Page 104 - NM Spring 2019

IN MEMORIAM
JOHN T.L. JONES JR July 7, 1934 - November 16, 2018
John T. L. Jones Jr. passed away on Novem- ber 16, 2018, sur- rounded by fam- ily at his home in Quanah, Texas.
Born in Qua- nah on July 7, 1934, the horse- man most people knew as Johnny Jones was a promi- nent member of the Quarter Horse and Thorough-
bred industries in many capacities, as a trainer, breeder, owner, and the head of Walmac Inter- national in Lexington, Ky., from 1976 to 2005, where he oversaw the stallion careers of major sires Nureyev, Alleged, and Miswaki.
When John Gaines dreamed up the con- cept of the Breeders’ Cup and presented his idea to industry leaders in the early 1980s,
he credited Jones as the person who got everybody to work together after they’d hit a standstill. It was especially gratifying to Jones when Cajun Beat, a horse he co-bred with H. Smoot Fahlgren, won the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Jones was also involved with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Favorite Trick, the 1997 Horse of the Year whose breeding rights had been purchased by Walmac in August of his 2-year-old season.
Jones is the only person to breed a 2000 Guineas winner, King Of Kings, co-bred with Ron Con Ltd.; and an All American Futurity winner, Ochoa, Quarter Horse racing’s all-time money leader who also won the Rainbow Derby and All American Derby.
Prominent among the other Thoroughbred horses Jones bred was top sire Unusual Heat. In the Quarter Horse world, he bred or co-bred champions Ochoa, Noconi, and Brenda Beauti- ful, all of whom he raced in partnership in his name or that of his J Bar 7 Ranch.
Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame member Jones was a founding partner of Four Star Sales and was formerly on the boards of both the Breeders’ Cup and the Keeneland Associa- tion. He also served on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
Jones was predeceased by his first wife, Jan- ice, in 2003 and married Brenda Kinsolving in 2007. He is survived by sons John III (Mia), Hutton (Paula), Levi (Paula), and daughter Julie Mogge (Guy); eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren; stepchildren Jenna Decker (Jeff), Ashley Crow (Josh), and CJ Kin- solving (Kaitlin), and seven step-grandchildren.
JOSEPH “JOE” SETH SHEPARD June 28, 1947 - November 16, 2018
Courtesy Farmington Daily Times
Joseph “Joe” Seth
Shepard, age 71, of Albu- querque, NM passed away November 16, 2018 in Farm- ington, NM. Joe was born June 28, 1947 in Hartford, AL to Oscar Paul “Shep” Shepard and Edna Adkison.
Joe served in Vietnam active duty Jan. 1967- Jan. 1969. He received a National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Two Overseas Service Bars, Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device First Oak Leaf Cluster, Combat Infantrymans Badge, Marksman Badge (M-16), Expert Badge (M-14) and received his GED while in active duty. He was honorably discharged from the US Army Jan. 1973.
Before and following Vietnam, Joe
began his career in the Oil and Gas Industry. Mega Bar, Aztec Well Service, Consolidated Oil and Gas, Drake Well Service. He
started his own business Mountain States Oilfield Service ending with Hamilton
Bros when he started to follow his love
for horses and the race track. He followed the circuit for many years. From farrier, to owning, to training the horses, that is
where you could always find him, beating to his own drum. His career ended with being a heavy equipment operator at the Downs
in Albuquerque. Joe is preceded in death
by (father) Oscar Paul “Shep” Shepard, (mother) Edna Sullivan, (nephew)
Jarrod Shepard.
He is survived by Daughters Siegenliede Alexander, Cyd Shepard (Joseph Greenleaf), Grandchildren Samantha (Monty)
Gomez, Petty Officer Second Class Rob-
ert Bixler, Amber Bixler, and Zoey Lain. Brothers David (Gail) Shepard, Sid (Sheila) Shepard, Walter Shepard. Sisters Mary (Dub) Smith, Martha (Don) Miller, Marcia (Arnold) Montoya, Paula (Kenny) Smith Nieces and Nephews Charlie (Laurie) Shepard, Larry (Deb) Jourdan, David
(Lisa) Jourdan, Jason (Melanie) Shepard, Sonja (Baric) Crum, James (Natalie) Buoy, Dillon Blakley, Danny Blakley, Devin Shepard.
RICHARD “DICKIE” SHEARER
May 2, 1951 - January 10, 2019
Funeral ser- vices for Richard R. “Dickie” Shearer, 67, of Portales were Jan. 14, 2019 at the Third and Kilgore Church of Christ with Pat Boone and Mike Terry officiating. Burial followed in the Portales Cemetery with Blane Wood, Trey Wood,
Ricky Ramirez, J.J. Gonzales, Donny Ake, Scooter Rutherford, Ruben Ortega and Roy Tivis serv- ing as pallbearers. All of the Shearer School Bus Employees and his race track family as well as his other many friends were honorary pallbearers.
Richard Ray Shearer, known to family and friends as “Dickie,” was born May 2, 1951 in Muleshoe, Texas, to the home of Mae (Turner) and Doyle Shearer and died peacefully at his home in Portales on Jan. 10, 2019. The Shearer family moved to Portales when he was six years old. He was a 1969 graduate of Portales High School where he enjoyed auto mechanics. He worked as a truck driver and helped on the family farm for several years. In the early 1970’s he joined the National Guard. Dickie purchased the buses to serve the Floyd School District in 1977, which he later sold. On May 29, 1984 in Muleshoe, he was married
to Pat Tivis. They purchased the buses to serve the Portales School District from his dad in 1988.
In 1991, Dickie began breeding Quarter
Horses and racing. This was his real love, and through the years he had owned several horses that were very successful. Among those horses were Beduinos Call which won 13 races in a row, as well as Call Me Fast First, Mighty’s First Call, and First Corona Call. He was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association as well as the New Mexico Horse Breeders Association.
He is survived by his wife, Pat Shearer of the home; two daughters and sons-in-law, Angela and Woody Rickerd of Channing, TX and Tammy and Shawn Wood of Lubbock; nine grandchil- dren, Kwayde Stevens, Saber and Satin Rickerd, and Cesiley and Laeten Stroud, Trevor and Reagan Marqus, Maia Rose and Kash Wood; a sister, Bil- lie Shearer of Hobbs, NM; four brothers, Jimmie Shearer of Portales, Dennis Shearer of Hobbs, NM and Larry and Jerry Shearer both of Portales. He was preceded in death by his parents as well as by
a sister, Betty Shearer and his two sons, Dustin Shearer who died in 2002 and Chad Stroud who died in 2018.
102 New Mexico Horse Breeder