J. B. “Buck” Durham died peacefully at the age of 96 on September 24, 2018. His residence at the date of death was University Village of Round Rock, Texas. His previous residence for 17 years was 3922 Katzman Dr, Austin, Texas. He was born on October 7, 1921, in the rural Texas town of Crowell.
Buck was preceded in death by his wife, Annie Lillie Durham, who passed away in 2010 and his daughter, Carolyn Diane Kerbel, who died in 2017. He is survived by his daughter, Lana Delamotte of Round Rock, Texas, and his son, Larry Durham of Montecito, California. J. B. Durham is also survived by ten grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren and one great, great grandchild.
From the age of 18 he began his long career with the United States Gypsum Company (USG) with time away for a two-year stint in the U. S. Army during World War II. He rose from the position of Private to First Sergeant and completed his military service as a member of the Military Police while awaiting the invasion of Japan. He attributes the dropping of the atomic bombs as possibly saving his life since his troop ship was on its way to invade Japan when President Truman ordered the bombing. Buck was very proud of his military service, but felt the need to return to civilian life and his growing family in 1946, after an honorable discharge. He had been approached by his commanding officer to be placed into officer candidate school in hopes of persuading him to make the military his career avocation. With two young children, he felt a deeper obligation to return to his hometown of Sweetwater, Texas and his former job at USG. Buck was earmarked for top management due to his obvious leadership skills. Hard work, dedication and his pursuit of additional education soon evolved into an executive role at USG. He retired early in 1980 after more than 40 years with the company. However, his next job was to become the Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Safety at his son’s company, Durham Transportation, Inc. He served in that role until 1999 when he finally retired for good.
Buck’s post- employment activities included being an avid collector of pocket knives, baseball caps and assorted pens. Family and friends sought him out continually for sage advice and his warm Texas sense of humor. He will be missed by both family and friends. We are disappointed that he was unable to reach his goal of living for a century. We celebrate that we had him for so many years.
Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home. Graveside services with military honors will follow at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery.
Please visit www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com where you can share memories and leave condolences for our family.
