Laddie Guy Smith passed away May 22^nd, 2018.

Laddie was born December 12, 1925 in Lakeside, Nebraska 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 August 4^th, 1944 and soon started their family on the Smith Ranch in Brewster, Nebraska.

In 1955 they moved to Kennebec, SD 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, riding in the Pony Express Ride in 1979 from St. Joe, Missouri to Sacramento, California riding every step of the way. He started with 4 horses and ended the final leg with 2. He had the fastest time in several legs including the stop that ended near Gehring, Nebraska. 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 addition 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 ole 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 19^th, 2015. Laddie is preceded in death by his parents, Guy & Lottie Smith, wife Lilas, daughter Vickie King, and great grandson Gary Puls. He is survived by a sister, Beverly McPeak, of Valentine, Nebraska; 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, Tammy Smith of Laramie, and Tina (Jon) Ball of Corvallis, Oregon; a magnitude of grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

Services will be held at the Cliff and Martha Hansen Arena in Laramie, Wyoming at 10 a.m., May 29^th with Rev. Rhett Ivey officiating. There will be a reception immediately following. Laddie will be buried next to his sweetheart in Brewster, Nebraska on May 31^st after services at 10 a.m. at the church.

The pallbearers include his grandsons, great grandsons, and great-great grandsons, and the honorary pallbearers include all his cowboy friends, coffee buddies and James Carl McGee.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Amy’s Kids at 540 S. Colorado Avenue, Laramie, WY 82070 or the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame www.wyomingcowboyhalloffame.com