Cowboy Bob's Kinfolks

Here are some of the folks who help make my life worthwhile...

Kids, In-Laws, Out-Laws, Grandkids and Others

Minnesota Gothic

With apologies to Grant Wood, here's a picture of the missus and me. Leatha's a great teacher, but she's got a ways to go before becoming a great horseperson. For example, she thinks that the way to stop a trotting horse is to yell, "Boooooooooob!" Ya, sure ting you betcha!

This picture of our clan was taken at Sarah and Dan's wedding.

"My Pap-Pap is a Cowboy" ...And I had the horse pictures to prove my grandson's boast. Michael and his big sister, Heather, live back East, but were in Minnesota long enough for a rather soggy introduction to Willy.

Mama, Don't Let Your Babies
Grow Up to be Cowboys

At a year and a half old, Madeleine tried her grandpa's hat on for size.

Madeleine called yours truly "Cowboy Bob," "Grandpa Lemen," "Cowboy Lemen," "Grandpa Bob," and my favorite, "Grandpa Cowboy."

"There Was a Man, Named Matthew...."

Our first son, Matthew, had Cystic fibrosis and died in 1985, a little over a month before his 20th birthday. You can read a bit more about him on my newspaper column page.

"The California Branch of
the Lemen Tree"

This photo of my Mom and Dad -- Betty and Bob -- me, my brother Bruce and sister Mary Kay was taken at my folk's place during the last week of '98. My mom passed away on January 12, 2005. I wrote a little about her funeral in a column for the Grand Rapids Herald-Review. You'll find it here.

Dad joined Mom -- his soul-mate of 63 years -- on February 21, 2010, one day after the silver anniversary of Matthew's departure for Heaven. I'm sure they've had a wonderful reunion! Back in 1999 I wrote a little newspaper column about the special bond between Dad and Matthew.

Dad was the subject of an excellent feature story in the February 3, 2003 edition of the Los Angeles Times. The writer, Jenny Hontz, has kindly given me permission to reprint it. To read it, just CLICK HERE.

Sarah, our youngest daughter, joined Matthew in Heaven on October 23, 2014, at the age of 39. Like Matthew, Sarah had Cystic fibrosis, and -- also like Matt -- she lived about 20 years longer than the doctors had originally predicted.

We haven't figured out how I'm related to these two lovely ladies, but we know there's a connection because all Lemens in the U.S. stem from a single family of Scot/Irish immigrants. (For a little more on the Lemen Family's roots, click here.)

Ashley Lemen (below, on Notta) and Jeanna Lemen (right, on Rebel) hail from the Peach Tree State and are following in their mother's barrel racing hoofprints. The girls have gone to the Georgia State Championships for several years running.

Ashley Lemen on Notta

Thanks to the girls' grandparents, Arthur and Nikki Lemen of Jacksonville, Florida, for providing these photos!

(There's another photo of Ashley on Question and Answer page #5 and one of the girls' mom -- which she might prefer that I didn't show you -- on Q & A page 24.)

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