Funeral Plans Set For Cavender’s Founder
The life of a beloved East Texas businessman will be remembered June 1 in Pittsburg, Texas.
According to KLTV, the memorial service will be 3 p.m. on June 1 at the First Baptist Church in Pittsburg. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 31 at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center in Pittsburg.
KLTV also included information from a press release detailing Cavender's life and career:
Cavender was raised in the post-depression era in Oklahoma among a family of entrepreneurs. He entered the Air Force and completed a tour of duty in Korea, then married his college sweetheart in 1955.
Two years later he opened his first business in Pittsburg, at a time when Elvis Presley was king, and bobby socks, milkshakes and burgers were all the rage. A year into this, Cavender changed one letter in the business name so he didn't have to keep paying the franchise fee. "Dairy Mart" became "Dairy Hart!"
He sold Dairy Hart in 1965 and opened his first retail store "Cavender & Smith's," and the rest, as they say, is history.
The company celebrated 50 years in 2015 and is still known as the largest dealer of Western boots in East Texas. It is still family-owned, and run by Cavender's wife and children.
People took to social media to remember the pioneer businessman and kind soul who loved and made East Texas his home: