Cloudy, 40° F
(Nov. 10, 1943 - May 27, 2012)
Warren Walter Shidler of Lovell died Sunday, May 27, 2012 at North Big Horn Hospital due to complications of Alzehimer’s Disease. He was 69.
Warren “Tookie” Shidler was born Nov. 10, 1943 near Lovell to Fred and Edna Brightly. He joined older brothers Fred, Charlie and Leonard. The family later included sisters Heidi (Sharon), Gale and Dale. His early years were spent at Gyp Creek and the Cowley area, where many memories were made.
When he was 7, Tookie went to live with Earl and Janet Shidler on their ranch west of Cowley. He grew up helping Earl on the ranch. One of his fondest memories was harnessing the work horses, Buck and Brownie. He was too little to harness them from the ground, so he improvised and used a milking stand to get the job done. Tookie loved to work the ground and make things grow, and he had a knack for irrigating.
At 17, Tookie joined the Army. He was stationed in Germany from 1960 to 1963. He loved the military, and like all things in life, he found humor and fun it it. He wanted to serve in Vietnam, but was never called up.
When Tookie returned from Germany, he married Linda Beddes from Cowley. Eventually they moved to Denver where Tookie worked as a welder in a metal fabrication shop. They later divorced.
During the oil boom of the ‘70s, Tookie worked on the rigs. He was able to purchase a farm at the bottom of the Sandhills southwest of Cowley. In 1976, Tookie and Joyce Scott were married, and became parents to Benjamin in 1977, followed by Daniel in 1978.
In 1980 Tookie went to work on the rigs in Colombia, South America. The rain forest was a whole new experience and Tookie came to love the jungle and all its wonders.
On July 4, 1984, Ruth was born to the family. Tookie called her his little firecracker. Shortly afterward, the family moved back to the farm near Cowley, and eventually his marriage to Joyce ended.
Tookie married Sheila Morris on Nov. 25, 1989. He adopted her son, Craig, and became a hero to one lucky little boy. Tookie worked construction and oil rigs for many years until his health declined. He worked for the Office Shop doing deliveries until he could no longer work, and retired to work on his farm.
He loved the outdoors and found peace in the landscape surrounding him. He was an avid treasure hunter and loved an adventure. Tookie was diagnosed with dementia in 2004 and later developed Alzheimer’s. Through it all, Tookie kept his faith and loved his family. His sense of humor was endless, and he passed it on to everyone he knew.
Tookie was preceded in death by his parents. Survivors include his wife Sheila; sons Benjamin (Jennifer) of Thermopolis; Dan (Bethany) of Evanston; Craig of Lovell; daughter Ruth of Salt Lake; mother-in-law Rita; granddaughter Hailey; brothers Fred, Charlie and Leonard; sisters Heidi, Gale and Dale; and many, many friends and family who cared about him.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 31 at Haskell’s Funeral Home in Lovell. Burial will take place at Willow Grove Cemetery in Buffalo on Friday, June 1.
Haskell Funeral Home of Lovell assisted the family with arrangements.
