Desmond Brophy passed away on May 12, 2022, at his home near Wray, Colorado. He was one of those people who didn't need a last name, just "Des" was enough for anyone in the area to know who you meant.
Des was born in the sandhills north of Eckley, Colorado, on November 5, 1929. His parents, Nora (Sulllivan) and James Patrick Brophy IV, were full blooded Irish. Des was the ninth and last surviving of siblings Mary, Agnes, Thomas, Julia, Paul, John, Betty, Jim, Robert, Charles, and Loretta. He spent his youth helping on the farm, learning to play pitch, attending (and not attending) country schools, going on rabbit drives, playing softball and hunting coyotes. He could make money selling coyote hides for jackets made for WWII flyers. He got sent to an uncle's house in Wray to finish high school, graduating in 1947. For the important annual Wray-Yuma football game, he was caught at home with rural roads closed by a snowstorm. A Wray pilot was dispatched to get him, landing in the pasture near the house. Grandma Nora was quite miserable that there wasn't enough room for her to go too.
After graduation, Des started farming and ranching north of Eckley with his brothers. In 1951 he married Delpha Jean Bowman, of Wray, and was promptly drafted into the army. To get a better deal, he and two other Yuma County fellas drove to Denver to join up before their draft date. At the recruitment center a very large Marine Corp sergeant came into the hallway and declared he wasn't getting enough volunteers. He ordered all three into his office to become United Stated Marines.
When Des first arrived in Korea as a member of the Marine Air Corps, he found he was assigned to the same barracks as Elmer Baucke, one of those fellas from Yuma County. Des flew in the rear of a single engine Skyraider where he ran surveillance equipment to locate enemy radar facilities. When not flying he could play softball and hunt deer in the Korean hills.
After his discharge Des and Jean moved to a farm near Idalia to raise wheat with his in-laws. Doug, Todd and Tracy were born while they lived there. They moved to the farm south of Wray in 1956, Jacque, Paula and Tom would join the family there. In the early dry years Des worked for the USDA part time measuring bins, surveying acreages and even chiseling neighbor’s wheat fields to stop erosion. Poor wheat prices in the 60's meant more income for grazing calves on wheat fields and Des could focus more and more on the cattle business that was his real love. At various times he partnered up with Marvin Kniese, Lavern Stults, John Osmus, Charlie Gelvin, Joe Conrad, and many others to run cattle of various size, sex, color, health, and disposition. Sometimes even being profitable.
Des was one of the originating owners in 1256 Cattle Company, and acquired sandhill grasslands as his farming interests faded to full time ranching. With his brothers Tom and Paul, they purchased the Warner Ranch in 1971 and later added the Groves Ranch in 1993. Through the years he spent hours in sale barns across the region and was known by lots of folks. Eventually, Doug, Todd and Tom became active in the ranching business so Des could focus on retirement.
In 1982 Des married Mary Lou (Pickering) Reynolds, and moved to Wray with her two children, Rance and Ronda. Later they moved to the Kerst Place, north of Wray and were back in the country. In his retirement years Des and Mary Lou purchased a mobile home and traveled extensively to Canada and many of the US states, including Alaska, mostly to rodeos and fishing spots. Des was a regular attendee at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, even able to be there all ten days last December. He hunted his entire life and was unofficial guide to an assortment of friends, old and new. In his later years he was lucky enough to meet another son so to speak in Steve Stadelmaier, who became his hunting and fishing partner, together almost winning a lot of fishing contests. Any time left over was spent playing cards with his buddies in town or with visiting friends and family who were always welcome.
Des was preceded in death by his parents, by all his siblings and their spouses, by Jean and Mary Lou, and by his beloved son Todd. He is missed by his remaining children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews (each of which thinks they were the favorite), and lots and lots of people that would consider him family and he would feel the same way.
Rosary services will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2022, 6:30 p.m. at the St. Andrew Catholic Church in Wray, Colorado. Mass of Christian Burial services will be held Friday, May 20, 2022, 2:00 p.m. at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Wray, Colorado. Interment will be held in the Grandview Cemetery in Wray.
Schmidt-Jones Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
