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Obits/Pet Obits

Buddy Mann 1997 - May 25, 2013

After 16 years in residence on Kerrville Folkway in North Austin, "Buddy” moved on to Doggie Heaven last week.

Known as the "neighborhood pet” for his welcoming grin, better suited to a Cheshire cat than a mixed-breed canine, that grin had begun to fade in recent months as muscles in his back legs deteriorated.

Buddy Mann 1997 ~ May 25, 2013

After 16 years in residence on Kerrville Folkway in North Austin, "Buddy” moved on to Doggie Heaven last week.
Known as the "neighborhood pet” for his welcoming grin, better suited to a Cheshire cat than a mixed-breed canine, that grin had begun to fade in recent months as muscles in his back legs deteriorated.
This open-jawed, happy-to-see you border collie mix was having to endure being toted from his long, deep sleeps to food and water bowls. Then a heart murmur found several years ago by renowned neighborhood veterinarian Doyle Wood returned, making every breath Buddy took labored and, I suspect, painful. His doorstep greetings had come to an end.
Early on a Saturday, surrounded by his Kerrville Folkway family and the loving team of vet Dr. Doyle Wood’s Balcones Animal Clinic, Buddy moved on. He was at least l7.
Survivors include Bob Mann and Valerie Phillips who welcomed a badly-wounded Buddy into their home in 1997 where he fell in step with the glorious park romps and home life of his new hosts, the energetic and comical mother-daughter mixed dachshund team of Wally and Molly.
Like all pooches we grow to love, Buddy was, indeed, one of a kind, but, in journalism lingo, there is a "back story:”
That 1997 summer, I motored in my red Miata to my high school class reunion in Cameron, 70 miles away in Milam County, where I grew up and where my parents lived for more than half a century.

Jasper Walker 2000 ~ 1-30-2013

Jasper was abandoned at a 4-way stop sign east of Austin when he was about 6 months old. Our friends recognized what a prince he was and took home him to their farm. But after about a year he started wandering around the area and chasing the neighbors’ cows. They called us and asked if we might like to have him. Well, we took him home "just for a day or two,” to see if he could adapt to living in a 2-bedroom duplex, and he did. He walked on a leash just fine, never pooped in the house, and he never chewed anything up at all – ever. Total Keeper.

Ace Swynnerton 2000 ~ 2012

Yellow Labrador Retriever Ace Swynnerton’s life came to a peaceful close on Monday morning, Dec. 10, after a full, twelve playful and loving years. Ace was a constant and loyal companion to owner Joe Swynnerton, as well as to numerous other self-proclaimed "co-owners” in his Kingsland lakeside neighborhood. Ace loved lake life, and could commonly be seen running alongside Joe, greeting neighbors on the street with his smiling and easy going manner. Ace was also an expert "lizard-er” and was an ever-vigilant guardian against the suspicious daily activities of UPS and FedEx ground delivery. His spirit was a large as his Lab stature, as he would gently nose and accept never ending rubs from all.

White Out

"That cat has the biggest purr.” These were the first words spoken about White Out by Carolyn when I readopted him in January of this year. Now, let’s turn back in history. It was just a few weeks after 9/11 and no one knew what the economy was going to do. Nonetheless, my ex and I made an offer on a home - the last house on the SE edge of Marble Falls. We closed in December 2001, and even before moving in, we had Lance Gorsen and Frank Feist working on a major remodel. One week into it, when we stopped by to check on progress, they told us, "This white cat showed up. It’s really hungry, but it is friendly and has a giant purr.” Obviously, someone had dumped him near our house. So, we started feeding him on our porch, and, after taking him in for shots and neutering, he became a loving fixture in our lives.

Owen

Whimsy is God steering us toward delight. Hopefully, you are not like me because I spend much of my day-to-day life ticking off items on my to do list. I have to force myself to stop in the HEB parking lot and be awestruck by an orange crescent moon as it sets. Somehow, I don’t think Jesus kept to-do lists. Jesus brought a message of love in this moment - incredible tsunami level love washing over us, from our birth to our death. And this brings us back to whimsy. Whimsy is that sweetness that unanticipated sweetness that knocks us out of our routine and into pure delight.

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