Dw Lindley, Sr.

D.W. Lindley, Sr. was not a perfect man, but he is the man that God chose to be our father, grandfather, uncle and friend, and he filled each role well. He was born on June 9, 1925 at Stiver’s Hill in Wood County and in 1943 married the love of his life, Lena Geraldine Crabtree, who he met at a Christmas dance in Gladewater. They were married for 66 years and raised four sons, D. W. Jr., Kenneth Wayne, Willie Lee and Mark William. His long life was filled with grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, and he knew and loved them all. D.W. was a family man. He loved his wife and family passionately and taught us by example. He believed in family and knew the importance of staying close to one another and keeping in touch. He enjoyed visiting the people he loved, face to face, on a regular basis and continued to do so for as long as he could. Every holiday was a family event filled with food, laughter and love. Annual family reunions were the highlight of our summers, pulling relatives from far away. He knew that to stay united we needed to stay connected and in doing so he tied one generation to the next. D.W. was a patriot serving during World War II. As a paratrooper, he broke his foot during training. He has said that if he had not broken his foot, there would be no Lindley family. He loved his country. He was honored in recent years with the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. as part of the Heroes Flight for Veterans to visit the World War II Memorial. He never failed to pray for our service men and women when leading our family in prayer. They were always close to his heart. D.W. was a rugged outdoorsman, a man’s man, with an adventurous spirit. He had a strong work ethic and spent many years in the oilfields. He loved hunting and fishing. There are hundreds of stories to tell and pictures to prove each one. Many family vacations were centered around camping and hunting in Colorado, or south Texas, and often included three generations sitting around the campfires. Whether you knew him as D.W., Pa, Papaw, Uncle D or the Great One, you knew you were loved when he gathered you up in those long arms and kissed you. He will be missed.Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13 The family would like to extend a special thank you to Shirley Pynes for being his friend, companion and caregiver through his final years, and to Barbara Lindley for her loving care and attention during his journey home. You are loved! Thank you.