Even now, George and Norma Strait won’t discuss the accident. The memories are too painful. Still, George says, no list of his many blessings could be complete without her. “We were blessed to have been able to spend 13 years with our beautiful daughter Jenifer,” George said.
George Strait’s 2005 song “You’ll Be There” makes him think of his daughter. “That song hit home for me for obvious reasons. I’m a religious person. I honestly believe we will see each other in heaven someday. I wanted to do the song badly. The writer, Cory Mayo, held that song out because he knew I wanted to do it, and he waited until I had the chance. It was kind of him to do that.” George shared in an interview he had with USA Today.
Bubba, on the other hand, graduated from Texas A&M in College Station and pursued a career as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) team roping competitor. Team roping is actually a passion shared by Bubba and his father. “It’s the greatest feeling in the world to watch my son win a roping, or even to just watch him compete”, George said in a 2004 interview with The Team Roping Journal. He also added, “Bubba and I have been fortunate to win a couple of buckles together, and that, my friends, is the ultimate.”
But what’s even interesting is that team roping isn’t the only passion the father-and-son share. Bubba has also shown talent as a songwriter. In 2009, Bubba co-wrote three songs in George’s 38th album, Twang and solo wrote “Arkansas Dave” for the album. In 2019, Bubba has again written another song for his father, together with longtime collaborator Dean Dillon, ‘The Weight of the Badge’. The song celebrates the hard-working devotion of the police in a lyric that describes an officer’s devotion to duty as he follows his father into the calling.