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Pyland, Jr., Joe M.

January 12, 1943 –
 April 10, 2018

Obituary

Joe Pyland lived a very good life.  He was married for 52 years to a girl he met on a blind date, had two children who “stayed out of the ditches” and became successful adults, and was blessed with two grandsons.  He had a job he loved selling potato chips for Frito-Lay, not only in the U.S. but globally as well.  Business travels put Joe on a first name basis with the American Airlines staff at DFW and Heathrow airports. He loved to play golf and was well known for his putting skills.  Joe was a country squire who enjoyed his tractor time as well as fence-leaning time watching the mares and foals graze in the sunshine. He always said he would have made the military a career if he could have had his own tank, but ultimately wading through rice paddies in Viet Nam changed his mind.  Joe came from a military family, and he always had a soft place in his heart for soldiers.  He volunteered with the USO at DFW airport and considered it an honor to help the troops passing thru Dallas. He believed strongly in the DCAP spay/neuter program and was given the nickname “The Ambassador”.  His home was open to foster dogs and puppies from Operation Kindness as well as assorted strays who ultimately took up permanent residence. Joe passed away on April 10.  He is survived by his wife, Kay, son Chad and his family Valerie, Sam and Michael, daughter Carie and her husband Rob. The family will always be grateful and thankful to the staff at Arden Courts Memory Care Center for their support, as well as to the ladies of Compassionate Hands, who made the last weeks of Joe’s life so much easier. Burial will take place at DFW National Cemetery.  Memorials may be made to the Operation Kindness Capital Campaign or The Max Fund, or to Dallas Companion Animal Project’s spay/neuter program. There will be a Remembrance Party at the family home on Saturday, April 28, from 3-6pm.  Please come, raise a glass and share a memory with us. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700

    Vivian Scoggan
    27 Apr 2018
    10:13am

    So sorry for your loss.
    “The highest tribute is not grief BUT GRATITUDE”
    Fondly Vivian Scoggan

    Bill and Darlene Kassen
    27 Apr 2018
    2:35pm

    We offer our sincere condolences and prayers to you and your family. We know Joe is in a better place now; he will continue to be in our prayers. Bill and Darlene

    Kathryn
    28 Apr 2018
    10:48am

    We are so sorry for your loss. May ‘the God of all comfort’ be with your family at this difficult time.
    Isaiah 41:10

    Tim Latta
    28 Apr 2018
    12:42pm

    Joe’s life was an exemplary one, the kind that makes the world a better place. John and I send our sincerest sympathy to your whole family. May all of your warm memories help to take the pain of loss away.
    John and Tim Latta

    Spalter Susan
    29 Apr 2018
    9:34am

    I remember Joe from working with him at Frito. To give you an idea of how impressive a person he was, I left Frito 35 years ago and yet his obituary photo caught my eye. I remember him as a really nice guy and my heart goes out to all his family and friends for their loss.

    Cheryl Thornhill
    30 May 2018
    12:00am

    Kay
    I just heard about Joe’s passing.
    I have many fond memories of Joe when he ran the SoCal region.
    My sincere condolences to you and your family.

    Cheryl Thornhill

    Kenneth "Dick" Lane
    1 Oct 2022
    1:47pm

    I was a sergeant in Joe’s U.S. Army special forces ranger platoon in Vietnam, later worked with him at Frito-Lay and was saddened to learn of his passing. I will always remember Joe’s stellar leadership and coolness under fire in the heat of battle. Our platoon’s job was to team up with south Vietnamese soldiers and cross over the DMZ ahead of U.S. troop divisions and ferret out Vietcong ambushes. I’ll never forget one occasion when scouts we had sent out in each direction returned and told us that dozens of enemy soldiers were closing in on us from all four directions. The south Vietnamese sergeant immediately began jabbering to his soldiers. Joe, who was fluent in both Russian and German, asked his translator what the sergeant had said and was told that he asked his corporal to get him his red pajamas so that when he was hit by enemy fire his men wouldn’t be able to tell and would keep fighting. Typical Joe, always cool and calm under fire and wearing a belt made of enemy ears around his waist, used his wry sense of humor to calm everyone down by telling me to get him his brown pants. In spite of our precarious position, we all cracked up. Later we all managed to escape back across the DMZ to fight another day after Joe distracted the enemy by climbing up high in a nearby tree and doing his extremely realistic imitation of the screeches of a pack of wild hyenas. I’ll never forget Joe’s bravery and leadership.

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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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