Ted Backer Stories

2007-08-16T10:26:00.000-05:00

August 12th, 2007This is the speech that Tim Backer gave at the Memorial. He sent it to me today to post here. It was enjoyable, funny and exceptionally appropriate for the occasion. Thanks Tim for sharing this with us!We are here to celebrate the life of Ted Backer, what a life it was.I would like to introduce his family that is here, his wife Cindy, whom you all know, his daughter Shawna

Photos from Ron Balliet

2007-08-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

These are some photos that Ron sent me from this past weekend. These are all from dinner on Saturday night at the Blue Dog with the family. As Dave Anderson commented at the beginning of the Memorial on Sunday, we were gathered together to remember the life of Ted, not to mourn his passing. The occasion was somber at times, but was otherwise very jovial as you can see from these pictures.

Haunted house in Scotland??

2007-08-11T11:02:00.000-05:00

Hello Neal, I was very shocked and saddened to hear of Ted’s passing; Ted was such a nice guy, always willing to help and made you feel welcome. I last saw Ted in Houston in March of this year for Halliburton’s OTC Seminar; he had such a cheery disposition. I remember him telling me that a long time ago he had a trip to Aberdeen Scotland and lived in a house called Greenacres; he asked me if I

More Pics from Tod Backer

2007-08-11T10:57:00.001-05:00

Teddy always had a helping hand. The stories here make me proud that he was my brother.Thank You,Tod Backer

Ridin' "The Dragon"

2007-08-09T15:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a great pic of Ted and Cindy on a big ride in North Carolina. The Dragon, I think. Ted's mom Clel sent this to me. Thanks!I'm sure somebody somewhere has a story to tell about this one!(Click HERE for more info on "The Dragon" at Deal's Gap, NC)

BIG THANKS from Numar/Halliburton friend

2007-08-09T08:01:00.000-05:00

In 1997, I had been out of the petroleum industry about 15 years, having lost my first career in the industry down turn of the mid-80's. Sometime during the summer I stumbled over a recruiting ad for NUMAR. I quickly replied and much to my surprise got call from Dave Marshall. I interviewed and was told I had a job as an analyst. Well, things didn't turn out that way. Halliburton purchased

Memories from old Numar friend

2007-08-08T17:10:00.001-05:00

I worked with Ted, Ron and the Numar 1 gang!It was a sad day when Ron informed me of Ted's passing away. So many memories of Ted, lock picking equipment, his plethora of guns and knives; sharpening his knives when "boyfriends" came to pick up Shawna. All the times I had to pay the "friendship" dues during the multitude of happy hours, Ted then saying "you know I have Alzheimer's and am going to

Obituary

2007-08-08T15:23:00.001-05:00

For those who missed the obituary in the Daily Advertiser, here is a link that Ron Balliet sent to me.(Click HERE to read the obituary)

Ted always had a story to tell...

2007-08-08T14:55:00.001-05:00

Hey NealMy deepest sympathy to Ted's family as well as his friends. He will be missed dearly. I worked at Cajun Harley-Davidson for years as the bookkeeper/title clerk/secretary. I was always busy, but when Ted walked in the door it was time for a story. All work stopped while he was there.I had an office right by the restroom which was always his second stop because Ted always took the time

Ted's Mom says Smile!!

2007-08-08T14:31:00.000-05:00

To all of Ted's friends: "Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened." from Ted's Mom, Clel Shore (This is actually a quote by Dr. Seuss - CLICK HERE)

Update: Memorial August 12th

2007-08-07T08:19:00.000-05:00

The memorial service for Ted will be Sunday, August 12th at 11:00 AM at:Catfish Haven (The site of many bike rallies)1554 Cypress Island HwyLafayette, LA.Click HERE for mapThe brief service will be presided over by Dave Anderson of CMA (Christian Motorcycle Assoc.). Following that, there will be a ride to The Benchmark Lounge in Broussard where we will have food and drinks.Benchmark Lounge220

Cool pic of Ted and Cindy

2007-08-07T08:05:00.000-05:00

Clare Martin sent me this recent picture of Ted and Cindy, I think from Mardi Gras recently. She said she thought it was particularly remarkable because of the cool effects of the lights at night. I agree.Thanks Clare!

Travelling back from Colorado

2007-08-07T07:37:00.000-05:00

Ted and I were coming back from Colorado and he was asleep in the back seat of his car while I was driving. A young guy started to show-off his driving skills which was fun to see. The next thing as you can imagine is that Ted woke up, sip the bottle first, then took his gun out and said to me "is everything alright?' And with my eyes wide open and a surprised look I pulled to the side and said "

Ted Backer - integral part of the NUMAR Commandos Nigerian Division

2007-08-06T16:23:00.001-05:00

I have so many stories about Ted, I really don’t know where to start. I joined Numar in March 1992, and my first introduction to Ted (and Cindy) was in a hospital in Houston. He was suffering from a bad bout of pancreatitis and for a few of days I wasn’t sure if he was going to make it. I spent a number of hours at the hospital with Cindy trying to be

