Buddy Cole was known for many achievements — Denton County judge, county commissioner and a member of the Pilot Point City Council — but friends and family remembered him Thursday as a good father and a man who loved his community and neighbors.
Ralph Leslie “Buddy” Cole Jr. died Thursday morning in Denton. He was 80.
Like a lot of other North Texans who were born in the 1930s, Cole was no stranger to hard work.
“My dad grew up picking cotton,” said his son, Alan Cole. “His dad owned a grain elevator in Krum, and the time his dad owned it, Krum was known as one of the top grain centers, and Dad was proud to say he picked cotton.”
Cole retained a strong work ethic throughout his life and tried a variety of professional fields after he graduated from North Texas State University in 1956 with a business degree. In addition to the family grain business, he also worked in banking and finance, and wrote an outdoor column for the Denton Record-Chronicle and several other newspapers. He also served as a fishing guide on Ray Roberts Lake.
But it was public service and civic leadership where Buddy Cole truly made a lasting mark, dating back to his days as the first president of the Krum Young Citizen’s Club in the early 1950s.
Cole was elected Denton County judge in 1982, and Alan Cole said his father helped initiate the renovations for the Courthouse on the Square, during what was a turning point for the courthouse and its use.
“As a family, we’re really proud of his contribution there,” he said.
Denton attorney Richard Hayes said his earliest recollection of Buddy Cole dates back to 1984 and 1985, when the county was dealing with jail overcrowding and other issues.
“He was just a quality person, very practical,” Hayes said. “No political conniving going on — he focused on the issues and didn’t practice the politics of personal destruction that we see these days, where people focus more on the messenger than the message.”
Back in those days, Denton County was shifting from Democratic to Republican leadership, and Hayes recalled that Cole worked well with the incoming Republican commissioners on the court. Finally, he joined the Republican party, a move Hayes thought reflected his conservative beliefs.
Cole also served on the Pilot Point City Council and was a member of the Pilot Point Chamber of Commerce and the Pilot Point Kiwanis Club. He also made a political comeback of sorts when he got elected as county commissioner several years after he had been defeated for re-election as county judge.
People recognized his contributions by selecting him as Pilot Point Distinguished Citizen in 1993, and he served as chairman of the Pilot Point Home Rule Charter Commission in 2009.
Throughout his life, Cole was extremely mindful of the communities he served, Alan Cole told us.
“Dad gave of himself and was keenly interested in all things going on that would improve and sustain these communities,” he said.
The communities Cole loved continue to thrive, and he will long be remembered for his dedication and contributions.
Services are slated at 2 p.m. today at First United Methodist Church in Pilot Point and burial will be at Krum Jackson Cemetery in Krum.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, 2222 Welborn St., Dallas, TX 75219.
