Curtis LeRoy Rushing was born November 9th 1926 in Terrell, Texas and passed to join the rest of his family with his Lord on Saturday July 25, 2020 at the age of 93. He was the youngest child of nine children born to John Wright Rushing and Sarah Ellen Turner Rushing. He grew up in Terrell, graduated from Terrell High School and went into the Army for service during WWII. Just before he completed basic training the war with Japan ended and he was assigned to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia to attend “Correctional Custodial Courses”. On the way to Georgia, via train, the train collided with a large truck filled with shelled corn. Damage to the train was such that it delayed the trip by about eight hours. Curtis sustained some serious back injuries due to this accident. After completing his training for Correctional Custodian he was assigned to the Disciplinary Barracks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin arriving there on Christmas Eve 1945. This station was a maximum security type prison for convicted service personal. He was assigned duty on the medical ward and about one week after this assignment, a riot commenced and he was held hostage about twenty hours. This was a horrifying experience for a 19 year old from Kaufman County, Texas. Soon after this serious riot, the Army issued directives that military personal under age of twenty one would not be assigned duty in a maximum security prison. He was then transferred to Fort Sheridan, Illinois near Chicago, Illinois until his discharge in 1947. He rejoined the Army and was stationed in Dallas for a year. During that time he attended night classes at SMU University. He finished one semester before being assigned to Fort Hood, Texas to attend training in Medical Records for the sick and wounded. From this assignment, he went to Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, for leadership and officer training.
After the leadership training, Curtis was assigned to Pusan, Korea and joined the 1st Calvary Division. Lucky for, him the 1st Calvary division was in the process of transferring to Hokkaido, Japan.
After the tour of duty in Japan, he was sent to New Orleans Port of Embarkation, for discharge. Upon discharge, he took a job at the port working for the US Army Reserve. His knowledge of medical records got him in a 1000 bed general hospital as the Hospital Registrar. He was appointed the same grade as a Warrant Officer. Not having a college degree, thus he attended many service schools that awarded college credits and during the years he accumulated enough college credits for a degree in the humanities of military personnel from the Armed Forces Institute.
The Vietnam War caused changes with his military situation and he settled back in Terrell. Once in Terrell he worked and later retired from Terrell State Hospital where he worked in Texas Department of Mental Health, Legal and Claims Department.
Curtis purchased a local Floral and Gift Shop running this business simultaneously with his hospital job. Purchasing two more shops caused a consolidation into La Casa Verde Florists Inc..
His travels to Japan and Korea developed in him a desire to travel and he did so over the years. He traveled to the Holy Lands, Europe, Egypt, and many other interesting places.
He was an eclectic individual; he could go to the city dump and come back with things he would turn into something artistic. He was an abstract artist, and all his work that was offered for sale sold. He was also a self taught organist and played as one of the organists at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church of Terrell for over thirty years. Bach and Mozart came with ease if he knew the melody. While stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, in the forties, he and several soldiers played for some Saturday night dances in the area. He played the accordion for these gigs. Curtis was also the author of a collection of prose, “Afternoon Stillness”.
Curtis was a member of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, the Son’s of the American Revolution, Charter member and one of the founders of the Terrell Heritage Society, Charter member of the National World War II Museum, and member of the Military Officers Association of America.
Mr. Rushing was cremated and his remains will be buried at his headstone in the Rushing plot, Kaufman Cemetery, Kaufman, Texas.
Curtis leaves behind three nieces and three nephews as well as numerous great nieces and nephews.
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