Wilbur Terry Brettell

Wilbur Brettell, Former County Agent Here, Dies

Wilbur T. Brettell, 61, Niobrara County Agent from 1937 until 1946, died at the Cheyenne Memorial Hospital Friday. He had undergone lung surgery earlier.

Funeral services were held from the First Methodist Church of Cheyenne Monday at 11:00 a.m. with the Rev. D. Warren Dirks officiating. Graveside services were held in Laramie Monday afternoon.

During his years as Niobrara County Agent he was especially strong in getting the 4-H program moving and worked hard on livestock improvement. During World War II he took a lead in organizing an emergency rural fire fighting program.

He was born Nov. 16, 1905, in Canon City, Colo., and moved with his family to the Rock River area around 1919. He attended Rock River schools until moving to Laramie where he was graduated from Laramie High School.

Brettell graduated with honors from the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture in 1929. He then taught at Hillsdale and Newcastle before joining the UW Agriculture Extension Service at Lusk on November 1, 1937. He continued to serve Niobrara until June 30, 1946 when he went to Laramie County.

In Laramie County he built the 4-H program up from a membership of about 50 in 1946 until it exceeded 700 this year.

A Wilbur Brettell Memorial 4-H scholarship fund has been established, and any persons wishing to contribute may send donations to the Laramie County 4-H Council, Office 403, City-County building.

The scholarship will go to a Laramie County youth.

Brettell was first married to Grace Collins and they had two children, Betty Louise and Robert. Mrs. Brettell died in 1945.

On Jan. 13, 1951, he married Aileen Maddox in Laramie.

Besides Aileen Brettell, of 723 W. 2nd Ave.; he is survived by the two children, Robert R. Brettell of Lamar, Colo., and Mrs. Betty Johnson of Kerns, Utah; a stepson, Vern Maddox of Portales, N. M., and step-daughter, Mrs. Glen Geiger of Sidney, Neb.; a brother, Dr. R. W. Brettell of Denver, and 12 grandchildren.

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