Halfway, Oregon
Howard Houston Driggers, 69, died April 3, 2002, at his home in Halfway.
There will be a Celebration of Life service and potluck at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Lions Hall in Halfway. There also will be a memorial service in New Mexico later this summer.
Howard was born on Sept 8, 1932, at Santa Rosa, N.M., to W.I. Buster and Mary Major Driggers, a prominent New Mexico cattle ranching family. He was raised on the Bar Y Ranch at Santa Rosa with his sister, Jane Ellen, and brothers, Don and Robert. He attended high school at Santa Rosa and college at New Mexico State University at Las Cruces.
After college he returned to the Bar Y and Cabra Springs Ranch. He married Joan Shoemaker in 1954. They moved to Joann’s home town of Watrous, N.M., in 1957 and ranched there the next 15 years. Four children were born in nearby Las Vegas, NM. Howard was active in the local community as a 4-H leader, Farm Bureau president and a member of the local school board.
He also was president of the Rough Riders Rodeo Association in Las Vegas. He was New Mexico State High School All-Around Cowboy in 1950 and later a member of the college rodeo team at New Mexico State. His love of rodeo led him to many years of coaching kids in rodeo events both in New Mexico and Oregon.
He and his family moved to Haines in 1972 where Howard continued his tradition of helping kids, coaching the Baker High School Rodeo Team for many years. He coached many high school and college rodeo athletes for many years after his children graduated.
He and his family raised horses and cattle on their ranches in New Mexico and Oregon. He was a lifetime member of the American Quarter Horse Association.
Howard was dedicated to the community he lived in and enhanced it in many ways. He extended a helping hand to anyone in need and helped many people in special ways. He was an especially soft touch for children and animals. He and Joann moved to Halfway in 1998 where Howard was active in the community and made many new friends.
While there he enjoyed his new hobbies of cooking and gardening. He loved indulging his friends with excellent homegrown meals and even winning ribbons at the county fair with some of his recipes.
Howard will be greatly missed by his many friends and family members.
Survivors include his wife, Joann Driggers; his aunt, Louise Major; two brothers, Don and Robert; three sons, Warren, Arlen and daughter-in-law, Dana, and Kyle; a daughter, Dixie, and son-in-law Bill Quigley; and three grandchildren Keri, Elizabeth and Nicole.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Eastern Oregon University Rodeo Team or the New Mexico Boys Ranch through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 12, 2002
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor