Henry Petz

Henry Petz Resident Since '86 Dies Tues.

Henry Petz, 82, and resident of this area of Wyoming since 1886, died at his Lusk home Tuesday morning of a heart condition.

When only ten years old Mr. Petz came to Wyoming from Omaha with his parents, John and Barbara Petz. The family located on a homestead about ten miles north of Lusk. The cabin was characteristic of the early day pioneer cabins and had both a dirt floor and a sod roof.

He was only 11 years old when he took his first job, hiring out to a Texas Trail Herd outfit that was moving cattle from Texas to the Montana ranges. His job was to round up the strays as the herd moved north. When the drive was over Henry was offered a dollar or a white heifer calf. He took the calf and that was the start in the livestock industry.

When 14, he went to work for the O. W. outfit of which John B. Kendrick was manager. Kendrick later became one of the great U. S. Senators from Wyoming. Russell Thorp, who is one of the oldest and best informed of the old timers in Wyoming recalls that Senator Kendrick thought a great deal of Mr. Petz and often referred to him as "my son." Mr. Thorp recalls that Senator Kendrick often remarked about Mr. Petz's natural ability as a cowboy and that even though he was only a teen-age boy he was able to withstand the hardships of a cowboy life and never complained.

When 21 Mr. Petz started his own ranch adjacent to that of his parents and through good judgment, persistence and hard work developed one of the outstanding ranches in eastern Wyoming. He was a member of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association for over 40 years.

In addition to his life long interest in the livestock industry he also developed the oil industry in this area of Wyoming. On August 15, 1914 he and Edna Chantel Scace were married in Douglas. They are the parents of two children, Mrs. Richard Alexander of Casper and Mrs. John J. Rees of Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to his wife and two daughters he is survived by one grandson, Randall Henry Rees; and two nephews, Henry McGinnis of Hat Creek and Thomas McGinnis of Michigan.

Funeral services under the direction of Rev. Jacob Nein, pastor of the Congregational Church, will be held from the Peet Chapel at 2:00 p.m. Thursday.

The Lusk Herald
October 23, 1958
Funeral Services For Henry Petz Are Held Thursday

Funeral services were held Thursday afternoon for Henry Petz, 82, resident of this area since 1886, from Peet Chapel with Rev, Jacob Nein officiating. Burial was in the Lusk Cemetery.

A mixed quartet composed of Mrs. Gerald Bardo, Miss Phyllis Johns, L. E. Johnsonbaugh, and Gerald Bardo sang "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" and "The Lord is my Shepherd." Mrs. Dale M. Bardo was organist.

Active pallbearers were Menno Kaan, Richard Pfister, George Gibson, Roy Johnson, Glen Cates, M. N. Willermsdorfer, Dan Hanson and George Mill.

Honorary pallbearers were John Agnew, Roy Chamberlain, S. W. Boyd, Len Christian, W. D. Miller, Mike Cordell, Robert Diehl, Thomas Miller, Ed Arnold and Russell Thorp.

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