Brian Baugh
Brian Baugh passed away on Friday, July 1.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 7, 2022 at 2 p.m. at Belvieu Cemetery in Rotan, TX.
He was born in In Lubbock, Texas on April 7, 1963 and I came along on November 30, 1964. Yes, Brian was my older brother. My very first memory ever, was of us swinging on a teeter-totter most likely made of pipe and getting stung by wasps. I shared a room with my brother since birth until he left home in 1983. You bunk with someone that long, you get to know everything.
Growing up, he always went first. When we got our butts busted, he always went first, and I had to watch what was coming. We spent every Summer on the ranch in Stonewall County. Brian at the time was a Webelo, so he taught me skills that every man should know like how to build a fire. It was a windy day in late June so we found a calm place behind the tractor shed under the 300 gallon gas tank to build our fire. We got our fire lit and going and I was giving Brian all the praise when Sam (our grandfather) strides on the scene and in one motion jerked him up, stripped off his belt, put out the fire and gave him what for. Yep, he always went first and I am pretty sure I passed out.
I remember the slide at the ranch. At my age, that thing was 80 foot tall with a 75 percent slope. Edmonia, our loving grandmother decided that we should slide down sitting on wax paper. Yep, Brian went first. Brian hit the bottom going 75 MPH and when the dust cleared, he was about twenty feet from the slide. I was glad he went first. Mona took my wax paper and took us to town for ice cream. I remember riding around in a little green john boat with a five-horsepower motor on White River Lake trying to out run super cell thunder storms at a snail’s pace while wearing the big orange coast guard approved life jackets and feeding off of each other’s terror. Captain Nemo (Dad) always had a determined look on his face and Mom always had that terrified fake smile.
As often happens, we grew up and grew apart. Brian got married in 1983 and was working for Cryovac and I went to college. By 1990 he had two kids and was building his empire. I always admired his devotion to his family and kids and always strived to be more like him. We would talk ever so often and I would see him on Thanksgiving Holiday and the love and laughter was always there.
In the Spring of 2020, his daughter Perrin had a debilitating stroke and we connected again. We talked every Thursday or Friday every week. He quit his job at Cryovac to take care of Perrin and I was unemployed for 6 months. So, brothers being brothers we talked our way through unemployment, cowboyed on the ranch with Dad and just lived the best we could. Brian’s devotion to the care of Perrin was highly admirable and frankly remarkable. During this time, he could always make me laugh and always kept my spirits up. I will always admire my brother and Thursdays will be a little empty.
Brian leaves behind his mother Jean and father David. His brother Brant and his wife Amy from Lubbock. His Sister Kari Greene and her husband Jason from Snyder and his kids Philip from Dallas and his daughter Perrin in Iowa Park with many aunts uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
