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S�������� 15, 2010 D����� M�������� DESERT GARDENS FROM PG. 10 In Memorium Wayne Tracey Cushman Wayne Tracy Cushman, or as we call him, Papa or Bud, was born to Clyde and Maude Cushman in Hamilton, Ohio on March 18, 1951. He was the third of four children. He had one older brother Lar- ry, one older sister Pam, and one younger brother Denny. They lived out in the coun- try where they spent a lot of time playing together. Growing up they had a chicken coop and a barn where they spent time chasing roosters with 2x4’s and swinging like Tarzan from the hay loft into hay- stacks. In 1961, Grandma and Grandpa Cushman moved the family to Renton, WA where Papa attended middle school and high school. It was there that he met our moth- er and shortly thereafter they got married and started a family. In 1973, Grandma and Grandpa bought a trailer park in Quartzsite and Papa loaded up the fam- ily and followed them to a small town in the middle of the desert; a town that Papa grew to love. Bud helped Grandma and Grandpa with odd jobs at Cushman’s Trailer Park when- ever they needed it. One of his proudest accomplishments, besides raising his fam- ily, was working with his father to establish Quartzsite’s first volunteer fire department. The fire department was like our extended family. We felt as if we were members as well. We can remember when Bud’s pager would go off we each had a job to do. Bud would go get his boots and come hopping down the hall putting them on, Carrie was responsible for answering the phone to find out where he needed to go and Christi and Kevin would race each other to the gate to open it for him. 1982 was a difficult year for Papa; how- ever, the challenges he faced strengthened his relationship with us. We lived our lives for each other. Papa always told us that he wasn’t raising us, we were raising each other. The four of us overcame every ob- stacle that was thrown our way as a fam- ily, and there were many. We had many great times together. We can remember driving through the washes in the Ram Charger; each of us getting a turn to drive as we listened to music and chased rab- bits. Every other week we would all load up and head in to Blythe to get groceries and Papa would treat us to burgers at Carl’s Jr. and ice cream at Thrifty’s. We would often hang out and watch movies together and have our friends over to watch the Super Bowl each year. One of Carrie’s favorite memories was when she asked Papa to be her date for her senior prom. She remem- bers him being surprised and asking if she was sure she wanted her old man hanging around with her and her friends. Papa watched over us like a hawk. It seemed as if he had a sixth sense and knew when we were doing things that we weren’t sup- posed to. Ask anyone we grew up with and they’ll tell you; it was difficult to get any- thing past Papa. As we got older whenever one of us kids went anywhere we would ask our Pa if he needed us to bring him anything. He al- ways asked us to bring him a 5’3”, blond. He made this request often and it got so that we didn’t even have to ask him any- more. When we went somewhere we knew exactly what he wanted us to bring him. We never found him a 5’3” blond, but right around the time we were beginning to move out of the house to pursue careers and start families of our own, the Lord brought Jayne into his life. She was 5’3”, blond, beautiful and exactly what Papa had been looking for. They hit it off right away and a few months later they were married. We were very happy for them and knew that Papa now had someone new to take care of and someone to take care of him. They spent the next 22 years building King of Arizona Realty, exploring the des- ert, and enjoying each other’s company. In 2004 Bud was diagnosed with conges- tive heart failure and spent every sum- mer in and out of the hospital. He was still able to do the things he enjoyed. He liked to work around the house, do vari- ous projects on his tractor, and even wrote five books. In 2006 Jayne bought him the Harley Davidson he had always wanted. He and Jayne loved to take it on long road trips around Arizona. Jayne was right by his side until the end. She took great care of him; was very pa- tient, loving, and kind and we are very grateful the Lord blessed us with her. Thank you, Jayne, for all the sleepless days and nights you spent making sure that he had everything he needed. The day Papa passed away he told us that he always thought that if he was ever told that he was terminally ill he would eat a lot of hot dogs because he loved them. He was kind of bummed because he didn’t have much of an appetite and couldn’t eat any- thing, but he didn’t let that get him down. He said “It’s ok they’ll have hot dogs in Heaven and they’ll be the best hot dogs I’ve ever had. After I pass through Heavens gates, second door on the right, there’ll be a hot dog stand with every kind of hot dog I could want so that’s where I’ll be.“ From today forward we plan to continue to tell Bud’s stories and share our memories of him with our kids and grandkids and we hope you will do the same. We never want to forget what a wonderful, giving person he was and how incredibly lucky we were to have him in our lives. During the next 15 years the Cooper’s visited Quartzsite on three occasions, one being the wedding of our daughter Patty in the Little Church Beside the Road with the reception held at what had once been the Conner’s adobe hideaway. I cared for the house and property like it was my own. Most folks thought Charles and I owned the property that had become known as the Airport Property. I hadn’t given up on my dream for a little park with 10 spaces as I followed the progress of G. A. Jenkins, a “water witcher” and his dowser. Charles scoffed at the idea, but Mr. Jenkins was locating water on previously “dry” properties around Quartzsite. If only he could find water on the Airport Property, maybe I could convince Charles to buy on to my dream. (Next story: My Dream for Desert Gardens - Part 3.) P��� 11 “We must all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”- Benjamin Franklin 91.7 FMQuartzsite Student Run Radio Station! Scholars’ Radio DERMATOLOGY NOW OPEN in Quartzsite! Mohs Surgery 375 Joshua Ave., Quartzsite, AZ 85346 Dr. Gerardo C. Brual,M.D. Jocelyn Ramos NP-C 928-916-7898 SAVE 64% 3 FREE Gifts Order now and we’ll send 6 FREE Omaha Steaks Burgers FREE 6-piece Cutlery Set FREE Cutting Board to every shipping address! Family Value Combo�45069ZWG 2 (5 oz.) Filet Mignons 2 (5 oz.) Top Sirloins 4 (4 oz.) Omaha Steaks Burgers 4 (3 oz.) Gourmet Franks 4 (4 oz. approx.) Boneless Chicken Breasts 4 (53 Reg. $13900.....Now Only $ ⁄4 �������������������������������������������� oz.) 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