Walter Carl Sidwell

Walter Carl Sidwell, 78, of Ault, CO passed away March 19, 2016 at his home. Walter was born November 2, 1937 in Larimer County Hospital to Frederick A. and Georgia L. (Townley) Sidwell. He lived in Northern Colorado all his life & felt privileged to grow manhood under the influence & mentorship of his Grandpa & Dad ranching & producing registered Hereford bulls. Bull sales, livestock shows & fairs were his joy & delight. Walt grew up near Nunn, Colorado attending school there thru 12th grade. He enjoyed fishing in Lone Tree Creek with his brothers & cousins, riding his pony, sports & most of all raising & showing livestock. He was a member & participant in most of the area Livestock & farm organizations but his favorite was serving as president of the Weld County Fair Board & working with the youth in the Livestock department. He was a member of the National Western Stock Show Association & started the Rocky Mtn. Maine Anjou Association belonged to Weld County Livestock Association, Routt County Livestock Association, Farmers Union. He served in many organizations as officers & director. He looked forward to Weld County Fair & National Western Stock Show where he exhibited & sold bulls all his working life. Returning again & again to area fairs to watch his 3 children, eight grandchildren & many great grandchildren follow in his footsteps. Walt was eagerly waiting the birth of another little girl & had just received the news another is expected this fall, making a total of 15. Walt received Jesus as his Lord in 1946, when he was baptized & joined the 1st Christian Church in Ault. Walter & his wife Cynthia C. (Drake) Sidwell were married there on January 20, 1957 & recently celebrated 58 years together. In 1975 Walt & Cindy sold their ranch at Carr, CO & moved to Hayden, CO & continued ranching there, where they added registered Angus cattle and commercial cattle to their registered Hereford operation & were joined by their sons & families in that endeavor. In 1983 they returned to Weld County continuing the family tradition of agricultural interests. Walt had a gift for thinking up inventions but sorely lacked any ability to repair broken machinery. Walt began learning the tedious (for him) art of row crop irrigation. In 1990 he experience the loss of most of his eyesight, during a trip to Mayo Clinic seeking answers for that he fell in love with the Maine Anjou breed of cattle & developed a herd of that breed. He & Cindy exhibited carloads of Herefords, pens of Maine Anjou. This opened the doorway to a whole new world of cattle & friendships. Walt never met a stranger & loved a good story. He had many to tell of experiences he’d had too. Other interests included all kinds of animals, from chickens, geese, turkeys plus any other critter with four legs. Pembroke Welsh Corgi’s were favorites, also English bulldogs and almost every other breed of dog, cat & small animal found a home in the house at one time or another. Walt liked nice cars & trucks & owned many, even if he couldn’t fix them. Cindy & Walt shared an interest in World War II history & western history, especially of the Northern Colorado area. He was especially proud of his historical 33 brand which was first owned by the Wyatt Brothers. It remains here within a few miles of where it originated & will remain in his family for use on land he loved so much. He tried his hand at flying airplanes & auctioneering but never learned to swim remaining a dry lander at heart all his life. He attracted people of all kinds & enjoyed the helping hand provided by his friend Shirley Miller & her family fitting his pens of Maine Anjou bulls. He was very proud of all his family continuing to develop their agricultural interests and abilities. When he suggested the idea of a large square Hesston baler his sons were hesitant to try one out. But Dad prevailed & was so proud of the business they developed with their custom haying & hauling. Walt overcame many physical disabilities to pursue those interests most important to him. His faith grew as his family grew & developed. The annual Christmas party & white elephant gift exchange brought fun & laughter each year after Cindy & Walt built their new home in the Ault area where they moved in 2002. Walt was preceded in death by his parents, Frederick & Georgia Sidwell, and a great-grandson Walker Heidenreich. He is survived by his wife Cindy, Ault, CO; son Jerry (Linda) Sidwell, of Carpenter, WY., daughter, Joy(Randy) Booco of Hayden, CO., son Justin(Terri) Sidwell of Ault. Grandchildren, Becky(Tyler) Heidenreich, Wyatt, Weston, & Landree of Dalhart TX; Clint (Casey) Jed & Cal, Gill, CO; Curtis (Erin) Braiden & Addie, Carpenter, WY; Jody(Aaron) Booco-Balleck, Craig, CO; Jessie Booco, Craig, CO; Jamie Booco & daughter Tessa ,Hayden CO; Tyrel (Kaycee) Jordan, Kara & Paisley Sidwell, Eaton, CO; Whitney Sidwell, Ava & Owen of Ault, CO.. Also his Brothers, Harold(Marlene) Sidwell, Nunn, CO; Richard (Becky) Sidwell, Columbus, MT; brother-in-law Dennis (Mary) Drake & numerous nieces & nephews. Visitation 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at Adamson Chapel. Interment 9:30 a.m. Thursday March 24, 2016 at Mountain View Cemetery in Nunn, CO followed by Celebration of Life Service at 11:00 a.m. at Northern Colorado Cowboy Church in Lucerne, CO. Memorial contributions may be made to "Weld County 4-H Foundation" for Walter Sidwell Memorial in care of Adamson Funeral & Cremation, 2000 47th Avenue, Greeley, CO 80634.