William "Bill" Lovvorn

A Life Well Lived William Edward Lovvorn, Terry's and my father, was born on January 3, 1920 in Stamford, Texas and took off for the wild blue yonder on March 10, 2017. James Elbert Lovvorn and Lula Clark Lovvorn had five other children; TJ, Wilson, Mary Edna, Dan, and Norretta, Dad's last living sibling. Dad loved talking about his father's eleven years as a cowboy, and the annual Texas Cowboy Reunion held in his hometown every July. Buster, as Dad was known, and his older brothers worked long hours on Grandpa's farm picking cotton, rounding up the cattle, milking the cows and shoveling manure. This may be why TJ and Dad applied to George Pepperdine College in California. Once accepted with athletic scholarships, they climbed into their Oakland and traveled Route 66 to the coast. Dad raved about the dream job he held while attending Pepperdine; he lifeguarded at Venice Beach. World War II interrupted Dad's Pepperdine education, however, he was deeply honored to serve his country as an Air Force pilot and retire with the rank of Lt. Colonel. While he trained at Stockton Field, he fell in love with Marilyn MacDonald during her junior year in high school. Mom competed for Dad's attention and finally after dating for over a year, Dad proposed to her at Pinecrest Lake. After a long engagement of 12 days, they married and their fairytale romance continued for over 70 years. Mom and Dad bought their first house in Stockton, where Dad completed his BA and MA degrees in Education at College of the Pacific. In 1955, beaming with pride, Dad became principal of Old Mill School in Mill Valley. His dedicated faculty, students, and parents brought him a sense of fulfillment, and his home in the redwoods of Scott Highlands above the golf course provided him a peaceful retreat. After 13 years at Old Mill School, Dad moved to Santa Cruz, took over as principal of San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School, and vacationed with Mom every weekend at Fourth Avenue Beach. Since retirement did not suit his hardworking nature, Dad accepted a position in water conservation at Sequel Creek Water District. Happily he drove off in the mornings anticipating another great day among friends at the office, until the age of 85 when Mom's heath declined sharply. Quality family time mattered greatly to Dad. After Terry and I finished homework, we sat down to "Leave it to Beaver", "The Donna Reed Show", and "Father Knows Best". For Dad of course, we threw in the westerns of "Wagon Train", "Laramie", "Rawhide", "Maverick", and "Cheyenne" to name a few. On other nights, we tuned into "Perry Mason" and "Hawaii-Five-0" with one of our many dachshunds Dad loved squeezed between us on the couch. At bedtime, Dad accompanied Terry and me on adventures with Raggedy Ann and Andy before we said our "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer. For Easter vacation, we spent a week braving the Jungle Cruise and Matterhorn of Disneyland, taking occasional breaks for a Carnation ice cream cone on Main Street. When summer arrived, out came our canvas rafts and beach umbrellas in preparation for Castle Beach and wiener roasts. Fog rolling in sent us back early to our Mount Hermon cabin in the pines for either a rowboat ride or swim in the pool. Perhaps because Dad's brothers TJ and Wilson teased him so much as a kid, he teased Mom, Terry and me with a twinkle in his eyes. On one of our Mount Hermon hikes, during which Dad rattled our nerves by jumping up and down on the swinging bridge, he tried to rock the three of us off a log into the river. His prank backfired and he lost his balance and toppled into the water instead. The three of us left standing on the log laughed so hard and never let him forget the episode. Dad liked giving orders but not taking them. That's why he enjoyed being an Air Force officer, school administrator, and head of the household. Terry and I did not always see eye to eye with him growing up, especially concerning his strictness and inflexibility. What kid on Saturday morning wants to hear rise and shine at six o'clock and a list of chores to complete before going out to play? Thankfully, Dad mellowed nicely with age and never tried to control us after we graduated from college. Dad counted his blessings and every day gave thanks to God for his wonderful life. His first grandchild Christi brightened his soul, giving him memorable times around the Christmas tree, on summer Lake Tahoe vacations, and on dizzying Santa Cruz Boardwalk rides. Pride filled him at her Punahou and UC Santa Barbara graduations. Dad was a natural athlete in every sport except golf, so when Craig arrived and began golfing with straight, long drives, he rejoiced. Throughout Craig's childhood, he watched his grandpa slyly tease his dogs, now Craig teases Theo, his and Laura's dog, with the same devious grin Dad wore. And then very late in Dad's life a highly spirited Brett arrived and drove him to say, "That boy needs taming!" Well, Brett was broken in enough to be accepted to Texas Christian University, a campus that holds a lot of family history. On the campus not far from the farm where Dad was born, Brett wears the cowboy boots Dad gave him for Christmas. Dad never missed Sunday church service, although he sometimes rushed home for a televised 49ers or Dallas Cowboy game. Dad, Don and I were so fortunate to live near you and mom, and travel with you. You devoted your life to Mom and the rest of us, served as a role model, and deserved a happy ending. Terry, George, Christi, Craig, Laura, Brett, Wade, Lincey, Don and I (April) will miss you. A very special thanks goes out to Dr. Victoria Kaufmann for her compassionate care of Mom and Dad. We are so grateful to Dr. James Beckett for his years of friendship and attention. Also, I need to mention Dad's HSCC Christian brothers Dave, Dick, and Terry; you enriched his journey and smoothed it out. And to Aegis of Aptos staff from top to bottom, you were the best. You filled Dad's life with joy and provided him a warm home. You went above and beyond pampering him and showering him with affection. When I needed emotional support, you hugged and encouraged me; you are family! A memorial service will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 1:00 pm at Mount Hermon's prayer chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center or High Street Community Church. In the meantime, get out into the garden and enjoy life as Dad did.