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For a Cowboy Shooter Who Wasn't, But Would Have Been


Possum Stu

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December 1 marks the birthday of my grandpa, Steve, who passed away in 2000. He would have been 85 this year. He was passionate about Scouting and was awarded the Silver Beaver. He was a very hands-on grandpa - I remember being Cub Scout age and him teaching me to cut down a tree with an axe, the tree in question being an 8" diameter sycamore in his front yard.

 

He loved the fur trade era and participated in mountain man rendezvous for years under the alias "Two Feathers". Grandpa was never aware of CAS/SASS, to my knowledge, but he loved the old west and had a shelf packed full of Louis L'Amour novels, and tried to pass that love down to his grandkids. His was one of the first horses I ever rode, and his worn-out cowboy hat became my first real cowboy hat, which he passed down to me when he got a new one (My wife then commandeered it when she started shooting). I'm convinced that had his life not been cut short by cancer, he would have loved cowboy action shooting and jumped in with both feet, especially once he saw his kids and grandkids doing it. 

 

Here's to all those who never got a chance to enjoy our sport, but would have fit right in.

 

1977 10 Steven - dedicated Scouter.jpg

Steven .jpg

Steven.jpg

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I lost my dad in March of 02 to cancer at 63 years old. I was invited to my first shoot that fall. My dad would have loved this sport and people! I wear a kepi that he got at Gettysburg in his memory.

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When my father joined the Davidson County Highway Patrol in 1953, he carried a converted, nickel plated, 1860 Colt as his sidearm. It was holstered in a black leather, left handed, single loop holster hung on a basket weave Sam Brown belt!

 

He had already been hospitalized with surgery induced dementia when I discovered cowboy action shooting, but I shot my first few matches using his 7 1/2” Blackhawk.

 

He passed away the day I ordered my first cowboy hat.

 

He would have loved this game!!!

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I know he must have been extremely proud of his Grandson before his passing, and I suggest he could be even more so if alive today.

Good post my friend. Great memories.

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Awesome, God bless!!!!!

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  • 4 weeks later...

 

Thank you everyone! My monitor got a little blurry seeing all the responses. That's what I love most about this game - the people of CAS/SASS are second to none.

 

On 12/8/2021 at 4:53 PM, Billy Boots, # 20282 LTG-Regulator said:

I know he must have been extremely proud of his Grandson before his passing, and I suggest he could be even more so if alive today.

Good post my friend. Great memories.

 

Thank you brother! I hope he would be. 

 

On 12/8/2021 at 12:40 PM, High Spade Mikey Wilson said:

Being a Silver Beaver holder myself, as well as a hands on grandad, I salute your grandfather. I'm sure he was a great man!

 

I salute you back on his behalf! That Silver Beaver represents countless hours of service and young men's lives influenced. Thank you for your service.

 

On 12/8/2021 at 1:54 PM, Michigan Slim said:

I lost my dad in March of 02 to cancer at 63 years old. I was invited to my first shoot that fall. My dad would have loved this sport and people! I wear a kepi that he got at Gettysburg in his memory.

 

I'm glad to hear you wear that in his memory! I love keeping loved ones' memories alive like that.

 

On 12/8/2021 at 4:00 PM, Blackwater 53393 said:

When my father joined the Davidson County Highway Patrol in 1953, he carried a converted, nickel plated, 1860 Colt as his sidearm. It was holstered in a black leather, left handed, single loop holster hung on a basket weave Sam Brown belt!

 

He had already been hospitalized with surgery induced dementia when I discovered cowboy action shooting, but I shot my first few matches using his 7 1/2” Blackhawk.

 

He passed away the day I ordered my first cowboy hat.

 

He would have loved this game!!!

 

That's a great story! I love the mental picture of him carrying that Colt almost a century after its introduction. 

 

On 12/8/2021 at 6:27 PM, watab kid said:

lost mine back in the mid 1960s - he was 66 had just retired , glad you got to spend as much time with yours as you did 

 

Thanks. I was 16 when mine passed. I'm glad to have had him in my life for that long.

 

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'Possum,  you and your grandpa were both blessed - and you, especially.  

