LES MARTY

Nov. 4, 1949–Oct. 18, 2018
Les Marty, 68, of Newcastle, Wyo., died Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, at the Department of Veterans Affairs Ft. Meade in Sturgis, S.D., after complications from a stroke.
He was born on Nov. 4, 1949, in Hot Springs, S.D., to Henry “Ed” and Grace (Standen) Marty. Les graduated from Edgemont High School in 1968. After high school, he served in the U.S. Army from 1969-1971, in Vietnam 1970-1971, where he was in the 101st Airborne Division and was a Purple Heart recipient.
He married Shirley Hammell on April 3, 1971, in Edgemont. They made their home in Newcastle. They had one son, Zane, born in 1982.
Les was a jack-of-all-trades. He worked for the forest service, the City of Newcastle, and then Black Hills Power & Light as a lineman. After a back injury, he spent a few years working in the oil field and ended up ranching and running a herd of black angus cow-calf pairs in the later years of his life.
Les and Shirley built a carwash in 1988 and operated it for many years before “retirement” from that in 2016, which turned out to be perfect timing for the arrival of boy-girl twin grandchildren. His pride and joy were his two grandchildren, Tyan and BlazeLee. He loved them so much and loved spending time with them. He would read to them and play on the floor with them, he took them outside and played with them in the dirt, showed them the horses and cows, caught the baby kitties for them to pet, and taught them about ranching. 
Even in retirement, Les was a hard-working, ambitious man. Up until the end of his life, he was still daily making improvements on the ranch, working with young horses, and taking care of the cows that he and Zane owned. 
He would help neighbors at branding time, gathering off the forest, and trailing cows home. He also loved to watch and support the youth of the community at numerous rodeo events. He helped run the chute for many roping events, clinics, and horse sale previews, and enjoyed leather-working, making breast collars and tie-downs for family and friends. He would still go to Cheyenne Frontier Days and Deadwood’s Days of ’76 rodeos every year.                                                      
Surviving Les is his wife, Shirley; his son, Zane, daughter-in-law, Staci (Reed), and grandchildren, Tyan and BlazeLee Marty, all of Newcastle; two sisters and a brother of the Denver, Colo., area; and numerous nieces and nephews.
There will be a celebration of life gathering for friends and family on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m. at the Weston County Fairgrounds Event Center in Newcastle. Memorials or condolences may be mailed to 405 Highway 450, Newcastle, WY 82701, in care of Staci Marty.
A private family interment will be held at Black Hills National Cemetery National Cemetery near Sturgis.