Dates
This is the story of Dickie Mace Halstead even though the space of this print could not hold the enormity of his witty personality. Dickie was a creative, fun-loving, and simple, sweet man that was loved, is missed, and will always be cherished. Our “Paps,” as he liked to be called by his grandchildren, “Sunshine,” as he was called by his wife, and Richard by his acquaintances, was an amazing husband, father, grandfather, and a true jack of all trades.
Dickie’s story starts on November 6, 1950, the youngest child to Mason Halstead and Elsie Brasher. Dickie was born in Ft. Worth, Texas. He spent most of his childhood in San Angelo, Texas dreaming of being a rockstar or television actor. He loved music and movies; however, he dutifully joined the United States Navy from 1969-1972. He often told stories of chasing girls, playing board games with the Russians, or visiting the Parthenon in Greece. He was most proud of simply exploring the big world, fighting in the Vietnam War, and being “careful as we went through the Bermuda Triangle.” San Angelo, Texas is where he would meet the love of his life, Bettye Jo Deans. Dickie and Bettye were married at the Methodist Church in Bronte, Texas on July 25, 1975, a date he occasionally forgot. In his younger years of marriage, he worked at numerous T.V. stations, creatively wrote commercials, and worked the camera for the news while raising his first daughter, Vanessa, and attending Angelo State University as a theater student.
In 1984, after their second daughter, Shawn, was born, Dickie and Bettye enjoyed living in the “big city” of Dallas, Texas where he began his own business of commercial painting. His proudest accomplishment was painting the windows of the West End Marketplace in downtown Dallas when it first opened.
Not only was Dickie renowned for his commercial painting skills, he masterfully designed wood products and carpentry that were often sought after. He even designed and made his own magic tricks, so he and his daughter, Vanessa, could perform at local birthday parties and Fiesta del Concho in San Angelo, Texas. Vanessa remembers accompanying him to painting jobs, going ice skating every Saturday, and being measured for a small box “so he could put swords through me and make me disappear.” He fully immersed himself in connecting to his children through movies, especially funny movies with belly-laughing scenes. Shawn recalls roller-blading in the park, once contemplating if “Dad really was the Pringles guy,” or getting VIP access to the pit at the Texas Motor Speedway where he was an event supervisor. Pride seeped from his mustache-smile as he shared his latest celebrity encounter at the Nascar races.
Later in life, Dickie’s grandchildren were his heart and joy. Times spent with Paps building a dog house, going to a wrestling show, coloring at the kitchen table, or going for an ice cream at Dairy Queen every day after school were his most treasured moments. The last 12 years of his life, he endured Parkinson’s Disease, yet continued to try to laugh with family during the holidays, muster the strength to travel for birthdays, and habitually collecting guitars to keep his fingers nimble.
Loved ones that cleared the path for Dickie are his father Mason Halstead and mother Elsie Brasher. Loved ones that will miss Dickie until they meet again are his wife Bettye Halstead of Milford, Texas; his daughter Vanessa Conatser and husband Chris of Allen, Texas; his daughter Shawn Kozlovsky and husband Ricky of Waxahachie, Texas; and his grandchildren Taylor Fuentes, Kadan Conatser, Addison Kozlovsky, Zoey Kozlovsky, and Jett Conatser. His sister Cheryl Turn and husband Kip Turn of Midwest City, Oklahoma and his brothers Ricky Halstead and Jim Halstead of Arizona.
And so the story goes on until we see our Paps and Sunshine again. We love you, miss you, and yearn for the day we join in laughter again.
A visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at Harper Funeral Home from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Funeral services will be on Thursday, February 16, 2023 at Harper Funeral Home at 11:00 AM. Burial will follow at Hylton Cemetery.
Visitation
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
5:00PM - 7:00PM
Harper Funeral Home
2606 Southland Boulevard
San Angelo, TX 76904
Funeral Service
Thursday, February 16, 2023
11:00AM
Harper Funeral Home
2606 Southland Boulevard
San Angelo, TX 76904