Benjamin "Ted" "Ted" Wieland Lohr

Ben W.

Niobrara County rancher Ben W. "Ted" Lohr died Saturday at his Lusk home after a long illness. He was 72.

A native of Pleasant Ridge, Wyo. Mr. Lohr was the son of John and Annie Lohr. He was educated in community schools.

His interest in livestock developed early and he was recognized as an outstanding cattle judge. Throughout his life he was never away from the livestock industry for a prolonged period of time.

In his early years, he worked with his father and helped on other area ranches.

He was an expert rider and helped break dozens of horses one summer at Agate.

On another occasion, he spent several months on a pipeline crew in the Beaumont, Texas area.

He married Garnet Christian on Feb. 27, 1942, in Douglas.

During the pre-war years, Mr. Lohr owned and operated the Smoke House in Lusk.

He served in the Army from 1942 to 1945 and saw overseas duty on both Attu and the Philippine Islands. He was a member of the American Legion.

After the war, Mr. Lohr worked in Lusk for several years before returning to the cattle business in 1951. He remained in the cattle business until his death.

Mr. Lohr was a member of the Wyoming Stockgrowers Association.

He had many interests in life and loved his work so well that it was like a hobby.

His favorite pastimes included playing cards, working in the yard and shoveling snow, oftentimes for people who had no other way to get their walks cleared.

Mr. Lohr was baptized in the Lusk Church of Christ in 1967 and took great interest in the church. He helped maintain the building and grounds.

Mr. Lohr and his wife, Garnet, enabled their son, Mark, and two of his friends to travel in a gospel music group for three-and-a-half years.

Mr. Lohr had been beset by various illnesses, including a rare blood disease, for the last three years. But he remained active until this summer. He had been a patient at St. Luke's Hospital in Denver for three-and-a-half weeks, returning home last Friday. The next day, accompanied by his wife and son, he went to the ranch.

In addition to his wife and son, both of Lusk, Mr. Lohr is survived by two sisters, Dolly Jones of Nampa, Idaho, and Verda Erlewine of Casper; two brothers, Buster of Lake Charles, La., and Bob of Quinlan, Texas; two stepsisters, Mary Pederman and Dorothy Francis; a stepbrother, Clarence Sporleder; a half-brother, Sam; and a half'sister, Doris Guyer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, stepmother, four brothers, two sisters, a stepbrother and a half-brother.

Howard Roseberry officiated at Tuesday service at Peet Mortuary.

Helen Bardo at the organ played the prelude and postlude, while Mark Lohr, Susan Tschacher and Randy Oestman were the singers. Burial was at Lusk Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Lex Madden, Walter and Bebe Reed, Cody Thompson, Mike Tschacher and Clifford Wilkison.

Honorary pallbearers were Al Davenport, Terry Griffith, Ira Lamb, Jim Stratton, Don Taylor, Dick Pfister, Russ Thompson, Stan Wasson, Shawn Madden, Gene Lenz, Lee Johnsonbaugh, Dale Fullerton and Jim Brannon.

The family prefers contributions to the American Cancer Society or the Lusk Church of Christ.

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