Ronald Irving Withrow

Dad went to be with Our Heavenly Father on Sunday, November 15, 2015, surrounded by family and love. A Wyoming native, born on the OH Ranch on the east slope of Elk Mountain June 22, 1928 to Ray and Frances Withrow. Ronald Irving Withrow was Baptized three months later, September 23, 1928, into the Methodist Episcopal Church, Hanna, Wyoming.

Ivor and Bertha Christensen, Dad's Grandparents, owned the OH where Dad grew up. Dad's childhood was uneventful as he put it. With older brother, Allan, to be his pal, they spent hours making their wooded ski's to be used on the little ski hill behind their ranch house. Ice skating on the creek in the meadow or riding their black pony, ""Bess,"" the brothers were kept entertained.

When Dad was five or so, his father contacted T.B., being confined to bed for four years. When recovered, his father worked for his uncle, Ed Withrow, who owned the Dana Meadow Sheep Company. Running about 25,000 sheep on 20 square miles of range land around Hanna and Elk Mountain, Wyoming.

In the summers the brothers helped trail sheep to Snowy Range on Libby Flat. It took 10 days and they slept under the stars at night and ate dust trailing behind the sheep all day. Dad often said they would usually arrive the 4th of July spending the summer riding horses, fishing and building forts in the trees.

From the first day of school until graduation in 1946, ""Squeaky,"" as he was known, attended the Hanna Schools. As a quarterback on the football team or winning the State Basketball Tournament in 1945, Dad always remembered his teammates and where they were in life. Dad went on to win a football scholarship to the University of Wyoming. He would say after one and half years of getting smart he gave up the idea and started to work for a living.

Dad often recalled his saddle bronc adventures with his friend, Duncan Campbell, “that I came out of the chute in Rawlins, Wyoming and lost my balance. I went into orbit and when I returned the horse rose up to meet me and I landed on the saddle horn. My guts all landed in a lower place as it ripped my belly muscles open. After an operation for a double hernia I got a little smarter and quit the fun and games.”

Dad’s Dad started a saw mill operation south of Elk Mountain. During the war the prisoners of war were sent to Keystone (40 miles west of Laramie) to cut down a bunch of timber. Pa, Allan, Ma, and Dad went to work sawing the timber into railroad ties and hauled them to Laramie. It was a distance of 60 miles and sometime making 2 trips a day. Loading and unloading by hand. When there weren’t any ties to haul, Dad helped skid logs with horses. “One horse was a bad one so I took it upon myself to break him to work. One time as I was hooking him up to some logs, he let me know he didn’t like it by kicking me in the head. My dad found me an hour or so later, I was out for the count. He loaded me up in the car and hauled me 40 miles to Laramie. They put me on an X-ray table without my clothes on and about that time I woke up and took off through the halls. Out of my head of course! When I woke up 2 days later the nurses had a field day.”

Dad was elected Hanna's Mayor for two years, May 14, 1963, taking office May 17, 1963, and served on the Hanna School Board one year in 1965. From 1975 until 1981, Dad served on the Carbon County Memorial Hospital Board.

Dad so enjoyed playing basketball on Wyoming Senior Olympic team from Fort Collins 1999-2003 with their team representing Colorado October 1999 in Orlando, Florida at the National Senior Games. His team members called him ""Bull.""

Dad will be greatly missed by his family, Dad's high school sweetheart, Jewell Lee and wife of 46 years, of LaPorte, Colorado and their five children, 14 Grandchildren and 21 Great-Grandchildren (with two more on the way). Son, Clint (Deirde) Withrow of Wickenburg, Arizona; granddaughter, Codi and great-grandson, Brandon of Phoenix, Arizona; grandson, Austin of Phoenix, Arizona; granddaughter, Hanna of Wickenburg, Arizona. Daughter, Gail (Randy) Bulkley of Gillette, Wyoming; grandson, Chad (Lexi); grandson, Logan of Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas; grandson, Wyatt and granddaughter, Braidy of Gillette, Wyoming; grandson, Hazer (Kristen) and great-granddaughter, Kaci of Gillette, Wyoming; grandson, Dr. Jory (Betsy), four great-grandchildren, Lucas, Lily, Charlie and Savannah of Liberty Lake, Washington. Daughter, Jeri (Frank) Holzworth of LaPorte, Colorado; granddaughter, Brittany of Fort Collins, Colorado. Daughter, Teri (Steve) Micek of Wellington, Colorado; grandson, Nick (Stephanie) of Billings, Montana, three great-grandchildren, Josh of Cody, Wyoming, and Ava and Rya of Billings, Montana; Andrea (John) Sun, six great-grandchildren, Rudy, Rhett, Rayce, Rylinn, Raleigh, and Ryan all of Boise, Idaho. Son, Roger (Jan) Withrow of Colorado Springs, Colorado; granddaughter, Beth Vaughan (Josh Wills), two great- grandsons, Teighan and Lachlan all of Pueblo, Colorado; grandson, Alex (Christina) of Suffolk, Virginia; grandson, Adam (Amanda); great-grandson, Ptolemy all of Pueblo, Colorado; grandson, Kaleb (Taeko), of Tokyo, Japan. Sister-in law, Darlene Withrow of Loveland, Colorado. Brother, Gary (Laura) Withrow of Rawlins, Wyoming. Sister-in law, Darlene Hoffman of Wheatland, Wyoming. And many nieces and nephews.

Dad is preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Frances Withrow, brother, Allan Ray Withrow, granddaughter, Sammy Jo Hittner,

Visitation is scheduled from 5:00-8:00 P.M. on Tuesday, November 17, 2015, at Allnutt Funeral home at 650 West Drake Road, Fort Collins, Colorado. Graveside services, will be conducted on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, at 10:00 A.M. at Grandview Cemetery with reception following at Allnutt, A reception celebrating Ron’s life will be held in Rawlins, Wyoming on Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 1:00 P.M. at the Elks Lodge.