Ray DeGering

Funeral Saturday for Ray DeGering Cowboy and Nio. Resident 70 years

Funeral service was held November 11 at 2:00 p.m. for Ray DeGering, a resident of Niobrara County nearly 70 years. Mr. DeGering died at the Niobrara Memorial hospital November 7.

The service held at the Peet Chapel was conducted by the Rev. Frank Bozart of Basin. Mrs. J. P. Watson, organist, accompanied Tim Johnson as he sang "The Last Round Up" and "How Great Thou Art". Burial was in the Lusk Cemetery.

Honorary pall bearers included all old friends of Mr. DeGering. The casket bearers were John DeGering, Leonard DeGering, Milton DeGering, Bennett Higinbotham, Jim Graves and Henry Stiles.

Ray DeGering was born at his grandmother Smith's home near North Platte, Neb., on May 15, 1890, the son of Henry L. DeGering and Charlotte (Smith) DeGering. He spent his childhood on Cottonwood Creek, 25 miles east of Laramie Peak, near the present town of Guernsey.

When he was 13 years old he came to Mule Creek and worked on the Ed Wilson ranch. Ray was a true cowboy who worked as a rep for many different ranchers and as a cook on roundups, the last one in 1912, foremanned by the late Jim Christian. After breaking and training race horses for the Hogg Brothers he filed on a homestead. About this time he went to Omaha, Neb., to barber college. On July 23, 1914, he married Linnie Peterson of Omaha. In 1915 he purchased a barbershop in Van Tassell. In the fall of 1916 they moved to the Billy Smith ranch and a few years later established a ranch on Lance Creek where they lived until they retired in 1957. They built a home in Lusk where Ray lived until his death. He was a member of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association from age 18, when he purchased his first cattle, until recently.

Survivors include his wife, two daughters, Mrs. Leonard (Margaret) McCullough of Moorcroft and Mrs. Fritz (Doris) Thoelcke of Kennewick, Wash., and a son, Donald (Bud) DeGering of Billings. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, a brother, Albert, of Lusk, a sister, Mrs. J.M. (Gail) Sullenberger of Auburn, Wash., a half sister, Mrs. Tom (Minnie) Coleman of Lander and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

His parents, two sisters, one half-sister and a half-brother died previously.

The Lusk Herald
November 9, 1972
Ray DeGering Dies Tuesday

Funeral service will be held Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Peet Chapel for Ray DeGering, longtime Niobrara County rancher, who died Tuesday at the Niobrara Memorial Hospital. Mr. DeGering had gone to the poll to vote and after returning home became ill and was taken to the hospital.

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