April 22, 1943 – December 13, 2020
October 29, 1945 – December 19, 2020
William “Bill” Earl White was the son of Edward and Pauline (Schufeldt) White was born on April 22, 1943, in Hyannis, NE. He was nine years old when he trapped rats in the wintertime for spending money and to help get him through school. Bill attended Hyannis High School in Hyannis, NE. Bill worked on area ranches all of his life. Bill entered eternal rest on December 13, 2020.
Rita Sue Roby daughter of Kenneth and Winnie (Wickham) Roby was born on October 29, 1945, in Oshkosh, NE. Winnie moved her young family in 1948, to the Sterns Ranch north of Ashby, NE. This would be where Rita grew up and would cll home for a good portion of her life. Rita attended St. Agnes Boarding School, in Alliance, NE. Rita entered eternal rest on December 19, 2020.
Bill and Rita crossed paths at one of the Ashby dances, formed a relationship and were united in marriage on March 24, 1962, in Bingham, NE. To this union, 3 children were born: Larry, Laura and Greg.
The young couple worked on several area ranches before moving back to the Sterns place. Bill and Rita were inseparable and worked hand in hand at raising cattle, horses, and some good dogs over the years. Their love for horses began to show in the early years. They started off raising Appaloosas and raised some nice ones like Bionic Bug and Dudley. With the help of the kids and Bill’s horsemanship skills, they started in the show world. They qualified several horses in various events to the Appaloosa world in Oklahoma all the while using the same horses on the ranch.
As their kids grew older and started high school rodeo, Rita picked up a camera and started taking pictures. This gave her something to pass the time during those days and would later come in handy as a second income for the family. They hauled kids all over and had success with several trips to the Nebraska State Rodeo Finals and a couple of trips to the National High School Rodeo Finals.
They moved away from the Appaloosa Association and started raising quarter horses. The first stud Bill bought was a horse named “Doc” SR Poco Lynx. Bill would show this horse for several years in the CHAN Association in Nebraska and also traveling to neighboring states. Rita was right there with him photographing everything as they went along. This young stallion started their horse program in the direction it would continue for the years to come and be the foundation for the horses that are still around today.
In the later years, the couple left the Sterns ranch north of town and moved into Ashby. They continued to be a major part of the community and the horse world. Bill and Rita would haul their grandkids and several other kids to High School Rodeo sand they would continue to provide good horses for them to show in the cutting pen. Bill would always haul himself a horse to turn back on and Rita would be right there with her camera capturing every moment.
Bill and Rita decided to purchase another stud prospect, this time they traveled to Texas and purchased “Suns Cowboy’ or Cowboy from the 6666 as a yearling. Bill started another great one and hit the show trail again and of course, there was Rita right there with him. They won various events with this horse across the Midwest. Bill acquired enough points in the AQHA to qualify for the world show twice. Suns Cowboy’s genetics are seen all over the area and he is remembered by many people as one of the greats. When Bill was asked which one of the horses your raised was the best without skipping a beat he would say “Cowboy”. The horse passed just a couple of weeks after Bill and Rita. Bill always claimed that we would have to dig a deep hole for himself and his horse.