PRORODEO Sports News - July 11, 2025

PASSINGS

LONGTIME CPRA JUDGE, PRESIDENT TERRY COOKE PASSES AWAY

T erry Cooke, who spent several decades with the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association as a judge and president, passed away Wednesday, June 25, after a battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. Cooke left his mark on the world of PRORODEO, especially in Canada. He began his career as a bull rider, competing in amateur rodeos. But rodeo at the time was just a part-time hobby. He was a third generation hunting guide with a base camp in the Yukon and served as a bush pilot since he was 16 years old. His family, at one point, were the biggest guide outfitters in North America. Working for his family let Cooke go away from bull riding, a decision he said was "smart." But he couldn't get away from the sport altogether. He began judging rodeos in the CPRA and judged his first pro event in 1993. He continued to serve rodeos big and small across Canada and the United States for several years. A little over a decade ago, he was one of three Canadian judges in Houston. That's where he and his wife, Kimeal, met PRORODEO Hall of Fame arena secretary Sunni Deb Backstrom. They all became instant friends. "I've heard a lot of good storytellers in my lifetime. He was one of the best," Backstrom said. "He had an amazing sense of humor and loved

PRCA photo by Billie-Jean Duff

the rodeo business. He was dedicat ed to it." Cooke showed his dedication to rodeo early on. Along with continu ing his work as a judge, he became the president of the CPRA and remained in that position for 18 years. During that time, he exclud ed himself from judging the Cana dian Finals Rodeo out of respect for the sport. He had judged his first in 2004 before becoming president. But 20 years later, in 2024, contes tants voted for Cooke to be one of the judges. He accepted. "They really wanted Terry to judge," Backstrom said. "I'm really glad he did." Cooke helped establish the Maple Leaf Circuit in the PRCA as presi dent of the CPRA. He also brought breakaway roping to the CPRA and

the Canadian Finals Rodeo back to Edmonton for its 50th anniversary. When he began his battle with can cer, Backstrom and other friends believed Cooke was untouchable. They had no doubt he would beat it. But the form of cancer, Cholan giocarcinoma - also known as bile duct cancer - was aggressive. It was the same cancer that took the life of PRORODEO Hall of Famer Chris LeDoux in 2005. "We thought Terry was bullet proof," Backstrom said. "It never occurred to me that Dec. 15, when he took that flight back home, would be the last time I see him. It's heartbreaking." Perry Gurski, a PRCA judge and longtime friend of Cooke, drove him to the airport on Dec. 15 in Phoenix, Ariz. Like Backstrom, he didn't know it would be the last

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