Rick & Marilyn Shaw & family
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Our condolences to Celia, Krissy, Alison and their families as we say "Goodbye" to Donna and Einar, our friends and neighbors of 40 plus years.
I worked for them in the 80's as did three of our children(Todd, Travis and Robbie). I enjoyed all our years running the cuttting horse arena and cattle operation for them. During the winters, Donna and Einar competed in the Sun Circuit Cutting in Arizona and California with Eddie Murphy as trainer.. I would haul the horses to and from the south every year and if my wife came with me, Einar would insist we spend extra time vacationing at their place in Scottsdale. They worked hard to reach their goal, Donna rode turnback for Einar, videoed the practice runs and competitions that led to Einar successfully winning the Canadian Cutting Horse Championship.
They ran over 85 head of horses with a full breeding program at the ranch in Okotoks which I managed for them. Donna's father, Don Thomson and I also ran the cattle operation at Don's ranch and at Chimney Rock where Einar and Donna had a cabin and several hundred acres of grazing land with a spectacular view. Friends of Einar and Donna were all at the cabin at one time or another, cutting, riding the hills, moving and/or checking cattle. My family and I spent many working weekends at the cabin and the occasional Christmas.
They were a great support to our local Okotoks Agricultural Society, they donated their time, money and equipment. They opened their home to establish the Okotoks Range Patrol, donating their time and expertise as President and Secretary. I hauled cattle to the Stampede grounds each year for futurity events and the Calgary Stampede all supplied by Brasso Ranch.
Through those years working on the ranch and as neighbor's, we watched the girls growing up: Celia working on her cutting horse skills, Krissy riding my bay gelding Joker, Einar never knew "wild" Alison was riding his old sorrel gelding as a racehorse and jumper.
We miss them both, but the Cowboy Gods will supply Donna and Einar with a pair of great white horses and no bad steers to cut.