ProRodeo Sports News | 2020 Year-End Edition | Dec.18, 2020

GEORGE ANN (SMITHERS) NEIGHBORS 3/28/1938-4/14/2020

JUDITH RETA KESLER 12/7/1945-3/5/2020

RONALD ROBERT SOESTER 10/28/1943-4/22/2020

Neighbors was a retired rodeo stock contractor, timer and secretary for the PRCA, International Pro Rodeo Association, Cowboys Regional Rodeo Association and the Arkansas Rodeo Association. She was also a former Saline County Rodeo Queen in 1955 and Miss Rodeo Arkansas in 1956. HARRY EUGENE NOBLE 6/7/1930-1/15/2020 Noble was a PRCA saddle bronc rider, pickup man, rodeo judge, Gold Card member and a lifetime member of the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up Hall of Fame. His rodeo accomplishments in his 45 years of competition included championships in Hawaii, the last Northwest Bucking Championship in 1954 that was held at the Pendleton Round-Up, several RCA saddle bronc riding championships and NRA Year End Saddle Bronc Championship (1969-71). Pfeffer, who grew up in Missouri, always wanted to be a cowboy. So at 17, he moved to Montana. A former PRCA steer wrestler and saddle bronc rider, Pfeffer competed all over the U.S. and went to Europe twice, once with the rodeo and once with the WildWest Show loading and caring for stock along the way. B.J. PIERCE 8/22/1926-12/26/2019 Pierce, a former tie-down roper, team roper and steer roper, passed away in Clovis, N.M. He served on the RCA Board of Directors as the Calf Roping Director. He was inducted into the National Cowboy &Western Heritage Museum Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 2015. JUSTIN CORY RICHARD 4/30/1983-5/9/2020 A former PRCA bull rider, Richard started his professional career 19 years ago when he was awarded a rodeo scholarship at Wharton County (Texas) Junior College. CLIFFORD CLINTON ROBERTS 6/21/1929-5/6/2020 A former PRCA saddle bronc rider, Roberts’ biggest wins were the Northwest Regional Collegiate Championship in saddle bronc riding and the amateur bronc riding at Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days. Roberts was a longtime member of the Rodeo Cowboys Association. After his bronc riding career was over, he began team roping. Sherwood, father of eight-time National Finals Rodeo-qualifying team roper Matt Sherwood, was a lifelong cowboy and ardent team roper who loved hauling his kids and grandchildren to rodeos or ropings throughout the U.S. He was grateful for all the rodeo (family) that he acquired during his travels. JOHN PFEFFER JR. 9/4/1927-3/13/2020 BILL SHERWOOD 4/3/1939-5/5/2020

Kesler was a longtime rodeo secretary and the wife of late stock contractor Greg Kesler. Judith had many accomplishments throughout the years, but first and foremost was that she was a great mom and grandma. P.Y. KIMBROUGH 5/17/2020 Kimbrough was instrumental in starting and producing the Ocala Shrine Club Rodeo, one of the most successful PRCA rodeos in Florida. He was the 1977 PRCA Southeastern Circuit year-end team roping champion. DON KROIS 6/29/1943-3/4/2020 Krois served as the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up director from 2000-20. Krois began volunteering at the Round-Up about 50 years ago. RONALD GENE LILLARD 3/6/1936-9/12/2020 Lillard was a longtime announcer for the Redding (Calif.) Rodeo and a PRCA Gold Card member. A highlight of Lillard’s rodeo career was announcing two performances of the Calgary Stampede. MIKE LUCKE 5/15/1954-7/19/2020 Lucke was the 2011 president of the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo. The Reno native also was honored as the John Justin Committeeman of the Year in 2004. He was affiliated with the Reno Rodeo Association since 1981, serving on the board of directors since 1986, spending 15 years on the executive board and serving as arena director or co-director more than a dozen times. LEE MARKHOLT 2/15/1939-10/3/2020 Markholt qualified for the 1970 National Finals Rodeo in bull riding and finished third in the world standings and seventh in the average. In 1970, Markholt also won rodeos in Spokane, Wash., La Grange, Calif., Sonora, Calif., Blackfoot, Idaho, Salem, Ore., and Tremonton, Utah. Markholt also McSpadden was the wife of the late ProRodeo Hall of Fame announcer ClemMcSpadden. She was most proud of a survey and implementation of Rogers County’s first Head Start Program in Foyil Schools, where she was an administrative assistant. She was involved in the political and rodeo world of her husband, initiating Ladies Day at the National Finals Rodeo. ELIZABETH ANN (LIB) MORGAN 10/16/1934-1/27/2020 The wife of PRCA stock contractor Ralph Morgan, Lib worked for many years with Ralph in their logging business and the Ralph Morgan Rodeo. She was involved with the Lauderdale Community Development Club and the Lauderdale County Parkinson’s Group. competed in steer wrestling in ProRodeo. DONNA MARIE CASITY MCSPADDEN 9/7/2020

A PRCA Gold Card Member, Soester rodeoed all over the U.S. and Canada, competing in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He also

was a rodeo judge through the years. RHEA ANDREW (BUD) TILLARD 7/28/1923-6/22/2020

Tillard was a former member of the Cowboys’ Turtle Association and qualifier for the National Finals Steer Roping. He qualified for the NFSR in 1969, finishing 10th in the world standings. He was a founding member of the Wyoming Steer Roping Association and an avid supporter of high school rodeo. DONALD (ROBERT) THORSON 1/9/1937-8/10/2020 Known as Duck, Thorson was a former PRCA Gold Card member and steer wrestler. He won the National High School Rodeo Finals in bull riding in Hallettsville, Texas. At Sul Ross State College in Alpine, Texas, Thorson became an all-around champion. Thorson appears in the 1974 Academy Award Best Documentary Feature film, “The Great American Cowboy” in the “hard-luck” scene during a muddy Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days. ROBERT (BOB) WALKER 2/16/1933-7/4/2020 Walker, of Saragosa, Texas, was a former PRCA competitor. He was a U.S. Army veteran, a sheriff, a rancher, a horse trader and a cowboy. BLAKE MATTHEW WILLIAMS 1/26/1994-7/18/2020 Williams was a former PRCA team roper and steer wrestler from Piedmont, S.D. He was the all-around cowboy at the PRCA Valley City Winter rodeo. A PRCA Gold Card member, Wright competed in team roping, tie-down roping and bull riding. In 2014, Wright was the champion heeler of the prestigious Caldwell (Idaho) Night Rodeo Memorial Century Roping. He was the all-around champion in the Idaho Cowboys Association for six consecutive years (1966-71). In 2008, Wright was inducted into the Idaho Rodeo Association Hall of Fame. Star bareback horse Scarlet’s Web out of the Pete Carr Pro Rodeo stable passed away Sept. 26. She was 19. “That horse bucked every time, bucked the right way and gave cowboys the opportunity to showcase their riding ability,” Carr said. “That’s why they always put her in the 10th round and why they won so many go-rounds on her.” Scarlet’s Web was selected to compete in 13 National Finals Rodeos – 2007-19. Cowboys won six rounds on her at the NFR – 2007, Round 6 (90 points); 2008, Round 10 (90 points); 2012, Round 5 (88.5 points); 2013, Round 10 (86.5 points); 2017, Round 10 (88 points); and 2018, Round 10 (89.5 points). LONNIE MAX WRIGHT 11/21/1939-9/29/2020 LIVESTOCK SCARLET’S WEB

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