Dan D. Blackwell, age 82, left this life on earth on February 8, 2018. Funeral services were held at 3 P.M. Saturday, February 10, 2018 at the Seymour Memorial Funeral Home Chapel, with Pastor
Chad Houck, pastor of the Baylor County Cowboy Church officiating. Graveside services were held at 2 P.M. Sunday, February 11, 2018 at the Girard Cemetery in Kent County, Texas.

Dan was born March 24, 1935 in Girard, Kent County, Texas. All Dan ever wanted to be was a cowboy, and he lived his dream. Dan told the story of being a youngster and not doing well in school, because he spent all his time staring out the window wishing he were outside riding his horse.

When Dan was 14 he left home to fulfill that dream of being a cowboy. Dan worked on the Pitchfork, Matador, the 6666's, and the original Swenson Ranch where he met and married the foreman's daughter, Merlene Thompson. After Dan and Merlene married, they moved many times from ranch to ranch, until he finally found a home working for the W.T. Waggoner Estate. The family which now consisted of a son, Buck, and daughter, Christie made the Old McLarty camp home for several years, then moving to the La Paloma camp until Dan retired at age 65.

Dan loved life, and he loved living. Cowboying was his life, fishing was his passion. There was nothing he enjoyed more than fishing. He could tie a hook on nothing but a piece of string, bait it, throw it into the water, and in a few minutes there would be a fish on the end of it!

Dan always had a smile, a handshake, and his customary greeting, "How ya doing?, for anyone he happened to see while he was out and about his day. He loved to visit almost as much as he loved to fish.

Dan lived a good life and he was well loved by his family, his friends and his Lord. While we will miss and mourn his passing, we rejoice that one day when we pass from this life over to the next one, we will open our eyes and he will be there with a smile and a handshake, and ask us
"how ya doing?" and we can answer back, "fine Dan, just fine".

Dan is survived by his wife, Merlene of Seymour, Texas; his daughter, Christie Richardson and husband, Jody of Sanger, Texas; his son, Buck Blackwell and wife, Marquita of Roaring Springs, Texas; his grandchildren, Jennifer (John) Jones, Taylor (Jaelyn) Blackwell, Sara (Nick) Mancari,
Nathan Blackwell, Lyndley (Jonathan) Perkins, Amber (Chris) Muscianese; 8 Great-grandchildren and a brother, Mickey Blackwell and wife, Yvonne of Tulia, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents, and by one sister, Betty Carr.

There is a line in the movie, "The Good Ole Boy's" where Hewey Callaway is speaking over an old cowboy that has passed. It is a goodbye that I think Dan would appreciate.
"Take a good look boys before he rides off, cause they ain't making any more of them."