September 23, 1932 – February 14, 2026
Having grown up in Brewster, NE in the Blaine County sandhills, ranch life and cowboys were a natural influence in the life of Bob Woodward Born into a family of 10 kids in 1932 at Sargent, NE Bob attended school at Brewster thru the 11th grade. His parents were Ed and Ann Woodward. He dropped out of school and continued his education as he described it, “With a shovel and post-hole diggers in hand.”
One of his first jobs was working for Tommy Loughran on the Loughran Homestead in Custer County. Bob thinks he was about 14 when he competed in a rodeo at Dunning and from then on arena competition was in his blood. He and a rodeo friend, Dale Svoboda worked, breaking horses for the McMillan Ranch in southern Blaine County.
Bob entered the U.S. Army in 1952, just missing the Korean Conflict. After receiving a medical discharge in 1954 Bob again worked for Tommy Loughran and later for the McAdams Ranch northwest of Brewster. During this time he became involved with the Milburn Community Church under the leadership of Pastor Sam Lehman, It was then that Bob made a decision that would give direction to the rest of his life: he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Following this commitment, Bob developed a strong interest in learning the Bible which led to him in 1961 enrolling at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Caroline. During his year there, the school was filming a movie based on a Civil War story. With his cowboy background Bob was put in charge of handling horses and can be seen, with a full beard, in several scenes of the film entitle Red Runs the River.
A couple of years later Bob enrolled for a year in the Western Bible Institute in Morrison, Colorado. While there he trained colts working for J&J Palomino Horse Ranch owned by Jack Janowicz.
Around this time Bob met the love of his life, Joan Bailie of Broken Bow, Nebraska. They were married in 1966 while Bob was employed with the Dick Towns Ranch north of Broken Bow. Shortly thereafter Bob and Joan purchased a ranch west of Broken Bow where they were to raise cattle and reside for more than 55 years.
Bob’s busy life did not prevent him from participation in rodeo. He rode bulls and bucking horses at area rodeos for many years and worked several years for the Hollenbeck Bros. Rodeo Company. He began to clown and fight bulls and did this for quite some time. This was in the days that bull-fighters worked alone before there was such a thing as teams. He was the first to receive an award buckle for the Best Rodeo Clown at the Hyannis Old Timers Rodeo.
Frank Anderson, a rancher friend and neighbor of Bob’s wrote a song entitled A Tribute to Bob with a desire to commemorate Bob’s work as a rodeo clown.
A Tribute to Bob
By Frank Anderson
Here is a story that’s never been told,
About a rodeo clown and bullfighter;
There at the chute you could see him around,
Down at the rodeo grounds.
He is a happy, go-lucky cowboy,
Taking the bulls from the riders;
Telling a joke just to hear the crown roar,
Down at the old rodeo.
Big baggy britches and dirty white sneakers,
An old felt hat and a broom,
With a prayer on his lips and his feet on the ground,
He is a rodeo clown.
A big Brahma bull comes out of the chute,
A cowboy is in for a ride;
Whirling and kicking and stirring up dust,
That rider is hung at his side.
The bullfighter is there to take that bull,
Until the cowboy could let go,
A difficult job but it’s got to be done,
Down at the old rodeo.As years went by Bob’s rodeo participation included Old Timer’s Rodeos. Hanging in the Hyannis Hotel is a photo of Bob from 1978, dressed in women’s clothes and a wig riding a bareback horse. In his hand as he left the chute was a dainty-looking parasol which he released just as the photo was taken. Bob Woodward believed the rodeo crowd should be entertained even if doing so was a bit dangerous.
Although Bob and Jo had no children of their own, Bob always had a heart for kids. In 1975, he joined with a couple of panhandle cowboys, Gary Walker and Tom Johnson, to begin a ministry to share the gospel of Christ with young people who wanted to participate in rodeo. They began Rodeo Bible Camp in 1975 with two camps, LaGrange, Wy and the Woodward Ranch. This work expanded to 20 states as well as Canada and Brazil. Bob and Jo have made many friends and received untold expressions of gratitude for their work with these camps.
Other experiences that occupied Bob during his ranching days were serving as ring-man at the Central Nebraska Commission Company cattle sales and his years as Deputy Sheriff of Custer County during the tenure of Sheriff Neil Fink.
Bob and Jo kept their cattle longer than most of their friends and family thought they should until finally age and health needs required that they become residents of the Brookstone View care facility in Broken Bow. If you stop in and say howdy, it’s almost certain Bob will tell you a story or two.