BJD Tribute

A Cowboy Psalm

By Boston John Doucette

Dear God, only you know when I'll reach the end of my trail,

So I want you to know I'm grateful.

A hundred times I've been thrown by life

And a hundred times You've lifted me back in the saddle.

Every morning I se Your smile in the sunrise over the prairie

And taste Your breath in the sage on the wind.

You put the ache in my bones at sunset to remind me that I'm still alive,

And the stars in the midnight sky to keep me humble.

I know that you love me.

When I've thirsted, You've been my drink

And Your words have been my bread.

You catch me when I tangle my spurs,

You keep me from taking the crooked path.

You gave Your Son for my immortal soul.

And I know, Lord, that when I am judged

You won't care how long I stayed on-

But how well I rode.

Dave Nelson, Green River, WY

2002

Boston John Doucette

AKA

Dave Nelson

It’s been very difficult for me to write a eulogy for Dave because, like the rest of you, I have been so overwhelmed with the sudden loss of our dear friend.

I first meet Dave just a few days after he and his wife Betty gave their lives to Christ. Our common interests were guns, Cowboy Action Shooting, and most importantly the love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

It was my privilege to meet with Dave and Betty in their home to study God’s word. We laughed together, cried together, and grew in our faith because of it. One evening we were having a little ice cream during our study and the dogs were at my feet staring at me. I said, “Dave I think your kids like me”, he said “no… you’re eating out of their bowl!” This was classic Dave Nelson humor.

Betty and I would tease Dave that everything he owned had a name. I couldn’t be a cowboy hat it was a Stetson. I wasn’t a sport jacket it was a Brook’s brother’s cashmere smoking jacket. Dave could probably tell you which goat from what heard in the Himalayas the wool came from. Betty and I had great fun with this but I am not sure Dave did.

Dave was a life member of the Single Action Shooting Society. All Cowboy Action shooters have an alias and Dave’s was Boston John Doucette. He took the name of his uncle John Doucette who was a character actor in so many John Wayne movies. Cowboy Action Shooting was the vehicle for an internet ministry. Dave started the Prayer Posse on the Frontier Spot and was involved with people on many Cowboy Action web sites. Someone would have a prayer request and those folks prayed for each of their needs. What an inspiration and comfort he brought visiting with people from all over the world and earned a reputation as a gentleman and icon of Cowboy Action Shooting. Boston John Doucette or BJD to his friends will be forever remembered in his poetry. His writings of poetry and short stories could make you cry from laughter or sorrow because he showed you his heart.

These next two poems of Boston John Doucette give you an insight to the man whose life we have gathered to honor today.

The Passing of Navajo John

The telegram was waiting when I rode into Cheyenne:

“Navajo John is dying STOP... Come as quick as you can...”

My horse was getting tired but I knew that I could push her,

So immediately we began to trek the hundred miles to Denver.

I passed hours in the saddle by remembering the man

Who’d taught a ragtag orphaned boy the secrets of the land.

Two and a half days later I rode up to the home

Of the old man who’d adopted me, and the family I’d known.

I wasn’t prepared for the fellow I saw as Maggie drew me inside...

He looked so small and fragile underneath the buffalo hide;

The image flashed of a brawny man hunting elk and deer and bear,

But disappeared when I met his eyes and the pain reflected there.

I sat with him for hours; his breathing was raspy and labored

As I spoke of times and places we’d been, and people he had favored.

He couldn’t speak but squeezed my hand to show that he was listening,

And when I stood at last to leave, his tired eyes were glistening.

I said I’d come the next morning and be with him all day,

But with the light of the early dawn, John’s spirit slipped away.

He’d lived among the Indians and been a Mountain Man,

And he welcomed his crossing over as exploring a new land.

To some the world seems poorer with Navajo John’s passing on,

But he left us richer for knowing him, so he’s never really gone;

The ride back home passed quickly, as mile after mile,

I heard John’s laughter in the wind and felt his joyful smile.

The Cowboy Way

It's one of those things that's hard to describe,

You have it or you don't;

Some are born with it, some will learn it,

While others can't or won't.

It's personal honor above all else,

It's Duty, Country and God;

It's compassion for all others

And accepting our personal flaws.

It's "Do unto others" as the Bible says,

It's humility when you're right;

It's knowing when to stand or fold,

It's mercy instead of might.

It's helping a fellow when he's down,

It's facing life with a grin;

It's playing the hand that you've been dealt–

Whether it's lose or win.

It's leaving the world somewhat richer

For your having been on Earth;

It's having earned your neighbors' respect

With friendship, grace and mirth.

It's always showing good manners,

And embracing every day

As though you'll stand before God’s throne:

That’s the Cowboy Way.

So many stories to tell, but who was Dave Nelson? He was a Christian man who loved the one true God; he loved his wife and protected her best he could, and he held his friends dear. To me you can’t ask much more than that. He was generous to a fault; no distance was too far to comfort a friend in need. He was always there with a joke or give council when you were unsure what to do.

Dave and I agreed a long time ago that if we ever got separated we would meet up at the rifle range in heaven. Now some folks don’t believe there is a rifle range in heaven, but I hope God will make an exception when I get there. It will be me, Boston John Doucette, and Sam Colt.

I hope somehow that Dave is listening to this house painter trying to describe the art work of the Sistine Chapel. Like so many of my Cowboy Action compadres; I aint got the words to describe the life of this dear friend.

BJD was my confidant, my shooting buddy, my brother in Christ. Dave Nelson was my friend and I will miss him. By the grace of God I am assured that in only a breath of time I will see him again.

Boston John Doucette: He was born with the gift of laughter, and a sense that the world was mad.

Via con Dios my friend,

1st Sgt John Ryan 7th Cavalry

Our Pard Boston John

The prairie’s a little more lonely tonight

The wind is a little more cold

Around many a campfire and gathering place

The story, with sadness, is told

A good pard has left us, a fine cowboy poet

We wish that he could have stayed on

But that’s not the way of things, that’s not our call

In our hearts, his words will stay on

He was know far and wide, a good friend to many

Brought a smile to many a face

As solid a man seldom rode cross the plains

And we wish he was still in this place

As he rides to another realm, and leaves us behind

Like the coyotes, he’ll roam and be free

But tonight as I listen to those coyotes’ song

It sounds like they’re cryin to me

So we say adios to another great man

As we have many times in the past

And we just we carry on in the best way we can

And we know his memory will last

Like the wide Western sky and the Wyoming peaks

His image will still linger on

And the memory of our friend, our pard, Boston John

Will be held in our hearts like a song.

Utah Bob