Obituaries

Schley O. Ervin

Photo of Schley O. Ervin
Schley O. Ervin, known to his friends and family as Bud, passed from this life on May 2, 2015. He will be remembered as a good father, good husband, good brother, good son, and most of all a good man. Bud was born to Schley Ervin and Pearl Rechtin Ervin on March 15, 1925 in McRae, Arkansas. Preceded in death by wife, Charlotte and survived by their son, Thomas J. Ervin and wife Teri, their daughter Sue Yancey and husband Bill. Also preceded in death by his second wife Elsie Bell Ervin. He was lucky and deserving of having the love of two women who he also loved. Also survived by sister, Myrtle O'Cain, three grandchildren, Jason Ervin, Billy Yancey, and Chris Yancey. Also preceded by granddaughter, Amanda Ervin. He lived a fairly normal life, if living and growing up in the depression can be considered normal. I have never heard my dad refer to that part of his life as hard times. He remembered good times with his brother and sisters and the experiences of growing up in a rural setting. He says they never felt poor, because everyone was poor. He never talked much about his experiences during the war, but I do know that he was inducted into the United States Army on June 12, 1943. After extensive training and then being held over to serve as an instructor, my then nineteen year old dad departed for Europe on May 25, 1944 and served as a platoon sergeant with the 163rd Combat Engineers during the landing on Normandy Beach and participated in the liberation of Northern France and the Rhineland campaign until the end of the war. I know the combat engineers built a number of bridges, but I have often heard about the one my dad's platoon built over the Rhine at Worms, Germany. He also was part of the group that was present for the liberation of Dachau. My dad has always kept the bad days to himself. He left the Army on October 29, 1945, but later re-enlisted in the Air Force and served his country for the next 20 years. He retired with the rank of Master Sergeant and First Sergeant on October 31, 1965. During his service with the Air Force he served as the Central Fire Control and Flight Engineer on a B-29 crew for approximately 9 years. He then served as non-commissioned head of Maintenance Control for the next ten years and the final year as a First Sergeant for his squadron. Maintenance Control means keeping the airplanes in the air. He was involved with keeping planes in the air for the Berlin Airlift and the Cuban Embargo. After retirement he served as the Medical Service Officer and the Deputy Commander for his VFW chapter in Arkansas. Along the way he owned a hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota; sold real estate, was the editor of a newspaper reporting on the poultry business in Arkansas, and then finished his work career with 15 years at Jacuzzi Brothers beginning as production manager of the Lonoke plant and finishing as National Sales Manager in Little Rock. In his spare time he had a small garden full of tomatoes and roses. The traits that defined Bud Ervin, the man, were not his military career or his post-military career. His love of family, friends, and community and his willingness to lend a helping hand, share a kind word which was usually given with a smile was the man we remember. He was an optimist against all odds. His advice to his children and grandchildren was to live one day at a time, work hard, and remember that the people around you make you who you are. That was the man I know as my dad. In lieu of flowers or formal memorials, my dad would prefer you do a random act of kindness for someone in need. He will be forever in our hearts and is missed greatly.

Published May 6, 2015

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