On Sunday, Nov. 3, James “Jim” Joseph
Barger, 90, of Boulder, died peacefully in
his sleep at the Sublette Center, in Pinedale.
On Aug. 23, our Dad, Jim Barger suffered a
terrible broken femur and various other injuries.
With his positive outlook and strength
he made it through day after day of Boot
Camp (physical therapy). Strong does not
even scratch the surface of his strength and
determination! He kept his charm and charisma
as they took absolute fabulous care
of him. On Oct. 25, we celebrated his 90th
birthday party enjoying family and friends
and one dang good beer. We cannot forget
the Birthday Card Party where he received
76 wonderful cards and lots of love; what a
milestone and honor. With all this being said
he gave us SO much love, kisses and hope,
until the very end. We were ALL so lucky to
be a part of his life.
Jim was the fifth child and third son of
Fay Corolla and Anne (Morris) Barger, born
on Oct. 25, 1929, in Superior. In 1938, the
Barger family moved to Boulder – from
coalmines and boarding house to building a
ranching empire. He attended school in Boulder.
Jim’s love of horses began as a young
boy. His favorite horse growing up was a
big black gelding named Tony. According
to Jim’s younger sister Judy, their dad would
say of his three sons, “Jim was the cowboy,
Paul was the farmer and Glenn was the mechanic.”
Jim enlisted in the U.S. Army when he
was 19 years old, deploying to Japan and
Germany. He was in the service for two
years, when President Truman would not
allow them to be discharged, so he re-enlisted
for three more years in order to receive
bonus pay. When he was home on leave, he
met a young beauty, Rose Mary Kelly, from
Morton. They were married on Jan. 9, 1953,
in Ethete. Two weeks after their marriage,
Jim was shipped out to Frankfurt, Germany.
He was honorably discharged from the U.S
Army, serving a total of 5 years, 2 months
and 23 days. Jim was a Lifetime Member of
the VFW – Korean War Era.
Jim and Rose made their home in a
two-bedroom log cabin near Boulder, managing
and working on the Barger Ranch. Four
daughters were born of this union, Terrie,
Becky, Cindy and Connie. He was a strong
family man, providing a foundation of work
ethics, often with hard work and long hours,
but it was ingrained in his family values. His
wife and daughters were always a part of the
picture tending to the ranch. Chores started at
a very young age, gathering eggs, getting the
milk cows in and milking if he was running
late. Anytime the horses needed to be caught,
his daughters would get a can of grain and
coax them into the corral. Whether it was
going to check the cows or teaching us how
to take care of the horses, or going to check
a head gate, our family fun was usually work
oriented. Jim’s legacy of perseverance, hard
work and love of family has been handed
down through the next generation of grandkids
and great-grandkids. Jim took pride in
developing the best herd of cattle, riding the
best horses and designing the very best facilities
to work the cattle either on foot or horseback,
always making improvements. Over
the years, everything Jim did was directly in
relationship to “taking care of the cattle and
horses.” As Jim grew, he was making life
goals to become a successful rancher.
Not only did Jim enjoy his cowboy way
of life, he loved to take care of and work the
land. In 1991, after his parents’ ranch sold,
Jim and Rose bought property in Kinnear,
then in 1998 purchased the E.R. Schambers’
place near Pavillion. This was where Jim and
Rose were recognized for their land stewardship
efforts, converting flood irrigation to a
low-pressure pivot-and-wheel line irrigation
system through a Farm Bill Conservation
Security Program. “Their conviction to conservation
and all that they, as partners have
accomplished, leaves a lasting legacy on the
landscape,” said Nick Biltoft from the NRCS
Riverton field office. The program rewards
farmers and ranchers who are implementing
conservation on America’s working lands,
being based on conservation accomplishments,
recognizes the contributions of the
best land stewards and encourages them to
do more. To improve even more on the pivot
system, Jim extended the 16-foot booms by
6 feet. Deflectors that he crafted from quarter-
inch plastic prevented water getting on
the pivot tires, which decreases the impact of
tracks in his field. This is just one example
of Jim’s ingenuity and self-taught craft. He
always worked hard to improve these places
and made a profitable living, always striving
for perfection in his wild hay and alfalfa
crops.
Jim was self-taught in many ways, whether
it be a mechanic working on all the ranch
equipment and machinery, putting in a sprinkler
system, carpenter, plumber or whatever
was needed at the time. Using a stub pencil,
Jim kept records in his little pocket journal,
always having an accurate account of cattle,
horse or hay numbers and important dates.
Jim loved rodeo, riding bulls and cutter/
chariot racing. During the early ‘70s Jim was
president of the Sublette County Sporting
Association. He often judged in the nightly
rodeos in Pinedale and Big Piney. During the
summertime, Jim loaded up the family and
their horses to attend the Sublette County
Barrel Race nights, 4-H play days and horse
shows.
This month will be Jim’s 7-year anniversary
moving back to his roots in Boulder, to
be near his daughters and to join his friend
and companion, Betty Hunt. Over the course
of the years, almost every morning, Jim and
Betty would go to breakfast at the Boulder
Store. During the winter months, they would
head to Congress, Ariz. They shared times
with Betty’s family camping, fishing, hunting
elk, getting firewood and going to Hawaii.
During the last year, they had membership
to The Garage, where they would exercise;
doing pushups, dancing, playing tag and lifting
weights. On the videos, Dad and Betty
were sharing a bench and Dad reached around
and pinched her on the behind. They acted
like teenagers most of the time. He always
made the most of each day and had fun-loving
times. We took a trip with Dad and Betty
through the petrified forest, White Sands
and Carlsbad Caverns, stopping in Winslow,
Ariz., and Fort Sumner, N.M., where we
toured the museum. There were three Wyoming
displays: a Sublette County Centennial
License Plate No. 23-385, a sheriff’s badge
from Wind River Indian Reservation and an
advertisement with Darrell Winfield.
Jim is survived by his three daughters,
Terrie Ann Springman (Bob) of Big Piney
and Hurricane, Utah, Becky Louise Hicks
(Mickey) from Big Piney and Connie Ruth
Barger (Clayton Lunde) from Boulder, along
with seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren
and two siblings, Glenn (Nancy) Edwin
Barger of Fruita, Colo., and Judith (William)
Anne Rodriguez of Wells, Nev. Along with
his extended family is his companion, Betty
Hunt and her children, Chuck, Liz, Sue,
Kathy, Rosemary and their families.
Jim is preceded in death by his spouse
Rose Mary Kelly; their infant daughter
Cindy; his parents, Fay and Anne Barger; siblings,
Alice (Buzz) Fay Fuller, Fay (Buddy)
Morris Barger, George Barger, Elizabeth
(Bill) Aline Ellis, Paul Raymond Barger,
Frances (Chuck) Elaine Steinmetz, Patricia
(Ted) Joyce Hiner, and Gerald Barger.
A memorial service will be conducted at
11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at Covill Funeral
Home, 164 N. Bridger Ave., Pinedale.