Ode To a Cowboy....A Song I Wrote About My Dad

My Dad was above all else a cowboy, a Marine, a jack of all trades and a yes, a master of some! He was multi-faceted and actually lived his life like a wild cat… having more than nine lives… and more than nine wives .. well 6 anyway…. that I know of! My parents did get back together after 45 yrs of divorce….but that's another story….

This song can be heard by scrolling down on my profile page and clicking on the song title Ode To A Cowboy.

Wagner, Richard Wesley "Wes" (Dec 16, 1933 - Aug 21, 2002)
There are so many stories I could tell you about him but it would take a series of books! So.. I'll focus first of all on the fact that he was a cowboy. My grandpa Louie hired my Dad, who was just a boy, to break horses. At the age of 15, he was one of the youngest Pro Rodeo cowboys ever to make to Madison Square Gardens where he rode saddle bronc, bare back & bulls. Wes also was in competition with the famous South Dakota cowboy, Casey Tibbs. When he became too old and busted up to ride anymore, he was hired to judge various Pro Rodeo events.

My dad traveled through out the west and took on various jobs making a living; managing a casino in Reno Nevada, Boat Captain aboard a shrimp trawler in Newport Oregon, Hunting Guide in the Rocky Mountains and trapping lynx, mountain lion, bob cat, and coyote in the Sierra's of Nevada and California.

During a rodeo at Crow Creek Agency, Montana, USA, the rodeo announcer said
"Wes Wagner has been all over the world and various other places." That was not far from the truth!!

Picture is Dad's return trip with his mule and donkey carrying the hides of bob cat and mountain lion.