Wallace Ray Vannoy, born June 5, 1939, to Opal and Guy Vannoy, passed away at the age of 87, leaving behind a family who loved him deeply and a lifetime of memories that will never be forgotten.

On June 19, 1971, Wallace married Barbara Kay Carney, the love of his life. For more than five decades, she was his wife, his partner, and, as he always called her, “Mama.” He loved Mama dearly, although he never missed an opportunity to remind her that her fried chicken just wasn’t quite as good as his mother’s.

Wallace was a hardworking man who spent his life as a roofer, working hard to provide for his family. He also proudly served in the United States Army during peacetime.

To those who didn’t know him well, Wallace’s loud voice and larger-than-life personality could sometimes be intimidating. But to his children, he was the soft one. He was stubborn, ornery, and could certainly give you a hard time, but he was also gentle and loving. His children could probably count on one hand the number of times they ever got in trouble with him—and he never even gave them a spanking.

Wallace had a special way of showing love: he picked on you.

He especially loved teasing his grandchildren and joking around with them. Giving them a hard time was one of his favorite pastimes, and they knew that behind every bit of his ornery teasing was a whole lot of love.

He was also famously spoiled by Mama, something the family would gladly tease him about. And he always seemed to have one thing with him—a toothpick in his mouth.

When his daughter was young and needed money, Wallace’s response was always some variation of, “You’re killing me.” It was just another one of those Wallace sayings that became part of the family’s collection of memories.

Wallace loved sports and could often be found with a game playing on the television. He was a devoted fan of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys and, in recent years, became a Kansas City Chiefs fan. His reasoning was simple: Patrick Mahomes was a Texan.

But more than watching sports, Wallace loved watching his family play. He went to his children’s and grandchildren’s games whenever he could and could often be found at local high school games even when he didn’t have a family member playing. He simply loved being there.

He also loved westerns, and many memories of him will include the familiar sound of sports or an old western playing in the background.

Wallace had a passion for raising and showing Bantam Game chickens and traveled throughout the United States with his nephew Troy Vannoy to attend shows. He took great pride in the hobby and in the memories they made together along the way.

And then there was his morning Dr. Pepper. A trip to the local gas station for his morning drink was simply part of Wallace’s routine.

He is survived by his sons, Vince Kerr and husband Ash, and Brad Kerr and wife Kay; his daughter, Stacy Vannoy; his grandchildren, Michael Kerr and husband Jhony, Tyler Kerr, Brandon Kerr and wife April, Dalton Kerr, Amanda Franklin, Logan Johnson and wife Amber, and Brooke Brown and husband Catfish; and his great-grandchildren, Maddox Kerr, Sawyer Kerr, Avery Johnson, Kayce Johnson, and Cam Brown.

Wallace will be remembered for his stubbornness, his ornery spirit, his teasing, his toothpick, his love of sports and westerns, and most of all, his love for his family.

But perhaps what everyone will miss most is his laugh and his smile.

You could hear Wallace’s laugh from a mile away. And once you heard it, you knew exactly where he was.

His family will miss hearing that laugh from the next room. They will miss his teasing. They will miss seeing that toothpick in his mouth and sports or a western playing on the television. They will miss his morning trips for a Dr. Pepper. They will miss all the little things that seemed so ordinary while he was here but will mean so much now that he’s gone.

Most of all, they will miss having him there.

Wallace spent his life loving his family in his own unmistakable way. He leaves behind generations who will carry his stories, his laughter, his stubbornness, his humor, and his love with them.

And somewhere, we like to think, there is a ballgame on the television, a toothpick in his mouth, and Wallace’s unmistakable laugh can still be heard from a mile away.

Rest easy, Dad. We love you, and we will miss you more than words can say.