HARLINGEN — Oscar Newton Bard, 85, passed away Jan. 25, 2006, at Retama Manor Nursing Center.
"Buddy" was born on Jan. 23, 1921, in the family home on the Brown and Coleman County line in Texas.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally, and his parents, Lorena and Andrew Wright.
Buddy is survived by sons, Mark Bard and Steve Bard of Harlingen; daughter, Robin Datry and husband Phil Datry; grandsons, Ryan Datry and Evan Datry, all of Studio City, Calif.; sisters, Katy Lembeck of Surprise, Ariz., Ellen Staples (Stan) of Anthem, Ariz., and Anita Johnston (Jim) of Oak Harbor, Wash.; and his much-loved orange tabby cat, Rusty.
Relatives called him "Newt," close family members called him "Buddy," and he was known as O.N. in his professional life.
"Newt" grew up in Coleman, Texas, and graduated from Coleman High School. He worked a while in the local movie theaters until he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He served as chief photographer on numerous stateside bases and on Guam at the end of the war. He was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant in 1945. He and his family moved to Harlingen in 1955.
O.N. was a loan and finance manager, educator, business owner and real estate broker. He was founder and president of Valley Central College in Harlingen, Brownsville and McAllen from 1967-1970.
For more than a decade, he was active in the mobile home and recreational vehicle industry in Texas.
In the mid-1980s he taught real estate classes at TSTC and became a Realtor and broker with Bard's LifeStyle Real Estate.
Buddy's patriotism, love of history and Texas led him to conceive and produce Harlingen's first Independence Day Parade "Texas Style" in 1986. He also participated in organizing the July 4th parades in 1987 and 1988 until turning it over to other organizations thereafter.
O.N. also received a Distinguished Service Award for serving on the Cameron County Advisory Committee on Border Law Enforcement and Immigration Problems in 1989, and he was a member of the Confederate Air Force.
Dad easily was most proud of his family over all else as they are of him.
Obituary from the Brownwood Bulletin.
"Buddy" was born on Jan. 23, 1921, in the family home on the Brown and Coleman County line in Texas.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally, and his parents, Lorena and Andrew Wright.
Buddy is survived by sons, Mark Bard and Steve Bard of Harlingen; daughter, Robin Datry and husband Phil Datry; grandsons, Ryan Datry and Evan Datry, all of Studio City, Calif.; sisters, Katy Lembeck of Surprise, Ariz., Ellen Staples (Stan) of Anthem, Ariz., and Anita Johnston (Jim) of Oak Harbor, Wash.; and his much-loved orange tabby cat, Rusty.
Relatives called him "Newt," close family members called him "Buddy," and he was known as O.N. in his professional life.
"Newt" grew up in Coleman, Texas, and graduated from Coleman High School. He worked a while in the local movie theaters until he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He served as chief photographer on numerous stateside bases and on Guam at the end of the war. He was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant in 1945. He and his family moved to Harlingen in 1955.
O.N. was a loan and finance manager, educator, business owner and real estate broker. He was founder and president of Valley Central College in Harlingen, Brownsville and McAllen from 1967-1970.
For more than a decade, he was active in the mobile home and recreational vehicle industry in Texas.
In the mid-1980s he taught real estate classes at TSTC and became a Realtor and broker with Bard's LifeStyle Real Estate.
Buddy's patriotism, love of history and Texas led him to conceive and produce Harlingen's first Independence Day Parade "Texas Style" in 1986. He also participated in organizing the July 4th parades in 1987 and 1988 until turning it over to other organizations thereafter.
O.N. also received a Distinguished Service Award for serving on the Cameron County Advisory Committee on Border Law Enforcement and Immigration Problems in 1989, and he was a member of the Confederate Air Force.
Dad easily was most proud of his family over all else as they are of him.
Obituary from the Brownwood Bulletin.
HARLINGEN — Oscar Newton Bard, 85, passed away Jan. 25, 2006, at Retama Manor Nursing Center.
"Buddy" was born on Jan. 23, 1921, in the family home on the Brown and Coleman County line in Texas.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally, and his parents, Lorena and Andrew Wright.
Buddy is survived by sons, Mark Bard and Steve Bard of Harlingen; daughter, Robin Datry and husband Phil Datry; grandsons, Ryan Datry and Evan Datry, all of Studio City, Calif.; sisters, Katy Lembeck of Surprise, Ariz., Ellen Staples (Stan) of Anthem, Ariz., and Anita Johnston (Jim) of Oak Harbor, Wash.; and his much-loved orange tabby cat, Rusty.
Relatives called him "Newt," close family members called him "Buddy," and he was known as O.N. in his professional life.
"Newt" grew up in Coleman, Texas, and graduated from Coleman High School. He worked a while in the local movie theaters until he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He served as chief photographer on numerous stateside bases and on Guam at the end of the war. He was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant in 1945. He and his family moved to Harlingen in 1955.
O.N. was a loan and finance manager, educator, business owner and real estate broker. He was founder and president of Valley Central College in Harlingen, Brownsville and McAllen from 1967-1970.
For more than a decade, he was active in the mobile home and recreational vehicle industry in Texas.
In the mid-1980s he taught real estate classes at TSTC and became a Realtor and broker with Bard's LifeStyle Real Estate.
Buddy's patriotism, love of history and Texas led him to conceive and produce Harlingen's first Independence Day Parade "Texas Style" in 1986. He also participated in organizing the July 4th parades in 1987 and 1988 until turning it over to other organizations thereafter.
O.N. also received a Distinguished Service Award for serving on the Cameron County Advisory Committee on Border Law Enforcement and Immigration Problems in 1989, and he was a member of the Confederate Air Force.
Dad easily was most proud of his family over all else as they are of him.
Obituary from the Brownwood Bulletin.
"Buddy" was born on Jan. 23, 1921, in the family home on the Brown and Coleman County line in Texas.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally, and his parents, Lorena and Andrew Wright.
Buddy is survived by sons, Mark Bard and Steve Bard of Harlingen; daughter, Robin Datry and husband Phil Datry; grandsons, Ryan Datry and Evan Datry, all of Studio City, Calif.; sisters, Katy Lembeck of Surprise, Ariz., Ellen Staples (Stan) of Anthem, Ariz., and Anita Johnston (Jim) of Oak Harbor, Wash.; and his much-loved orange tabby cat, Rusty.
Relatives called him "Newt," close family members called him "Buddy," and he was known as O.N. in his professional life.
"Newt" grew up in Coleman, Texas, and graduated from Coleman High School. He worked a while in the local movie theaters until he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He served as chief photographer on numerous stateside bases and on Guam at the end of the war. He was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant in 1945. He and his family moved to Harlingen in 1955.
O.N. was a loan and finance manager, educator, business owner and real estate broker. He was founder and president of Valley Central College in Harlingen, Brownsville and McAllen from 1967-1970.
For more than a decade, he was active in the mobile home and recreational vehicle industry in Texas.
In the mid-1980s he taught real estate classes at TSTC and became a Realtor and broker with Bard's LifeStyle Real Estate.
Buddy's patriotism, love of history and Texas led him to conceive and produce Harlingen's first Independence Day Parade "Texas Style" in 1986. He also participated in organizing the July 4th parades in 1987 and 1988 until turning it over to other organizations thereafter.
O.N. also received a Distinguished Service Award for serving on the Cameron County Advisory Committee on Border Law Enforcement and Immigration Problems in 1989, and he was a member of the Confederate Air Force.
Dad easily was most proud of his family over all else as they are of him.
Obituary from the Brownwood Bulletin.
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