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Luther C. Bushong


Luther C. Bushong

Luther C. Bushong

Luther C. Bushong was born on a cold December night in Real County to Cliff and Jewett Bushong. He lived the rest of his life on the property where he was born until illness took him to the hospital. He died April 16, 2021, at 92 years of age.

Luther attended Cypress Creek School for a few years, then went to school in Leakey where he graduated in 1947 as salutatorian of his class. During most of his school years, he rode a mule, donkey or walked the 2 miles from his home to school or the bus stop.

After high school, Luther joined his parents in their ranching operation and was a devoted steward of the land. He did many things during his life to piece together a living. He sold furs, bailed hay, raised angora goats, raised cattle, sold cedar posts and stump wood, worked as a carpenter’s helper on the First Baptist Church building, helped plant the trees and harvest pecans at the Frio Pecan Farm, and worked as an election judge for many elections.

He was always helpful to others. In the years before backhoe tractors, he joined others in the community to dig graves by hand for the deceased. Many who grew up in the Frio Canyon remember his 17 years as Santa Claus. He was a founding member of the Real County Wildlife Association and served as an officer of that association for over 60 years. He was a county committee member for the Agricultural Stabilization & Conservation Service for 28 years. He was an avid gardener and shared his produce with others. He always was willing to lend a hand to anyone in need and assisted many of his friends and neighbors with work or repairs on their places.

When Lois was a young girl, she attended a picnic on the Frio with her family. She remembers two small boys at the picnic chasing the girls around with frogs. She believes the red-haired boy was Luther – although he adamantly denied it. Luther and Lois met again as adults when she was working in the Palace Drug Store in Uvalde. One Sunday, Luther and his mother Jewett came into the drug store and asked Lois to call the owner of the feed store and tell him to come and open his store because Jewett needed to buy some chickens. Luther had a milkshake while his mother took care of her chicken business. He then had a lot more milkshakes before he finally called Lois and asked her out.

They got married in 1956 and began a lifetime journey to maintain the ranch. Traditional ranching in Real County was not easy. It was through much hard-work, sacrifice, determination, and love of the land that Luther and Lois persevered to maintain and preserve the Bushong Ranch for future generations. In 2017, the Bushong Ranch received its 100-year designation through the Texas Land Heritage Program.

Luther is survived by his wife as well as his daughter, grandson, nephew and their spouses. He also leaves behind three great-grandsons, and many extended family members and friends. He was proceeded in death by his parents and his sister.

Viewing will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 24, 2021, at Nelson Funeral Chapel, Leakey.

Funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, April 24, 2021, at the Leakey Floral Cemetery, Leakey, Texas. Memorial donations may be made to Frio Canyon EMS or Peterson Hospice.

Arrangements are under the personal care of Nelson Funeral Home of Leakey, Texas. The family invites you to leave a condolence at www.nelsonfuneralhomes.net

The preceding is a paid obituary.