Buck D Welsh

Buck D. Welsh, 84, died Dec. 22, 2016, at Gardenside long-term care in Fairbury. He was born March 16, 1932, in Fairbury to Donald and Margaret Welsh.

He attended District 51 school south of Fairbury through the eighth grade. He was an exercise boy for Bruning and Snyder racehorse company, and was a jockey. With Bruning and Snyder he traveled to Chicago, and Littleton and Denver, Colo. He told of riding in the train car with the horses. He worked for H.B. Boyden, and then for Roode Packing Co. He worked at Roode’s for 37 ½ years and was sausage foreman, which included making Fairbury Brand Hotdogs and running the smokers.

He served in the US Army in Korea from September 24, 1952 to June 23, 1954 and attained the rank of Corporal.
On May 7, 1955, he married Lois Cooper in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In April 1964 they adopted their daughter, Lana Kay.
He was a coonhunter, and attended many night hunts, treeing contests and water races, and hunted with friends in many states. He was a member of the American Redbone Association and the Kansas/Nebraska Coonhunters Association. He had several champion dogs. He loved horses and mules – including breaking, riding and driving, and participated in mule jumping, and coonhunting on mules. He and Lois participated in many parades, both on horseback with the Blue Valley Wranglers Saddle Club and the 4-H Wranglers 4-H club, and driving wagons. They participated in the Diller Picnic parade for 21 straight years. He also participated in an annual summer wagon ride in southeast Nebraska and northeast Kansas for a number of years. He served as president of the Blue Valley Wranglers Saddle Club and enjoyed saddle club dances, horse shows and rodeos.

He was always ready to help family, friends and even hitchhikers.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Delores Lindsley and Twila Hinz; brothers-in-law Bill Lindsley, LeRoy Hinz, John Cooper, Coy Horton, Lawrence Cacak and Francis Scheer; sister-in-law, Ruth Horton; niece, Patricia “Patty” Cacak; and great nephew Cole Nelson.

He is survived by his wife, Lois; daughter, Lana (Tony) Likens; grandson, Trevin Likens; granddaughter, Toriann Likens, all of Fairbury; sisters, Vonia “Dutch” Scheer and Verda Cacak, Fairbury; brother and sister-in-law Pat and Diane Cooper of Hudson, Ohio; sister-in-law Shirley Cooper, Roach, MO; nieces, nephews, and many friends.

Service will be held Friday, Dec. 30, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Fairbury with Pastor Kyle Bendorf and Lana Likens officiating. Burial at the Fairbury Cemetery. Memorials to Jefferson County Fairgrounds & Jefferson Community Health Center.