Mr. Gus Booker's Obituary
I am Gus Booker
I migrated from Oxford, Mississippi to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1959 in search of better job opportunities. The same year I moved to Indianapolis, I met and married my love, Cora. After getting married my life changed, and it was time for me to be a man. I worked for Dickey and Son delivering tools to local businesses. In 1962 we had our first child, a handsome baby boy, Kenith Booker and I decided it was time to make more money to support my growing family. I enrolled in a truck driving school located in Illinois, and within a year I had my professional truck driver’s license. I was able to transport anything from food products to hazardous material.
I also decided to go back to school and enrolled in Arsenal Technical High School around 1964. I completed the 9th grade but was no longer able to attend, due to increased job responsibilities.
In 1967, we had our next child, a beautiful little girl, Teresa Booker.
My career as a truck driver was a good move for my family and me, I was able to purchase a home, save for my children’s college education and retirement. The following are career and hobby highlights from my life:
o My first job as a truck driver was with Terminal Transport for 3 yrs, and then I was hired on with Transcon and worked there for 19 years. After the closing of Transcon; I was hired on to work for Consolidated Freight Way Transport for three years, and then I resigned.
o I was a founding member and President of the Dirty Dozen Big Game Hunting & Fishing Club, which is still in existence today and is a million-dollar organization that mentors young men in the Indianapolis community.
o I have hunted big game all over the country and in Canada
o I have gone deep sea fishing in the Atlantic Ocean, killed a bear in Canada, hunted antelope, and moose in Montana and killed a wild boar in Tennessee.
After resigning from Consolidated Freight truck driving company, we decided to move back to Oxford, MS to retire and help my brother open his restaurant, and after two years, I decided to go back into the trucking industry:
o I worked for Oxford, MS Lafayette county driving a front-end loader for ten years and later,
o I worked for Ryder for five years, and my final trucking employment was for,
o Penske trucking for 2 yrs at which point I retired for the second time from trucking.
I enjoy reading, gardening and watching political news.
I am a member of Tobby Tubby Church.
Throughout my trucking career, I liked to pick up different BBQ sauces as I traveled across the country but could not find the right taste for my perfectly grilled ribs, so I decided to make my sauce. It turns out it was a big hit in the Hunting & Fishing Club and with many family and friends for years. I moved to Texas in 2015, and in the same year my daughter commercialized the sauce, and I named it Booker 351 which was my CB Handle, I was also known as The Noise Maker.
I did things in this life I never imagined I could accomplish. Imagine Me, Gus Booker, a little mischievous country boy, Son of Eva the farmer and George, the security guard, getting married to the love of my life, having kids, choosing to be responsible, owning land and property and living a reasonably good life.
It’s been a good ride baby, don’t look back, keep pushing on.
Gus
November 2, 1939 – March 26, 2019
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