Carson Wayne Bird's Obituary
Carson Bird, 81, of Shamrock passed away Monday, October 31, 2022 in Wheeler.
Carson Wayne Bird, son of Lee Roy and Johnnie (Lewis) Bird, was born on October 26, 1941, in Lamesa, TX. In some people, the Lord instills a love of travel or literature; in others, a fascination with music, sports, or architecture. In young Carson, well before his third birthday, the Lord sparked a love for the strength and elegance and raw power of horses—a love that never waned.
With family and friends, Carson roped steers and calves in Jal, NM, and Shamrock, TX. He bred mares both to his own studs, as well as to others, raised their colts, and broke them to halter and saddle. When it came to horses, his was an encyclopedic mind. He was a man at home in the saddle, reins in hand, looking like a cowboy from the black-and-white photos on the Great Plains of the 1800s.
After twenty-eight years of work for El Paso Natural Gas, Carson retired, but he continued to work in other ways. He raised cattle. He bred more mares to his stud. And he did it all alongside his wife, Jeanette, with whom he shared life and love for well over half a century. They raised a son and daughter together, for whom they modeled a life of commitment to family, church, service, decency, and love of neighbor.
Carson knew that the details of a life mattered, so he literally wrote them down. He began and kept a daily diary since 1966. He also knew that the Word of God mattered, so he daily rose well before dawn and began his day by reading the Bible, chapter after chapter, book after book, year after year. And he knew that where you came from was important, so he poured himself into genealogical research, tracing the Bird’s family origins back to the Revolutionary War and beyond.
He once remarked to his family that what he really wanted out of life, his dream, was “to own a little land, raise horses, and have a good family.” God saw fit to fulfill those dreams. The Lord used this man—a humble man, a hard-working man, one who shunned any limelight—the Lord used him to be a blessing to others. And in that way, this ordinary Christian man, in the common and everyday things of life, became a conduit for the King of kings to do extraordinary things. The world is richer, better, brighter because this beloved child of God, Carson Bird, was part of it.
Carson is preceded in death by his parents, Lee Roy and Johnnie Bird, and beloved grandson, Luke Bird. He is survived by his wife of fifty-six years, Jeanette Bird; his two children, Rayna Barefoot and husband Scott of Shamrock, TX, and Chad Bird and wife Stacy of New Braunfels, TX; sister Janice and Larry Kennedy of Shreveport, LA; grandchildren Rhandyl and Cole Vinyard, Danton and Angela Barefoot, Connor and Colton Vinson, Auriana and Josh Mallory, Shelbi and Jess Nickerson, Colton and Kelsey Nickerson; great-grandchildren Remington and Barrett Vinyard; Elena, Uriah, and Elijah Barefoot; Colt, Bowen, and MacEllen Nickerson; and multiple nieces and nephews.
We, Carson’s family, commit him into the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life. We do not say “Goodbye” but “We will see you again.”
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
• The Christian nonprofit, 1517 (381 Rancho Camino, Fallbrook, CA 92028)
• Calvary Christian Fellowship (913 S. Main, Shamrock, TX 79079)
Visitation is Thursday, November 3, from 4-6 PM, at Robertson Funeral Home in Shamrock, TX. Private family graveside services are pending.
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