8538764868.jpg &&& The way Dr. Francis Altaras saw it, there was only one downside to dentistry: being cooped up in those tiny exam rooms.For 50 years, he enjoyed working as a dentist, but when he got the chance Dr. Altaras would head outdoors."He was a man who loved nature from the time he was a barefoot kid," said Katherine Altaras, his wife of 63 years.Fishing, quail hunting or growing veggies in his garden, Dr. Altaras loved it all, relatives said. At the University of Texas at Austin, botany was his favorite subject. He fished in many Texas lakes and studied how avocados were grown in California. His garden was filed with okra, eggplant and more.He gave his homegrown vegetables to everyone — friends, family, people at the bank, said his daughter Kamille Altaras Kemble."We never had to go to the produce department in summer because Daddy would give us all that we needed," she said.Dr. Altaras died Sunday at age 89. He’d hoped to reach 90, a milestone that he often joked about with his doctor. He was born Dec. 11, 1918. For much of his life, Dr. Altaras was busy filling cavities and finding ways to better meet his patients’ needs. The Cleburne native graduated from Baylor dental school and served as a dentist in the Navy during World War II. Afterward he opened a practice in Fort Worth.Above all, he doted on his family."It is hard to articulate how incredible a person he is," Kamille Altaras Kemble said. "He was a loving, giving man."Other survivors include son Kent Altaras and daughter Nancy Altaras. Funeral 9 a.m. Thursday in Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Grand Ave. Visitation will follow. The family will receive friends at the home of Kent and Karen Altaras.