Ken Roys' Obituary

My Thoughts and Recollections on the passing of My Cousin, Kenny and the life of My Uncle Dick

He was full of spirit, boastful, proud and had a commanding presence. The first thing he said to me after 40 years was: "Well, Cousin Tommy, have you made your first million yet?" Of course the answer was no. I could not get over how much he looked like my Uncle Dick! Spitting image.

Dick was one of two children of Rosie and Celestia Roys to have made it big. Rosie was a retired factory worker and his ex wife, Celestia had been a working Mom. Life was hard for them and they had little to give to their five children due to the Great Depression. His sister, Virginia eventfully married a successful business man and my Mother, Esther, married a factory worker, yet was able to save money to eventually buy a Summer Lake Cottage from her Dad. It seemed we lived more simply than the rest of the children, but my Mom and Dad never seemed to show any envy. She was proud of her brothers, especially her big brother Oren.

Celestia was very proud and loved to tell stories of her "Dick" and John and how they were self made men. He had lots of stories to tell for a fact. He had a successful Air Force Career (Strategic Air Command with Nukes, no less) and then Bistineau Tropical Fish. John, the youngest made it in the insurance business and eventually opened his own agency.

Rosie was strict with the oldest boy. He lost one son, Russell, to blood poisoning in his youth. Dick was expected to help bring in the bread money. He would deliver the pies, cakes and cupcakes his Mom baked for what she called the "rich people." He also had to babysit the younger siblings after school. He was adventurous and entrepreneurial. He set traps for muskets in the river and sold the pelts for money. He practiced bait casting and became such a good caster that he was hired by a local sporting goods manufacture to test the equipment. His great hobby was his fish tank and you know what that turned into.

When the War came, he enlisted and was part of the famous Louisiana Maneuvers training in 1941. He, being a naturalist, taught others survival techniques in the Swamps that came natural to him.

He was part of Gen. Hap Arnold's famed Eighth Air Force and helped defeat the Germans in WW II. He was part of the Cold War flying out of Bunker Hill and Barksdale AFB's.

He had two children with Mary and they grew up in what is commonly called the "Army Brat" environment. I never knew if the title fit, but they seemed normal to me.

My cousin Kenny, lived in the home of a father who was "larger than life." Everybody knew Dick and he seemed to have met and knew everyone. Why my Uncle Dick even fished with Ernest Hemmingway!

As you can tell, I also was proud of my Uncle Dick and always looked forward to a visit from them and our trips every three years to their home in Bossier City.

Kenny was twelve years older than I and Linda about ten. I remember Kenny teaching me how to shoot a pistol at Dick's suggestion. My Mother wanted him to retell his story of what college was like and how to succeed so she could tape record it for me to listen to years later. (We still have the reel). It was kinda neat having a cousin that was over 6 feet tall when I was just 4 something. We heard how he had to have a corvette sports car redesigned to give him leg room to sit in.

Kenny, like I said, lived in Dick's shadow growing up, but after college and his marriage to Shiela, he was about to set the world on fire. His assignment off the coast of Libya was a big thing working in the oil industry. He was an engineer and was practically running the platform.

He gave that up to take over his Dad's business though. His brother, John, also opened his business up to his son, David, to learn and perhaps take over one day. Kenny had ideas. He wanted to expand. BTF had recently moved from the farm to the city complete with a warehouse and employees. Dick was going to keep doing sales and Kenny would run the operations. Kenny decided the business needed to be computerized and I recall that he did that. Unfortunately, for what ever reason, the business could not support the growth pace and infrastructure plan. It failed. I think cousin Kenny was left feeling the blame, although Dick may not have come out and said it like that. Sons kinda know, or think they know what their Dad's are thinking. Kenny left that as a learning opportunity, I guess, and moved on. Around that time, Sheila died tragically.

I think he next went to South America, back in the oil drilling business. His eventual position in Central America, where he would eventually meet Rocky was quite remarkable. His story about the neighboring country's invasion and the government calling on him to cut some military roads and flying in the helicopter firing an automatic weapon at the invaders is quite a story, worthy of envy by even his own Dad.

I think Kenny needed his life exploits to be big, like the one's he heard from or about his Dad. Many times, a son wants to be like his Dad, I tend to think. They even want to out do them. It is all about needing to feel loved, accepted, respected and wanted and being thought proud of. True I think, no matter how old we are.

My Mother, Esther, remembers Dick being disappointed in my cousin at times. I am not sure if the took the time to tell Ken how proud he was of him and that he loved him. When Dick discovered Kenny was smoking, he laid down the law to him. Once, when Kenny was going to help his Dad by mowing the east field beyond the pond he mowed close to the shore. Dick came home and discovered his newly planted saplings were destroyed. He was livid, but my Mom remembers his scolding Ken in a calm voice telling him if he had only thought, he would have seen them and prevented it. She knew Kenny was feeling badly about it.

When we talked and emailed over the past couple of years, it was about his management consulting business. He and I were both graduates of George S. May Co. Inc. I was there before him and he went on to try to do it on his own with his firm, BTF Management Consulting.

Ken was proud to show me his estate there in Houston. I was very impressed. It had a swimming pool, tennis court and a exotic fruit trees. Ken said he was moving to an even bigger place that year. He was proud of Rocky, being a vice president of a banking firm. He was proud of his own family and his life with Rocky, Bryant, Jose and Alex.

Footprints in the Sand