Independence Day has an added meaning at Prairie Pointe now. Three-year resident Alton McCune spent a late evening on the 4th watching fireworks and visiting with his daughter Anita Reynolds and his soon to be son-in-law Phil Wright. The next morning he was late for breakfast and when we checked on him, he had obviously died very peacefully in his sleep. A true Independence Day for him!
Alton was quite a fellow and he will be sorely missed. He was our resident Mr. Fix-It. If Alton couldn’t fix it, it wasn’t worth fixing. He recently painted some metal lawn chairs a bright cherry red with white lattice work inset. He was also a master furniture maker. Among a host of furniture items he hand-crafted, his family cherishes the grandfather clock, roll top desk and bedroom suite he made.
He was an avid reader and western Oklahoma history buff. He was very involved with the Cimarron Heritage Center Museum in Boise City and restored many of the old tractors, horse-drawn buggies and even a hearse which are on display there. The train depot which was moved to the site and restored was another of his projects.
About a month ago, he came to me with a Farm Collector magazine and in the Mystery Tool article, he had identified two unidentified items. One was a tool used in early wooden ship or boat building. They caulked between the wooden planks and this tool was used to drive the caulk even further down between the planks to create a waterproof seal.
The second item was a piece off of a binder machine that creates the knot in the twin that is tied around a bundle. He actually had one of these and believes it came off of a McCormick binder machine. Alton was a wealth of knowledge of all things mechanical or construction related.
Alton also loved his Texas Rangers, dominoes, Red Man chew in the green package and the flatlands of the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Services are pending but will be in Boise City, Oklahoma where Alton and wife Ina raised their family of eight children. We love you Alton and may you rest in peace.