The "Condom" Waveform

2007-08-06T08:04:00.000-05:00

Some of Ted’s humor became common terminology around the Numar shop. When I started with Numar in late 1994, it wasn’t long that I was sent up to Malvern, PA to absorb some knowledge on how to maintain the then new “C” tool. I returned to Brenham several weeks later with a notebook full of waveforms I had measured and printed from an oscilloscope. One of the most important ways to determine

HOG HEAVEN

2007-08-05T22:21:00.001-05:00

MY BEST FRIEND PASSED TWO YEARS AGO AT THE AGE OF 43, NOW I CAN TAKE SOME COMFORT IN KNOWING THAT HE HAS SOMEBODY TO PARTY WITH. TEDDY ALWAYS KNEW "HOG HEAVEN" LONG BEFORE HE GOT A HARLEY, NOW I KNOW HE'S TRULY IN HOG HEAVEN. TOD BACKER

Teddy thru the years

2007-08-05T21:58:00.001-05:00

He had a wonderful life. Tod Backer

Email update

2007-08-04T12:41:00.000-05:00

Some of the posts (particularly the ones with pictures) are not coming in correctly when sent to the @blgger.com address, so please send all stories directly to me at neal.breakfield@gmail.com. Also , please be sure to include your name at the bottom of the email.Sorry for the confusion. Thank you all for the GREAT stories! I know that Ted would be pleased.

Stranded on the Interstate

2007-08-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

I remember sitting at work one day having a normal day until Ted called. He was coming back to Lafayette form Houston and his bike broke down right across the state line. He wanted me to go to his house, pick up his trailer and come get him.So I get to his house and he starts to tell me how I’ve got to crawl through a window that is 5 feet off the ground to get into the garage for the tie down

Old friend from elementary school

2007-08-03T09:19:00.000-05:00

This brought tears to my eyes. I can not remember being so sad. I am truly sorry for your loss. I think I was 5 or 6 years old when I first met Ted; we went to grade school together, it seems so long ago and yet the time has passed so quickly. I will always remember him as a small boy, with big smile, rolled up jeans, fixing a bike.Randy

Old friend from New Jersey

2007-08-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

Thank you for sharing this very sad and shocking news. My deepest sympathy to you and all your family. Ted and I were childhood friends, from Flynn Park and Hanley. I moved to CT in 1965 and he came to see me once from NJ, maybe in 1967. That's the last I ever saw him. We became 'reacquainted' through Conrad Sansbury, who I found through classmates.com about 5 years ago. We were email friends

Elemntary school friend

2007-08-03T09:14:00.001-05:00

My name is Bob Lochhead. Ted and I were best friends in elementary school, and we had continued to stay in touch over the years by email. I wanted to share my sadness with you and tell you how warmly I regarded your father. We were very different in many (most) ways, but somehow we always got along well. For years I'd go up to Ted's house at 7470 Washington in U. City virtually every day after

Memorial: Sunday , August 12th

2007-08-03T08:30:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends of Ted and Cindy,Guzzi Dave informed me yesterday that there will be a memorial on Sunday, August 12th at 11:00 AM. I will post the details when I have more information. Please mark that date and time on your calendar. There will be a ride as part of the service.Thanks,Neal

its a start as there are so many stories I could and should tell!

2007-08-02T08:07:00.000-05:00

Hi Neal, Great idea for the blogsite, I’ll email out links to as many as I can. I’ve attached a few pictures in case they can be put on the website as well Here’s a start: Ted was a man that was hard to ignore and impossible to forget. I will be forever grateful for what he taught me over the past 16 years, how he counseled me through several times of indecision and trouble, and the

Old friend from Numar

2007-07-31T14:40:00.000-05:00

I was once traveling through West Texas with Ted, returning to Brenham froma tough logging job in NM. We were tired and hungry when we pulled into alittle place to eat and relax. The waitress asked me what I'd like to drink,and I said just water for now. She asked Ted, "Would you like some wateralso, sir?" Without missing a beat he replied "Water?! Hell, I ain't dirty,I'm THIRSTY". Loved that

Email your stories

2007-07-30T14:43:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends of Ted,You can email stories to neal.breakfield.tedbacker@blogger.com insteadof emailing them to me directly. They will automatically go into thesite as drafts and I will go and publish them manually. That isexactly how I posted this one... very easy. PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE AT LEAST YOUR NAME IN THE BOTTOM OF THE EMAIL.Don't worry about editing or making it look pretty. I will

The Aberdeen Scotch-Trader

2007-07-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

This is my FAVORITE Ted story because it is indicative of the creativity that he applied to everyday life to solve problems in ways that most people don't think of... or even if they do, don't have the guts to try.Ted was a wireline Field Engineer for Schlumberger early in his career. Later, he joined his good friend Ron Balliet at a startup oilfield company called Numar as one of their first

A Man of Many Stories (READ THIS FIRST)

2007-07-29T11:13:00.000-05:00

My name is Neal Breakfield. I have known Ted and Cindy since 2000 when I went to work with Ted at Halliburton where he was my boss for a while. Ted was definitely one of the more interesting bosses that I have had in my life.The purpose of this blog was inspired when I went to Guzzi Dave's to get a haircut on Friday, July 27th. After Dave told me about Ted's illness, we got to talking about