COVER STORY
ABOVE: From left, Reagan, Gibbs, Will, John David and Cade Phillips at Panama City Beach. ABOVE RIGHT: From left, Luke, Brodie, Kelli and Sawyer Croyle. RIGHT: John Croyle goofs around with his grandson, Gibbs, at Big Oak Ranch.
FATHER STILL KNOWS BEST When the three Croyles gathered recently to talk about their family and Big Oak Ranch, John Croyle admitted it’s hard for him to understand why it took his children awhile to join the Big Oak staff. “I’m unusual. I knew at 19 what I wanted to do,” he said. His daughter was quick with an answer. “Dad, you raised us to be incredibly independent. There was a lot to surrender. We were taught to accomplish and do our own things,” Phillips said. She and her brother said they have no plans to institute major changes at Big Oak. “It would be a mistake to say that we plan to take the ranch to the next level,” Brodie Croyle said. “What we want to do is continue the work our parents have done. “People ask, ‘Is your dad retiring?’ Absolutely not. He’s dedicated 40 years of his life to this. The day before dad dies, he’ll be at Big Oak Ranch.”
Phillips said she sees herself and her brother “following in our parents’ footsteps.” “There’s nothing about this that’s glory for us. It’s that God may be glorified. That’s the weight we feel,” she said. John Croyle has a playful term for his current role at the ranch. “I’m the show pony,” he said. “We made the mistake of calling him that, and now he says it all the time,” his son said, laughing. Brodie Croyle said he and his sister have distinct responsibilities at Big Oak. “Any decision that concerns a child goes through Reagan as Dad and I move through the day-the-day operations for the ranches and school,” he said. “We all have our roles.” The family also has fun together. Brodie Croyle jokingly compared himself and his dad to Willie and Phil Robertson, the colorful father-son pair on television’s “Duck
Dynasty.” “Who does that make me?” Phillips asked. “Uncle Si?” her brother asked. While they often turn to their father for advice, the siblings said growing up at Big Oak has given them some insights even their experienced dad doesn’t have. “You see the absolute worst of humanity here, and you see the best,” Phillips said. “My mom and dad never sheltered us from either. Now we can tell the kids, anything you do or try, we’ve seen 100 times.” John Croyle said he feels sure the future of his life’s work is in the right hands. “My wife and I think to ourselves every day that we’ve given another 40 years to this ranch,” he said. “These are the two people I trust the most. “I’ve given my baby to my babies.” 59
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