ProRodeo Sports News - February 5, 2021

Lane is survived by his wife, Jessica; son, Bronson; parents, George and Charlene; and many cherished family members and friends. GENE OLIVER (BUDDY) COCKRELL Gene Oliver (Buddy) Cockrell, the 1977 PRCA Steer Roping World Champion, passed away May 16, 2020, in Decatur, Texas. He was 85. Cockrell was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in

First United Methodist Church, 1212 Lake Road, Henryetta, OK 74437 or the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund 101 Pro Rodeo Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919 or at www. justincowboycrisisfund.org. Justin George Lane, a PRCA tie-down roper and team roper, passed away Jan. 1 in a water truck accident in Lancaster, Calif. He was 34. Lane joined the PRCA in January 2012. He earned $9,949 JUSTIN GEORGE LANE

PASSAGES

SHARON SHOULDERS

Sharon Shoulders, wife of the late ProRodeo Hall of Fame legend Jim Shoulders, passed away Jan. 30. She was 91. Sharon

was steadfast in her support and encouragement of Jim as he won 16 world championships. She also co-founded the Jim Shoulders Rodeo Company

2014 and into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.

in his rodeo career – $7,684 in tie-down roping and $2,265 in team roping. Lane was the fourth generation of the pioneering Lane Family who resided at the ranch in Quartz Hill, Calif., a working

Shoulders

Cockrell

and ran the J Lazy S Ranch in Henryetta, Okla., while Jim traveled to rodeos.

Raising four children while running the ranch was all in a day’s work for her. Later in her ranching career, she started one of the first Salorn herds in Oklahoma and was active in pioneering the heightened awareness of the lean beef movement. Along with her lifelong friend Donna McSpadden, she founded the HANDS group, an organization helping other women in the rodeo world with the personal challenges of raising a family and being alone due to the nature of rodeo life. She led the Rodeo Historical Society for several years, served on the board of the Oklahoma Historical Association and was a pillar of the First United Methodist Church of Henryetta, serving in almost every capacity over the years. Although Jim was the one who was

Cockrell was a member of the Senior Steer Roping Association, which he helped start. He participated in steer wrestling and team roping. Cockrell was born June 10, 1934, to Younger and Alice (Ingram) Cockrell in Pampa, Texas. He graduated from Pampa High, going on to Oklahoma University on a football scholarship.After two years at OU, he transferred to Hardin Simmons University with rodeo and football scholarships under Sammy Baugh’s leadership. After college he played football in Canada for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He also played for the Cleveland Browns for a year. He then moved on to play for Baugh and the New York Titans for three years before retiring. Cockrell was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Lee Cockrell. He’s survived by wife, Geneva Cockrell; sons, Melvin Gene Cockrell and Dan (Drucilla) Harris Cockrell; daughter, Amy (Kyle) Best; the mother of his children, Joyce Cockrell; stepchildren, Ty (Kimberly) Harris and Krece Harris; grandchildren, Clint ( Jordan) Cockrell and Clay (Samantha) Cockrell, Ty Cockrell, Klancy (Kaysha) Best and Trey Best, Lawson and Layton Harris, Kyene and Shye Harris and their mother, Stefanie Harris; great-grandchildren, Mae and Creed Cockrell, Claire and Colton Cockrell, and Hondo Best.

Lane

ranch since 1908. He took an active role as father doing everything for his son, Bronson – horse shows, school and sports activities, and making Bronson his favorite foods. Justin felt a responsibility to continue the ranch tradition and carry on the legacy of his great-grandfather George W, his grandfather Frank, and his father, George. He was a kind and gentle horseman and trainer. He grew up learning from his father and grandfather. Justin’s life as a rancher/cowboy was the times that family bloodlines ran deep. He traveled on the rodeo circuit, excelling in tie- down roping and team roping and was teaching Bronson to rope and ride. He drove the Wells Fargo stagecoach and horse hitch throughout the western U.S., including the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. Justin graduated from Paraclete High School, where he played football for four years, and Cal State Bakersfield in 2013. He was the vice president of Monte Vista Building Sites Inc., partner of Lane Ranch &Co., and a board member of Antelope Valley East KernWater Agency. He was a member of the Screen Actors Guild and appeared in commercials, TV shows and movies in wrangler capacities.

PRCA NOTES often quoted as saying, “I’d rather be in jail in Oklahoma than free anyplace else,” Oklahoma was lucky to have the California girl become an Okie transplant who wouldn’t have lived anywhere else. Sharon was preceded in death by Jim

and daughter, Jamie. She is survived by her brother, Jon Heindselman; children Marvin Paul (Lori), Jana (Robert) Soza, Marcie ( Joel) Roth; grandchildren Dana, Justin (Kim), James, Rob, Patty, Ellie, Buzz, Grace, Derek, Ashton, Langley and Logan. The family requests contributions to the

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ProRodeo Sports News 2/5/2021

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