Roll Call Tribute

Published in Austin American-Statesman from June 22 to June 23, 2014

Wayne D. "Red" OLIVER(1924 - 2014)
OLIVER, Wayne D. "Red"

Wayne D. "Red" Oliver passed away June 21, 2014 in Austin Texas. He was born June 5, 1924 in Isanti Minnesota. Red is survived by his former wife June Oliver Ault; children Jean and Randy LaGrone, Kay Wentworth, and Suzanne Oliver; grandchildren Jeff LaGrone, Eve McCabe, Ben Thompson, and Mark Thompson; great grandchildren Brenna and Mathew McCabe; his dear love Muriel Suki Wright; his sisters Myrtle Pino and Tootsie Marohn. 

Red lived an extraordinary life, working hard at what he loved. He studied and excelled in many different things. Serving in the US Army Air Forces, he flew P-38s during WWII; his environmental work resulted in the public protection of sensitive and scenic areas of Texas and other Western states; he participated in the early Austin music scene by photographing Willie Nelson and family along with all the other musicians and songwriters in Austin at that time; in retirement Red took up stock dog handling and for many years he and his dogs were the team to beat. Red was an outdoorsman, a birder, a photographer, a river runner, a dog handler, a student, a teacher, a man who made friends everywhere he went. 

In short, we think there is no better person of whom it can be said, "He will do, to run the river with." 

To support the interests he cared most about, environmental preservation and stock dogs, memorial contributions may be made in his name to The National Cattle Dog Association: http://nationalcattledog.com/ or to The Independence Creek Preserve Endowment Fund: P.O. Box 150 Dryden, TX 78551