Texas Cowboy Hall of Famer and patriarch of the world famous Josey Ranch, R.E. Josey, has died at age 91.
“It is with a heavy heart that we here at the Josey Ranch must share the news that our Founder, Mentor & beloved family member, Mr. R.E. Josey has been called home to our Lord and Savior in Heaven,” the family wrote on Facebook. “Our hearts are warmed by the outpouring of love and support we are receiving from all over the world. Naturally, everyone is asking about services, and we have that information for you now.”
R.E. won three AQHA Tie-Down Roping World Championships on three different from 1970-1974 and had a knack for figuring out how to make a horse and a rider a winning team in rodeo’s timed events. He was the husband of WPRA World Champion barrel racer Martha Josey, and he was known along with his wife not just for their own rodeo abilities, but the impact they had on the sport for generations.
R.E. and Martha began conducting barrel racing clinics in 1967 and later on, they started the Josey Jr. World Championships in 1981. The event began attracting thousands of entrants from around the country over 40 years of competition and is one of the most respected youth barrel races in the world.
The clinics are even bigger, having grown to more than 2,000 students per year. The family is well known all over the world for their role in modernizing the safety and skill of barrel racing. If you include the calf roping clinics as well, the Joseys have helped over 200,000 rodeo athletes through the years.
In addition to the, Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, R.E. Josey is a member of the the Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas and the Ark-La-Tex Sports Museum in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The visitation for R.E. will be held at the Josey Ranch at 5 PM on Sunday, Feb. 27 and the funeral service will also be at the same location on Monday, Feb. 28.