MULLEN, Nebraska – Richard Lee Broyles, 97, passed away November 29, 2021 at Great Plains Health in North Platte, Nebraska.
Graveside funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, December 4, at Mount Pisgah Cemetery in Gillette.
Memorials may be made to the Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home in Mullen.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Colyer Funeral Home and friend may send their condolences to the family atwww.colyerfuneralhome.com
Richard Lee Broyles was born June 10, 1924 the son of Eldridge and Carrie (Burnett) Broyles on their homestead located near Maysdorf, Campbell County, Wyoming. Along with his siblings Edith, Nettie and Warren. He grew up ranching and dry land farming with his parents. He loved nothing more than raising cattle, riding horses and helping his neighbors. Ranching was his calling in life. For schooling he attended Campbell County schools. Richard was a child of the Great Depression and because of this, he learned how to get by without much, conserve what he did have and built a resilience to never give up. These were qualities that he carried with him the rest of his life and passed on to his daughters.
After the death of his father he met the lady who was teaching country school near his home. Richard and Lorraine Ellen Hageman were married June 5, 1960 in Douglas. They were blessed with three children; William, Kathleen and Marilyn. They continued to ranch on part of his family’s homestead until 1974 when they purchased a ranch on Kirtley Ridge near Lusk. While there, in 1984, they bought and moved onto an additional ranch near Lingle. Their last home together, after retiring from ranching, was in Torrington. After Lorraine’s death in 2016, Richard made his final move to Mullen, to be near his daughter and family. He was a resident at Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home at the time of his passing.
Richard enjoyed a variety of things. He liked nothing better than joking and visiting with family and friends, watching westerns on TV, seeing what was over the next hill (as long as it wasn’t a city), eating a piece of pie or sipping a milkshake, hunting arrowheads, listening to Merle Haggard and Charlie Pride, going to the livestock auction every week, checking pastures and water, going to antique auctions, reading the paper every morning to see what the weather was going to do and researching/collecting western memorabilia. Most of all, Richard loved and enjoyed his family. Especially his grandchildren Kodi, Clint and Daniel and later his great grandchildren Harper and Barrett.
Richard is survived by his daughters; Kathleen Nunn of Harrison, Nebraska and Marilyn (Patrick) Wright of Mullen, Nebraska; grandchildren, Kodi (Garrette) Naillon of Harrison, Nebraska, Clint Nunn of Harrison, Nebraska and Daniel Wright of Mullen, Nebraska and great grandchildren Harper and Barrett Naillon.
Preceding him in death were his parents; wife Lorraine; infant son William; son-in-law Neil Nunn; sisters Edith Mills and Nettie Harris and brother Warren Broyles.
