He was a real Wyoming cowboy, auctioneer, ranch manager, and generous friend to Cheyenne people and causes.
Those who knew Steve Price say it will be hard to replace him.
The 70-year-old died while visiting family in Dundee, Michigan, on May 4. A celebration of his life is planned on Saturday at the Archer Event Center in Cheyenne.
Price’s son Brady, who ranches in Pine Bluffs, said his dad was first and foremost was a cowboy who grew up in Sedgwick, Colorado, on a ranch where his grandparents raised cattle, buffalo and also elk.
That led to his love of rodeo.
“When he was younger, he did darn near everything he could, calf rope, team rope, rode broncs, rode bulls,” Brady said. “All the way through life he loved team roping.”
During his ranching career, he managed several ranches, including the Wyoming Hereford Ranch, and for the last 21 years was with the Warren Ranch.
Prior to his death, he worked for a company delivering John Deere equipment through the region.
One cowboy story Brad said his dad liked to share was about being hired in 1985 to go to an island 135 miles southwest of Kodiak Island in Alaska to round up feral cattle that were the descendants of cattle brought from Russia, when Russia owned them.
“My dad and his good friend went out there on that island and spent quite a few months gathering cattle,” Brady said. “They had to build corrals and everything to get it done.
"He always had that sense of adventure to him.”
Stepdaughter Amy Smith said her dad was a “very” selfless person who made his talents available to many.
'Larger Than Life'
“I would describe him as larger than life and very funny,” she said. “Finding the right words to describe him is almost impossible because he was a staple in his community and to ranching and other cowboys. He was a mentor to so many.”
Brady his dad’s skill and abilities as an auctioneer was something that he donated to nonprofits in Cheyenne as well as the Wyoming State Fair as a way to “give back to the community.”
Price joined the Wyoming State Fair Board in 2018 at its inception as the agricultural representative and most recently as vice chair of the board.
Fair spokesperson Dakota Provence said he was known for his willingness to step in and help where needed and played an instrumental role in launching the annual Endowment Auction, helping lay a foundation for initiatives that support the future of the fair.
She said his role as a mentor and friend to many at the fair and in the agricultural community will not be forgotten.
Fair General Manager Courtny Hinds echoed those sentiments and said Price was one of the board members who selected her for her job.
“I was incredibly fortunate to work alongside him over the years,” she said. “He led by example, treated everyone with kindness and humility, and was always willing to step in and help wherever needed.
"Steve never sought recognition for what he helped build, but his leadership and belief in this organization played an important role in shaping the Wyoming State Fair into what it is today,” she added. "We owe it to Steve’s memory to continue moving the fair forward in a way that would make him proud.”
Wyoming State Fair Board Chairman Shawn Steffen called Price “one of the finest human beings I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.”
“Working alongside him was an absolute pleasure, and his leadership, friendship, and presence will be deeply missed by all of us at the Wyoming State Fair,” he said.
Fast Talker
Community leaders of nonprofits around Cheyenne agreed that Price’s presence and skill as an auctioneer will be missed.
Auctioneer and owner of Alf’s Pub and Package Liquor, Bryan “Alf” Grzegorczyk, who started Cheyenne’s Thankful Thursdays that has raised $4.5 million for nonprofits over the years, said when he learned of his friend’s death it hit him hard.
He really bonded with Price over the past five years and they supported one another when people needed their talents at selling stuff and raising money.
“If somebody called him to do an event and he couldn’t do it, he would call me,” he said. “If I couldn’t do it, I would call him.
"And then he started helping me with Thankful Thursday.”
Grzegorczyk said when Price began volunteering at Thankful Thursday his “pizzaz” made the event “100 times better.”
When he introduced Price onstage, Grzegprczyk said he introduced him as “the legend.”
He characterized Price as kind, giving, and someone who “was always there for everyone.”
Randy Burtiss, another Cheyenne auctioneer, said Price mentored him and described him as a true cowboy who would step in at Cheyenne Frontier Days as a chute boss and help with team roping competition.
“He was a pretty good team roper and competed a long time,” Burtiss said. “He did some ranch rodeo stuff as well.”
On a personal level, Burtiss said he first met Price since moving to Cheyenne in 2003 or 2004.
He, too, describes him as a “legend” and said his impact on the county and state was “not quantifiable” because it was so large and so broad.
Measured Wealth In Friends
Burtiss recalled a Price interview where he said he measured his wealth “not in money, but in friends.”
“I don’t know anybody who wasn’t his friend,” Burtiss said.
An obituary online posted by Merkle Funeral Home in Dundee, Michigan, stated Price was born on April 21, 1956, in Julesburg, Colorado, and graduated from high school in Sedgwick before beginning a lifelong career in ranching.
His ranch skills led to management positions at the Wyoming Hereford Ranch and Warren Ranch.
Following his retirement from ranching, Price worked for a company delivering John Deere equipment throughout the region.
Cheyenne Animal Shelter Director of Development and Outreach Niki Harrison said Price served as the auctioneer for the shelter’s Fur Ball event for years and played a crucial role in fundraising for the shelter.
She said Price for at least two decades has helped the shelter and other nonprofits around town with his auctioneering skills.
His talent at connecting with those who attended the Fur Ball fundraiser “was genuine and heartfelt.”
“Even though he was there to do the job of an auctioneer, the connections he could make with people and the connections he made in the community made it so that people wanted to engage with Steve,” Harrison said. “He was a very steady presence and always dressed to the nines.”
She said he probably knew everybody who attended the event. Harrison recalls a heated bidding war over a jersey worn by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen where Price showed his skills by walking in the audience “egging people on” and reminding them what their contribution would do for pets in the community.
The performance went on for more than 10 minutes.
“He just had a way of tongue-in-cheek getting underneath people’s skin tongue and making them want to keep going,” she said.
If the auction included a puppy, Price would “snuggle up” with it as he talked about the shelter’s mission and care for the animals it serves.
Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Foundation Executive Director Scott Fox said Price helped the hospital raise funds at its Denim & Diamonds fundraiser for the past 10 years. He had committed to do the next one in November.
'He Cared'
Fox said Price was a cowboy who knew the other ranchers and people who were in the room and bidding on items.
“We had 600 to 800 people, and he would talk to people by name from the stage,” he said. “He cared just not about our cause, but all the causes that he supported and they were so many.”
Price would not accept payment for his services and generated more money for the foundation “because he was such a great person,” Fox said.
When a bidder was considering going to the next level, Price would sometimes go to a table and put his arm around a bidder and talk to them and it “wasn’t pressure,” Fox said.
But usually the person would end up raising their bid.
“It’s huge loss to our community,” Fox said. “Our hearts go out to Robin and his family and to his extended family at Warren Livestock Company where he worked forever.”
In addition to his wife, survivors include his children Brandon (Courtney) Price of Iowa, Britt Price of Cheyenne, and Brady Price of Pine Bluffs; his stepchildren, Amy (Bret) Smith of Dundee, Random (Michael) Muse of Oklahoma, and Nicole Kersey (Candace Farrow) of Canada; 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; his siblings, Wayne (Mary) Price of Colorado and Charlotte (Jim) Mollendor of Iowa; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Price's life will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Archer Event Center, 3801 Archer Parkway, Cheyenne.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
