Father's Day

Father's Day generally goes unobserved here in our house. Cody's father doesn't acknowledge his existence. My father has been dead for ten years.

Walter Lee Gunstream, Jr was born October 23, 1926, in Center, Texas. He was the youngest child of Walter Lee Gunstream, Sr. and Fannie Mae Winfree Gunstream.

This is the first picture of him, taken when he was probably less than a month old.

This is my father and his father, Walter Lee Gunstream, Sr. We called him Pappaw. Dad was about 3 years old in this picture.

And here he is with his grandfather Joseph Winfree, who died when Dad was only 5. Grandpa Joe was the only grandparent my dad ever knew, since the others died before he was born. Grandpa Joe called dad "Jim", though nobody ever knew why. Grandpa Joe smoked a pipe, and Jim had a miniature pipe just like his. They would sit out on the porch together smoking--or in Jim's case, pretending to smoke--their pipes.


The others in this picture are cousin Lois Duhon and sisters Martha Gunstream Armstrong and Bonnie Gunstream Tomkins. What made Dad so special is that he is the only grandson Joseph and Jo Ella Winfree had. There were 12 granddaughters, and dad was the very youngest, and the only boy. There was another boy named Bennie, son of Adeline Winfree (I've forgotten her married name), but he died at just few weeks of age. Dad was 3 or 4 when this picture was taken.

When Dad was 18, he was drafted into the army. He'd wanted to join the navy, always having had a love of the sea, but the army chose him first. He served in Japan at the end of World War II, and in El Paso during the Korean Conflict. He was a reservist by then, but was recalled to active duty. Dad used to brag to the guys from California that being from East Texas, he was father away from home than they were, and he was still in the same state!


Dad eventually married, though late--at age 34--and had four children of his own. This is the last picture taken of my father and his four children all together. It was taken Christmas 1989. Left to right are my brother Scott, me, Dad, my sister Deana, and my brother Russell.


Five years later, my father passed away. This is the absolute last picture anyone ever took of him. It was taken on the 9th or 10th of July, 1995. He died on the 14th at the age of 68.

I still miss him.

Walter Lee Gunstream, Jr.

October 23, 1920-July 14, 1995