Bill Patrick Beymer, 73, a resident of the Madras community, died Friday afternoon, January 28, 2022, at St Charles Medical Center in Bend.
Bill was born on November 8, 1948, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was the middle child of five children. In high school Bill moved with his family to Sisters, Oregon. In the area around Sisters the Beymer family had various businesses where the siblings did a large portion of the labor. Bill primarily helped with the hay contracting and horse businesses. He led horse and pony trail rides in Camp Sherman. He also helped on horse pack trips into the Jefferson wilderness. When not on a horse or driving a hay truck he helped at the family's Camp Sherman burger hut and at the Hoodoo Ski Resort concession stand. When he wasn't working, he found the time to letter in three sports and excel at rodeo. Also, at Sisters High School, Bill was an honor student and the student body president.
After graduating in 1966, he attended Oregon State University for part of a year until funds ran out. Once out of school, Bill was immediately drafted into the United States Army. He spent two years in Germany as a medic on base helping deliver babies and care for wounded soldiers.
After being discharged from the Army, Bill attended Central Oregon Community College. He was the president of the first COCC Rodeo Club and helped organize and participated in its first intercollegiate rodeo in April 1971.
After college rodeo, Bill had a short pro-rodeo career. He rode bulls and saddle bronc. His favorite rodeo event was saddle bronc riding. While rodeoing, he married and had a son, William.
He loved horses and being a cowboy. For much of his life, he worked on ranches in central and eastern Oregon. In between ranch jobs one of his employers was Round Butte Seed in Culver. Another job Bill had was the onsite caretaker of the Madras Livestock Auction. When he was older, he drove semi-trucks for Chilkat Construction in Warm Springs and Madras.
He liked to laugh and joke around. Mostly, ribbing his coworkers and family. His favorite thing was to spend time with his horses. If he had at least one horse, he was happy.
Bill is survived by his sister, Becky Davis of Halfway, Oregon; his son, William Beymer of Salem, Oregon; longtime friend, Luella Clark of Madras; and 11 nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred, and Patricia (Short) Beymer; brothers, Mike Beymer and Kelly Beymer; and sister, Starla Haislip.
His son believes Bill is in heaven somewhere wearing a cowboy hat riding the range on his favorite horse "Victor" alongside his favorite dog "Dually" with a six pack of Coors in his saddle bag and a pack of Marlboro Reds in his pocket.
A celebration of his life has not been planned. His ashes will be scattered this spring or summer in a special place he frequented as a young man.
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