Mariel Klingbeil

Mariel Klingbeil

November 17, 1935

Mariel was born in New England in 1935. She married her husband Willie of 47 years in 1959. Two children: Allison-1960 and Luke-1962 were born. They worked on different ranches in the Sandhills area. They moved to Callaway in 1964 where they helped start the Seven Valleys Rodeo. In 1967, they moved to the Valentine area where they lived until 1988 moving to Oklahoma. In 2005, they moved back to Callaway where Mariel still lives.

Mariel was raised in an Eastern environment and came out to the Sandhills for a visit and met a tall cowboy. Mariel is still here and still supporting the cowboy way of life. Mariel not only helped her husband Willie on the ranch, training cutting horses and working with the youth but is also an outstanding western artist and sculptor.

Mariel still works hard to keep the rodeo going in Callaway which her husband helped start 50 years ago.

Mariel worked with youth for many years hauling them across the county showing horses. Not only her own but as far away as Louisiana. Mariel is also an outstanding artist with her paintings of the Sandhills and the way of life of the cowboy.

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