Hereford Farewells

John (Jack) Cochrane

Jack was born on July 31st, 1934 to Gertrude and Watson Cochrane in Russell, and passed away peacefully in Grunthal, MB on June 22nd, 2022. He was predeceased by his mom in 1950, dad in 1994, his brother Harry in 2000 and Virginia in 2015, as well as, many Aunt’s, Uncle’s and cousins. He will be missed dearly by his loving wife of 58 years, Roberta, son Roger and daughter Susan (Earl) Haut and many others.

Jack loved farming, that was his passion and he enjoyed every aspect of it. He knew he wanted to farm at a young age and that is what he did. They farmed grain and had Polled Herefords from 1919-2007, then Red Angus from 1985-2007. They sold cattle to most Canadian provinces, 6 US states and exported to Japan and the Czech Republic. In 2007, they sold the farm and retired to Russell.

He also loved his family and friends; what a group they were, there were many weekends and road trips spent/ taken together. Mainly always with a cattle show/sale attached to the trip! He loved to travel, but being a cattle/grain farmer never left much time for that! Jack loved to curl and spent a lot of time at Silverton Curling Rink, in the last few decades he loved watching bonspiels on TV. Jack also loved history, reading and writing in his diary. We hope Jack is resting easy, he will be missed beyond measure!

Wendall Reimer

Wendell passed away at Carman Hospital with family by his side on December 18, 2022, following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was predeceased by his parents Will and Hilda, and leaves to mourn his children, siblings, and a long list of nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.

Wendall was raised on a farm near Barnsley alongside his brothers, Terry and Gord, and sister Tracy. Wendell attended the former Tracy School until grade four, and then Elm Creek School up to grade ten. After this, he dropped out to pursue his life-long passion of farming and raising cattle.

When he was about 25 years old, Wendell left home and moved to a farm at Ridgeville, where he continued to grow his herd of registered horned Hereford cattle – a lifelong endeavour. He was also a skilled horseman, and during this period of his life entered team roping events across southern Manitoba. He would continue to raise and train horses throughout his entire life.

Wendell moved back home briefly before settling down on a farmyard in between St. Claude and Haywood, which was little more than a field of grass when he arrived in the mid ‘80s. He had officially established Bar None Cattle in 1973, but also raised horses, dogs, and pigs at different times along the way.

Wendell met Loriane Dheilly in 1992, and the two got married the following year. The couple had two children together: Will (Billy) was born in 1994, and Sierra arrived in 1996. Wendell’s children were his pride and joy, and of all his endeavours, fatherhood was most important to him.

Through the cattle business, and a network of coffee shops, Wendell made friends far and wide. His work and life were inseparable, and he continued to raise cattle until illness forced him into an ‘early’ retirement at age 70. Wendall will be missed by many!