In memoriam: Marshall L. Frasier
By Drovers news source (Wednesday, May 07, 2008)
Marshall L. Frasier, 81, well-known rancher in the Woodrow community, died Saturday afternoon, May 3, 2008, at the Valley View Villa Nursing Home in Fort Morgan, Colo., from complications with cancer. He served as a leader in his church, community, and Colorado’s cattle industry.
He was born October 11, 1926, on the family farm in Wallace County, Kan. The youngest of six children, by age 8, Marshall was busy operating tractors and herding cattle. After graduating from Sharon Springs High School, he served in the US Navy as a radar operator on the USS Elkhorn, an oil tanker bound for the China Sea.
By the time Marshall returned from his military service in 1947, his father had purchased the Hashknife Ranch south of Last Chance, Colo. Over the next 60 years, Marshall rebuilt the ranch into a model yearling operation. He also acquired a sand hills ranch north of Wray that he developed into an irrigated farm and later traded for River Bend Ranch west of Limon. The family’s management of these ranches has been recognized with conservation awards from the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
Marshall took great pride in his community. He held many leadership posts in the local Methodist Church and the Woodlin Lions Club. He served for 16 years on the Woodlin School Board and was past president of the Colorado Association of School Boards. A lifelong member of state and national cattlemen’s organization, Marshall was the first to serve as President of both the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and the Colorado Livestock Association.. He was Region Vice President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In 2004, Marshall was inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame.
While he never retired from the ranch, in his later years, Marshall spent time rebuilding antique wooden windmills. His proudest accomplishment was inspiring his three sons to join him in the cattle business.
Marshall is survived by his wife, LaRue, of Woodrow; sons, Joe (Cindy) Frasier of Limon, Mark Frasier of Fort Morgan, and Chris (Leanna) Frasier of Denver; brothers, Harold Frasier of Sharon Springs, Kan., and Melvin Frasier of Boulder, Colo.; grandson Ryan (Lindsay) Frasier of Newton, Kan.; granddaughters, Kelsey Frasier of Manhattan, Kan., Emily Frasier of Limon, and Katie Frasier of Denver. He was preceded in death by his Sister, Helen Eicher; Brother Donald Frasier; and his Parents, Elmer & Mayme Frasier.
Funeral services will be Friday, May 9, at 11AM at the Howard United Methodist Church in Last Chance. Visitation will be at the church prior to the service. Interment will be at the Walk’s Camp Methodist Cemetery north of Limon. The Heer Mortuary in Brush - Fort Morgan are entrusted with the funeral arrangements. Friends who wish may make memorial gifts to the Woodlin Lions Club Scholarship Fund or to the Howard Untied Methodist Church c/o Heer Mortuary, 222 Cameron Street, Brush, CO 80723.