 

I truly wish I could have known your Grandpop; I think we're kindred spirits.  I've been to a few rendezvous in my younger day, and the transition to Cowboy Shooting many years later was a natural one.

 

One of my greatest pleasures in life has been stimulating young people's imaginations.  Evidently, Steve shared this affection.  Now, just imagine him watching you in the game, and enjoying the clang of every target...!

 

By the way - my YMCA Indian Guides chief's headdress is on a shelf in my "office;"  my Silver Beaver hangs near my recliner. 

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Hopefully someday I can be that grandfather. Having spent over 55 years in Scouting, holder of the Silver Beaver and Vigil Honor, father of two Eagle Scouts and grandfather of 6 younguns, I'm ready for the task. Unfortunately the jump to cowboy shooting will jump a generation. Although having grown up shooting, none of my kids are really interested in Cowboy Shooting. I have guns and equipment for the grandkids just waiting for them to get old enough.(oldest is 7) Unfortunately my parents were divorced and I pretty much grew up without a Dad and Grandpas passed away before I was born.

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  • 1 month later...
On 1/2/2022 at 11:44 PM, watab kid said:

then we lived a similar life , i was just about 16 as well 

 

Sounds like we did! I'm glad I at least got to know him a bit before he passed. I feel sorry for my youngest brother and my cousins, who were all too young to remember or do much with him.

 

On 1/3/2022 at 1:55 AM, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

'Possum,  you and your grandpa were both blessed - and you, especially.  

 

I truly wish I could have known your Grandpop; I think we're kindred spirits.  I've been to a few rendezvous in my younger day, and the transition to Cowboy Shooting many years later was a natural one.

 

One of my greatest pleasures in life has been stimulating young people's imaginations.  Evidently, Steve shared this affection.  Now, just imagine him watching you in the game, and enjoying the clang of every target...!

 

By the way - my YMCA Indian Guides chief's headdress is on a shelf in my "office;"  my Silver Beaver hangs near my recliner. 

 

 

I agree, Hardpan! I was definitely blessed to have him in my life as long as I did. The two of you do sound like kindred spirits. He did enjoy stimulating mine and my brothers' imaginations. He was quick to help us out with some project or other, even when that meant letting us build treehouses in his trees or "forts" in his bushes. Our imaginations seemed to trump any desire he had for a perfectly manicured yard, and he was a real estate appraiser...

 

Thank you for your service, both in the YMCA and BSA. I don't know anything about the Indian Guides, but I know that Silver Beaver represents a great deal of time and effort, and you should be proud of it.

 

On 1/3/2022 at 6:58 AM, Sixgun Seamus said:

Hopefully someday I can be that grandfather. Having spent over 55 years in Scouting, holder of the Silver Beaver and Vigil Honor, father of two Eagle Scouts and grandfather of 6 younguns, I'm ready for the task. Unfortunately the jump to cowboy shooting will jump a generation. Although having grown up shooting, none of my kids are really interested in Cowboy Shooting. I have guns and equipment for the grandkids just waiting for them to get old enough.(oldest is 7) Unfortunately my parents were divorced and I pretty much grew up without a Dad and Grandpas passed away before I was born.

 

I hope you can be that grandfather too, Seamus! I hope your grandkids appreciate CAS and join you in it before too long. And likewise thank you for your service in BSA and earning that Silver Beaver and Vigil Honor!

 

I'm hoping to pass my love of CAS down to the kids we still haven't had yet. Someday...

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My dad was gone about two years before we started CAS. He liked bullseye and handgun metallic silhouette matches. His friends say he would have loved going to a cowboy match. I agree.

 

After our first match ever we drove to see Shortcake's dad in our cowboy clothes. He was already in the early stages of dementia, but his face lit up when he saw his little girl in a western dress with her pistols. He took a bad turn and passed within the year.

 

At our house we have a room with rough sawn pine walls. We call it the "Dad's Room." The walls have their fishing lures, shooting awards, pictures, etc.

 

Sometimes when the world gets too crazy, I'll sit in there quietly and look at all the stuff on the walls. It has a nice, relaxed, calming effect. Hard to put into words.

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