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The Fence Post obituary: Laddie Guy Smith

Laddie Guy Smith, 82

Dec. 12, 1935 – May 22, 2018

Laramie, Wyo.

Laddie Guy Smith passed away May 22, 2018.

Laddie was born Dec. 12, 1925 in Lakeside, Neb., to Guy and Lottie Smith. He loved growing up in the Sandhills and reminiscing about his cowboyin’ days on the ranches there. During high school he met the love of his life, Lilas Marie Turner. They were married Aug. 4, 1944, and soon started their family on the Smith Ranch in Brewster, Neb.

In 1955, they moved to Kennebec, S.D., to make their new home on the Medicine Creek Ranch on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation. After living in Kennebec for almost 12 years, they moved to the ranch on the Big Laramie River in 1967. Medicine Creek Ranch would be their home until 1983 when they moved to Laramie. Laddie worked for Ranchway and A&C Feed Companies and enjoyed traveling the country and having dinner with the local ranchers of Albany County. He also worked for Select Sires and taught many ranchers how to A.I. cattle.

Laddie was the ultimate cowboy, running the Pony Express Ride in 1979 from St. Joe, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif., every step of the way. He started with four horses and ended the final leg with two. He had the fastest time with the stop that ended near Gehring, Neb. Laddie loved raising horses. He has some of the best blood lines known and won several trophies and his prized saddle. He was a lifetime honorary member of the American Quarterhorse Association, and you can find every edition of their magazine in his den. In 2015, Laddie was inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame, an honor that he was very proud of.

Gramps loved old westerns and especially “Lonesome Dove,” where you could often hear him quoting lines from ol’ Gus to my grandma when he thought nobody was listening. He listened to old cowboy music like Ian Tyson and Don Williams. He and Lilas loved to dance. In high school, he would take her to the local dance halls where he would play the drums on Friday nights.

Some of Laddie’s fondest memories were his Pony Express ride, the boat trip exploring the journey of Lewis & Clark that he took with his son, Grady, in 1997, going to Nebraska on road trips a couple times a year, taking every back road there is, many days on the lake fishing and traveling to see his sister in Valentine for Old West Days every year. Laddie also treasured the time he got to spend with his coffee buddies during the week, especially his longtime friend Arlow Hulett.

Laddie’s lessons in cowboyin’ will never be forgotten, nor will the love that he held for his family. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He and Lilas were married for 71 years when she passed away June 16, 2015.

Laddie is preceded in death by his parents, Guy and Lottie Smith; wife, Lilas; daughter, Vickie King; and great-grandson, Gary Puls.

He is survived by a sister, Beverly McPeak, of Valentine, Neb.; a brother, Barry Smith of California; children, Janice Jennings of Laramie, Kelly Smith of Laramie, Grady (Suzie) Smith of Laramie, Troy (Twila) Smith of Torrington, Wyo., Tammy Smith of Laramie and Tina (Jon) Ball of Corvallis, Ore.; a magnitude of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Services were at the Cliff and Martha Hansen Arena in Laramie on May 29 with Rev. Rhett Ivey officiating.


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