01/16/2026
Our beautiful Karen is with the Lord.
She has impacted my life in incredible ways. She was a true gift from the Lord to me. What God has done through that woman of God, well only in eternity will we know the full measure.
Her celebration of life will be Monday, Jan 19th, at 2:00 pm at West Assembly of God Church in Fowler. For friends and family that do not live close, or have scheduling conflicts, the service will be available livestream on the church’s website.
https://www.westassembly.org/live
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.
Karen mentored me in life, in ways too many to count. She did that for everyone whose life she touched. She and Harry asked us in 1978 to travel with them as chaplains for their staff and the fans at rodeos as well working for the rodeo company where Paul worked behind the chutes, feeding and working at the ranch. I sang at cowboy church and had the privilege of teaching Kirsten kindergarten, cooling out pickup horses, learning how to take care of her beloved black front-end horses with excellence and professionalism and riding those same dear black horses in rodeo openings.
Then when I started the trickriding lessons, I was hooked! She and Harry were the most incredible encouragement on that journey. At that time, Karen still ponyed ME and taught me every free moment she could, during the day or after the rodeo. I wanted to absorb every word and every lesson. Karen signed for my PRCA card and with her and Harry’s blessing after about 3 yrs, Paul and I ventured into Pro rodeo on our own and it was like coming home whenever I would get to trickride at Vold rodeos with Vickie Tyer and the All American Trickriders.
Paul and I still lived near them and often worked at the ranch, and about 1989, Karen asked if I would help her teach a few trickriding students who wanted to learn. And that was the start of Red Top Trickriding schools. After several years we became partners in business at Red Top Ranch Trickriding Schools, and the rest is history.
Every day, every school, it has been an honor to live and work beside her for the 37 years of holding these schools. Her whole goal, besides giving the best professional trickriding lessons in the country, was “to plant the seed” and share Christ at every school. And not only those two core goals, but along the way, she taught students life lessons of hard work, integrity, godly character, competence, proficiency, and professionalism in and out of the arena, and having those qualities the moment you drive onto the rodeo grounds.
She loved her godly incredible staff who have been the backbone in keeping the schools going – hours of ponying, cooking, disking the arena, preaching and playing the music at the Sunday Cowboy Church, saddling and feeding horses. Countless jobs they do because of their love for the Lord, AND for the queen of trickriding and rodeo.
Her incredible gift of teaching trickriding from her years of being the best of the best, is seen in so many of the incredible trickriders in rodeo today. She loved every moment in the school arena, encouraging and training eager students. To our best estimate over 1400 students have come through the Red Top Ranch Trickriding Schools. We had 30 years of teaching at the Vold Ranch until we moved to Boone during Covid, to take some pressure and jobs off of Karen’s plate. But the cooking and teaching never stopped that precious bundle of energy, even in her early 80’s! I know it was the goal of most students to get one of her prized cookbooks, which, not only includes delicious recipes used exclusively at the schools, but the history of her life was in them as well.
When Harry and my Paul both went to be with the Lord within 3 months of each other, in 2017, Karen and I learned this journey of widowhood together. It was then she found another avenue to share her love of Christ, with the help of West Assembly of God, her home church in Fowler, CO. She and I partnered together in this venture as well, to host her beloved Widow Retreats at her ranch to help and encourage other widows.
I am forever grateful the Lord allowed me to be mentored by and be her dear friend. Then I had the incredible honor to be able to be with her, through the last days, and to sing to her 2 nights before she went to be with the Lord! Though her body was tired, her spirit was aways still worshipping her Lord. Though there was no sound, she would mouth the words along with me to the songs about her Lord.
It has been an honor being part of her journey on earth for 48 years and walk with her to the edge of eternity. I wouldn’t trade the precious years I had with her for anything in the world. I am at peace that she is rejoicing at the feet of the One she loves and is healthy and whole.
As one of her friends told me, we are “rejoicing even as our hearts break”.
If you would just look at the cover of that Red #2 cookbook, THAT is how she made her GRAND entry to heaven. Just imagine her looking at Jesus with that smile!!! It is her incredible former Miss Rodeo Arizona smile, that lit up the arena. And that’s the smile that I know she had the moment she saw her Jesus.
Again, For friends and family that do not live close, or have scheduling conflicts, the service will be available livestream on the church’s website.
https://www.westassembly.org/live
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.
