In Memory Of David Eugene Gatlin

How can anyone eulogize Eugene better than himself! The following is taken from a chain email he responded to on April 1, 2007:

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:

• Truck Driver until the end of time, it seems
• Asphalt and Concrete Technican
• Park leadman
• Pole climber

FOUR MOVIES I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:

• Laurel and Hardy all day and night

FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:

• Anadarko, Okla.
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Lewisville, Irving, Denton, Slidell, Bridgeport, Texas

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:

• 1-1/4 inch Ribeye with baked potato, with all the trimmings, course cooked to my perfection.
• Smoked Ham with pinto beans, fried potatoes and homemade hot rolls.
• Chicken fried steak, cream mashed potatoes, smother in white gravy, with fried green beans on the side.
• Oven baked pork chops, sittin on top of rice and mushrooms.
• My #1 is Crappie, french fries, pinto beans and cornbread.

FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE NOW:

• Nowhere but Bridgeport Texas, it's quiet, it's country and it's home, Thank you very much, Lord.

FOUR THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:

• I would like to pull in that catfish, that's bigger than me, then just let him go.
• More grandkids.
• See my son graduate from college.
• Ride the wind.

FOUR PEOPLE I THINK WILL RESPOND:

• Anyone that's got the time, isn't that what it's all about TIME, remember that song? The Rolling Stones.

These lists reflect what his family knew well about Eugene: His passions for fishing, food, and family and, of course, riding his motorcycle ("the wind").

He prefaced these lists with the following comment:

Hey . . . How bout the four jobs I hated the most, got any of those? . . . . I hated the military, felt like being in prison, except that you had a tiny bit of freedom. Then I hated those asphalt jobs, s**t stinks, then concrete . . . . Worse of all is truck driven, long hours, no time off, at times you can fall asleep at the wheel, pretty scary when you don't know how you got from point A to B. I really believe God holds your hand.

It would seem he never had a job that he enjoyed, but we all know that, once he bought his first home computer, he was hooked on technology and dreamed of what it would be like to have a career working with computers.

We love you, Eugene. We will miss you and take comfort knowing that we will eventually be with you again.