Dan Bacon

Dan Wallace Bacon left us on June 8, 2019, surrounded by friends, loved ones and beautiful music. He was born December 17, 1930 in Childress, Texas, the son of Joseph Driver Bacon and Georgia Mae Wallace Bacon. He was raised in Humble Oil pipeline camps across South Texas and the Hill Country. Dan graduated from Alice High School in 1948; from Texas A & I University in 1951; and from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1955. He completed his medical residency at Breckenridge Hospital in Austin.\r\n\r\nDan served his country in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1958. He then returned to Kerrville and entered medical practice, which he continued until 1990. During this time, he maintained a private practice and staff privileges at Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital. Over the course of his career, he delivered over 3500 babies, performed countless surgeries, and cared for his patients in innumerable ways, from giving children their football physicals, to treating chigger bites and broken bones at area summer camps, to comforting and supporting his patients through serious illness and loss.\r\n \r\nAfter retiring from private practice, Dan went on to a second career at the Kerrville VA Hospital, where he cared for ill and injured veterans from 1990 to 2003. He was Chief of Staff of the VA from 1992 to 2003. He then worked for VistaCare Hospice through 2012, providing end-of-life care and support to seriously ill people in the community.\r\n \r\nDan married Alice Ann Tidwell in 1951. They had four children, Georgia Alice, Dan Jr., Rodney and William (Bill). He married Georgia White Roth in 1988, and became a much-loved stepfather to her children, Marnie, Matthew and David.\r\n \r\nDan played trombone throughout his life, starting at the age of twelve. He often remarked that his passion for music allowed him to pursue his passion for medicine, as his talent won him a scholarship to attend college. He was a charter member of the Band Aid Jazz Band, the Sentimental Journey Orchestra, and Joe Mims' Big Band South. Recently he had become a fixture with the Kerrville Jam Band at the Dietert Center, and had just made his first professional foray into mariachi music.\r\n\r\nDan was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and was also, in 1967, the founder of the Salvation Army Clinic, which served the poor in Kerrville with free medical and dental care for many years. He served on the board of the Kerrville Independent School District for nine years. He was Kerr County Medical Officer and the official doctor for Camp Waldemar, Camp Mystic, Camp Stewart, Camp Heart O' the Hills, and the Tivy High School football team for many years.\r\n\r\nDan is preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Georgia Bacon, his brother, Joe D. Bacon, and his sister, Billie Jean Bacon. He is survived by his first wife, Alice Ann; his children and their spouses, Georgia Alice Bacon Edwards and Tim Edwards, of San Angelo; Dan Wallace Bacon Jr. and Lorraine Bacon, of Aurora, CO; Rodney Tidwell Bacon and Lynn Wickham Bacon, of Kerrville; and William Alan (Bill) Bacon and Cindy Black Bacon, of Harper; his current wife, Georgia White Roth; and his stepchildren and their spouses, Marnie Roth Bethel and Jeffrey Bethel, of Albuquerque, NM; Matthew Louis Dent Roth and Lisa Roth, of Boerne; and Will David Waitman Roth, of Seattle, WA. \r\n\r\nDan's grandchildren include Rachel Edwards Thomas, David Glen Edwards, Timothy Blake Edwards, and Alice Leigh Edwards, all of Dallas; Rodney Walker Bacon and Lindsey Page Bacon, of Kerrville; Victoria Suzanne Bacon Woody, of Austin; Catherine Caroline Bacon and Anneliese Isabella Bacon, of Harper; Austin James Dent Roth, of Boerne; Larissa Sorensen, of Colorado Springs, CO; and Adam Roth Bethel and Alexander Benjamin Bethel, of Albuquerque, NM. Dan is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and great-grandchildren, and his beloved dog, Beau. He was the heart of a large and loving family. May his memory be for a lasting blessing.\r\n\r\nVisitation will be held from 5-7 PM, Monday, June 10, 2019 at Grimes Funeral Chapels.\r\n\r\nA celebration of Dan's life will be held at Kerrville First United Methodist Church at 2:00 on Tuesday, June 11th, with Tim Edwards and Marnie Bethel officiating. A reception will follow.\r\n\r\nIn lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Hill Country Veterans' Center, the Humane Society, or Doctors Without Borders.\r\n