spin in the open cockpit, hand-cranked, bright yellow airplane. I flew in it once, wearing a leather jacket and matching leather helmet. I sat in the front and enjoyed my dad’s piloting like a carnival ride. After some aerobatic maneuvers a few thousand feet up, he said, okay, you take it! And so I did, for about ten memorable minutes. The Great Lakes is now enjoying retirement at the Pioneer Flight Museum in Kingsbury, Texas.

Dozens came to the memorial, including a family friend and hospice nurse, Mary, who provided much warmth and outstanding care to Don and Clarice in their final year or so (Clarice passed only seven months before Dad). Many others came whom I’d never met, but whose names were in the address books I used for sending out the invitations. All thought highly of Don and Clarice and a few good stories were told.

My long-lost aunt Marilyn came with her husband Herman and we enjoyed a lot of catching up over dinners on two consecutive nights, whereupon I learned a great deal about her and my longer-and-loster Wilcox cousins (I grew up with my mom and as a kid had never met my dad). Marilyn was married to Uncle Jack who passed away in 2000. My dad’s only sister, Marion, passed away a few years ago. Her husband, Grant, is still going to the gym in his 90s and is now living in Kentucky. Marilyn gave me the rundown on all of my cousins to boot (both her kids and Marion’s). I’ll look forward to meeting some of them on future trips out west.

The American Legion surprised us with a moving tribute to Don, a Navy veteran. After a prayer and recognition for his nearly twelve years of service, six riflemen fired the customary three volleys into the air before a trumpeter performed Taps, flawlessly. Behind them rose the Gila Mountains, a perfect backdrop for a final send-off to Don and Clarice. It’s still hard to believe they’re gone.