Lyle Wonderlich

Dr. Lyle Wonderlich was a Cowboy in the best sense of the word – honest, independent, self-reliant, caring, loyal and worthy of trust – who put his family first and loved the animals in his care. Lyle learned these traits from his parents, Doc and Butch Wonderlich, of RoseAcre Farm in Twin Falls, Idaho. Doc and Butch had lofty expectations for all seven of their children and the many horses they raised. All the children and most of the horses rose to those expectations. The Wonderlich family is amazing. Lyle married Kathy Marie Clayton in 1975 after graduating from Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine and they began their life together outside of Ericson, Nebraska, where Lyle was the resident veterinarian on an enormous horse and cattle ranch. About a year later they returned to Idaho and took up residence at RoseAcre Farm where Lyle worked as a vet in the Magic Valley and they both worked for Butch and Doc, doing the breeding, foaling, shoeing, training and showing of both Quarter Horses and Paints. All three of their sons were born in Twin Falls. When Butch and Doc sold all their horses in 1984, Lyle, Kathy and the boys established Sterling Oaks Farm in Nampa, Idaho, where they continued to do the breeding, foaling, shoeing, training and showing of both Paints and Quarter Horses. As the boys grew, baseball and basketball became important ties between them and Lyle. He loved playing sports with them and spent countless hours playing catch and throwing batting practice to the boys where he seemed to have a limitless pitch count. Lyle coached T-Ball, Little League and Babe Ruth baseball as well as basketball teams for and with each of the boys. He was rabid about his coaching – that the boys knew the rules and learned the skills. It tells us something important about Lyle that one of his goals in basketball was that every boy score at least one basket. One year this took special plays and lots of work by coaches and players, but at the end of the last game, that kid made a basket – and everyone celebrated. Lately he loved helping coach his first grandson and granddaughter at T-Ball and baseball. Lyle took his role as parent very seriously, and he was determined that his sons develop responsibility and a strong work ethic. This was relatively easy when sports were involved, but much more challenging when it was long, hard work on the farm. With awe-inspiring determination he made them stick to the job, do it well, and see it through to the end. These lessons have stood them in good stead. Next to his family, Dr. Wonderlich loved horses, and he served his animals well. He had a loyal base of friends who considered him their equine reproduction specialist of choice and others who considered him their finest trainer and teacher. He loved delivering foals and delivered well over 100 of them. Once he commented, “This is fun every single time.” Lyle found his love for horses early on. He started feeding horses every day before school when he was in third grade, and rarely missed a day throughout his life. He started with the family’s registered Welsh Ponies, then moved to his first horse, El Jeanie. He learned how to train by observing others and by working with many of the horses at RoseAcre Farm. Those horses taught him to figure out a way to get each one to give him its best. It helped make him a great trainer. After years of traveling to horse shows with his parents and learning the right way to do things, at age 16 he was traveling throughout the west showing Quarter Horses and Paints on his own. His training and showing record was prodigious: 2 APHA Supreme Champions (Nightwatcher and Gallant Ghost), 2 APHA Superior All-Around Horses (Spookadot and Gallant Ghost), over 25 APHA and AQHA Champions, over 20 APHA and AQHA Superior Event Horses and 15+ AQHA and APHA Superior Halter Horses. Lyle showed RoseAcre stallion Mighty Tink to his AQHA Championship, Superior Western Pleasure, and Intermountain Quarter Horse Association All-Around Award in the summers when attending vet school and finished Mighty Tink’s Superior in Halter when the horse was 10 years old. He served as an AQHA judge for 17 years and as an APHA judge for nearly 40 years. He was proud to have judged the APHA World Show three times. Lyle served as Idaho Quarter Horse Breeders’ Association President and for multiple terms as President of the Idaho Paint Horse Club and represented Idaho as a national director for APHA. At Sterling Oaks Farm Lyle and Kathy were breeders of multiple national award-winning horses including Mister Goes Easy, multiple AQHA World Champion Halter Gelding. Lyle was so very proud of his sons. When they had graduated from college, married and settled in the Treasure Valley, Lyle took great pleasure in seeing them often and getting to know his daughters-in-law and his grandchildren. He saw each of them as individuals with unique gifts to offer the world. Over time a few special people became like daughters and sons to him. He wanted the best for them all. Lyle and Kathy were about to celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary when he died. Their life together was full of love, challenges, laughter, holding hands, and their shared passion for their children and grandchildren as well as raising and training horses. They often wondered why they had had a successful marriage and found the answer in a song – “We found love right where we are.” A few years ago, Kathy asked if he had any regrets, and Lyle said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better life.” He said this during the time he was battling cancer. During this final phase of his life, he showed remarkable courage, resilience, and love that was a testament to his spirit and a fitting legacy for such a determined and admirable man. Dr. Wonderlich was born in 1950 and passed away surrounded by his family July 15, 2018. He is survived by his mother, Butch Todd Wonderlich; his wife, Kathy; his son Brian and daughter-in-law Megan Mooney; his son Jason and daughter-in-law Meghan Wonderlich; his son John and daughter-in-law Sara Wonderlich; his grandchildren Luke, Anne, Hank, Jessa, Heidi, and Margie; and his siblings Sue Young, Steve Wonderlich, Fritz Wonderlich, Nancy Koonce and Vance Wonderlich, as well as many other wonderful friends and relatives. *See "Service Information" tab for service details.