Rapid City mourns loss of true friend to the community
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- Published on Friday, January 23, 2015
By Darrell Nesbitt
Like a cowboy riding off into the sunset on a movie screen, the memories – oh so golden – of a man deeply enriched by the lifestyle of ranching, rodeo and riding with his family at home and on the road, will be forever etched in the minds of countless friends.
“The outpouring of sympathy has been amazing,” says daughter Lacey, as she spoke of the death of her father Terry Marshall of Rapid City. “He definitely touched thousands of lives. It’s really kept us going, knowing how many people cared about him as much as we did.”
At the age of 64, Terry died at home on Wednesday, Jan. 7, and while a definitive cause has yet to be determined, it appears to be atheresult of a heart attack.
Rodeo nurtures the close family ties that make life rich. And for that, he was blessed to be able to rodeo with his three daughters – Kelly-Jo of Melville, Sask., Lacey of Strathclair and Jerri-Lynn of Brandon. Through various rodeo associations, including the Heartland Rodeo Association (HRA) which formed in 1995 to give families an avenue to compete and bond within the province of Manitoba, a ranch family from a small prairie town became fully involved. Through involvement they lived the Cowboy’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, we pause, mindful of the many blessings You have bestowed upon us. We ask that You be with us at this rodeo and we pray that You will guide us in the arena of life. We don’t ask for special favours. We don’t ask to draw around a chute-fightin’ horse or to never break a barrier, nor do we ask for all daylight runs or not to draw a steer that won’t lay. Help us Lord, to live our lives in such a manner that when we make that last inevitable ride to the country up there, where the grass grows lush, green and stirrup high, and the water runs cool, clear and deep, that You, as our last judge, will tell us that our entry fees are paid.
It can be said that belt buckles are the trophies of the rodeo world and they tell their own stories. For many of us, including myself, Terry is remembered from a pickup man’s standpoint. One of the best on the circuit, he didn’t back down from many circumstances and was well-known for his prowess of removing ornery or stubborn bulls out of the arena.
Stock contractors from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta also knew his worth. At the HRA’s 2014 finals Terry was honoured with the Cowboy of the Year award. Very appreciative but yet humble, Terry also was blessed to win a number of other awards including his pride and joy — a trophy saddle presented by Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association (MRCA) in 1979.
He was the MRCA finals champion in team roping in 1986, MRCA 1994 Pick-up Man of the Year, HRA finals Champion Header in 1996, and was gunning for HRA finals Champion Heeler honour, when his life was cut far too short.
“He was extremely proud to win the team penning buckle, alongside Karen Krueger, at Agribition in Regina in 2000,” says Lacey. “They were the only Manitobans to ever win the buckle.”
With rodeo being a part of Terry, it was only fitting his wisdom and knowledge was passed down to three extremely talented cowgirls, cheered on by his second wife Kathy. Granddaughter Emma-Dee Marshall, Kelly-Jo’s little girl, was a gem in a proud grandfather’s eyes.
Lacey says one thing as sisters they promised each other was not to quit rodeo — a foundation built on family and friends.
“My dad built his farm by himself, and built it into what it is, and we promised we’re not going to let it go.”
Her older sister Kelly-Jo stands behind that decision.
“I am very proud to say Terry Marshall was not only my dad, but also raised me when his first marriage went south. While I basically grew up riding on a seat of a truck, I learned a lot from the man I so dearly loved.”
Perhaps some felt Terry had a gruff and rough side to him, which may have stemmed from his playing days with Brandon Wheat Kings and in the rugged and now-defunct Eastern Hockey League with Syracuse Blazers, and being drafted by the St. Louis Blues. His hockey days in United States also presented the opportunity to appear as a hockey-playing extra in the original Slap Shot movie, alongside Paul Newman.
Others saw him as a kind-hearted soul who cherished sharing jokes with acquaintances, away from the world of work, rodeo or horse-drawn sleigh and wagon rides at community events. M2 Ranch, his home-based business, was often hired for that purpose and Terry travelled with his team and wagon/sleigh to many Manitoba towns.
His quips were many: “You look like an old lady throwing a dish towel into a sink,” was one of many expressed to Lacey while she was practising team roping. He always reminded his daughters to get their britches moving as rodeo was not a social event; however, from their perspective, it was just that!
His life also focused around livestock inspecting, PFRA pasture riding and his M2 Ranch hayrides that shared old-fashioned values with youth.
With rodeo being a cornerstone of Terry’s life, when Rapid City held its first rodeo in 1997, it was dedicated to Terry’s son Dane, who died as a result of a tragic farming accident in 1990 at the age of three.
“The impact of our father’s death is evident,” Lacey said. “Like a cowboy, we will share stories, fond memories and cherish the awards and life’s pleasures of a man, strong on talent and dedicated to the wonderful sport of rodeo.”
Friends, family and colleagues will come together to celebrate the life of Terry Marshall on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2 p.m. at Victoria Inn, Brandon.
Pure poetry in motion easily describes the movement of pick-up men working a rodeo. Flat out saving a cowboy’s life in a split second, it was not to be to save the precious life of a ma, whose source of happiness included his horse Tardy, warm sunshine and the sweet smell of a bronc’s uneasiness. A legend known as Terry Marshall will forever live on, as his winning cowboy smile sums up the miles of love, passion and dedication to not only the sport, but perhaps more heartwarming, to his family.
When a loved one becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure!
