James Edward Bendure

Father's Day weekend seemed like a good time to talk about my father.  James Edward Bendure was born to Ray Bendure and Avis Dickerson Patterson on March 14, 1936.  He fell about in the middle of his siblings (Marjorie, Billy Ray, Phyllis, James, Claudine, Lillie Fay, Patsy, Rose Mary, Nina, Paul, and Larry) and he seems to play the peacemaker role.  He graduated from Chouteau High School in 1954 where he played in the band.  He didn't play sports because he was always compared to his brother, Billy, who was a natural athlete.  He went to work on the pipeline (his father was a pipeliner) immediately following high school.  He followed Billy into the Army and served in the Korean War toward its end.  He worked in personnel but was assigned the extra duty of being the last man to cross Freedom Bridge if they were ever attacked, given the duty of blowing up the bridge before invasion.  Luckily, he never had to do that.  He served in the Army until 1958 finishing as a Sargeant.  He had opportunities to stay in the Army and work in Washington DC. but chose to come back to Oklahoma.  He bought into a gas station in Chouteau and ran it until he met Norma Gore one evening in Pryor.  They were married on September 19, 1959.

James went back to work on the pipeline because he could make more money.  It was while working on the pipeline in Kingwood, WVA, that his daughter, Jamie, was born (in July of 1960).  When work ran out, he took classes at Northeastern State at Tahlequah, but never obtained a college degree.  Some years he worked at the Pryor radio station - one of his favorite stories was the "bear hunt" they had around Adair where they would call him with updates on the hunt and he would broadcast it over the radio.

In 1965, he moved the family to Mt. Vernon, IL, so he could go to work for Vedal Pipeline Construction's main office.  This enabled him to provide for his family all year long as he would work in the office both on the job and during off months.  In 1967, son Robert was born in Mt. Vernon.

In 1974, Vedal chose to close down and James began to seek other employment.  Sheehan Pipeline in Tulsa hired him as an office manager and they bought a home in his hometown of Chouteau, Oklahoma.  Within days, an offer to go to work for Santa Fe-Curren in Denver was made for more of a public relations type of job, but he turned it down thinking that the move to Oklahoma would be best for his family.  James worked all over the United States for Sheehan, starting as an office manager and finishing as a job superintendent.  James is known for helping others, whether it be financially or in some other manner.  He would have no problem giving you his opinion, but is always fair in his discussion with you.  He is well liked by family and friends.

My father worked hard, and he tried to be at all the "big"' events of our lives because his father often was not.  Still, it was difficult to not have him with us all the time not only as his children, but also for his wife, who had to be both parents.  There were years that Dad would work nearly 300 days out of the year, with his family seeing him only through the summer and holidays.  He did it to provide us with everything that he could.  It was always understood that we would go to college.  It was always understood that we would do our best.  And when we needed him, he was and is there not only for his children, but for his siblings, nieces and nephews. 

So, on this Father's Day, in a year where he has suffered a stroke but come out of it in as good a shape as possible, I just wanted the world to know that I am proud to be his child and hope that I can be as well thought of as he is by all who know him.  Thanks for everything, Dad!