Wow, what a week it’s been here at the ranch. As most all know, we lost a great person in losing Jerry Throgmartin on Sunday, January 22. His passing was completely unexpected and caught us all very much off guard. As you can expect, this past week has been one of grieving, logistics, planning, re-evaluating and more grieving.
I headed to Indiana along with Terry, Dace, Beka, and Ben and his family for the services in his hometown. It was heartwarming to see all his family and friends and be able to see the huge number of people who’s lives have been touched by Jerry. All that time, Charlie, Bill, Steve, Kelli, Reid and the rest of the crew kept the wheels turning at the ranch. My amazing crew in the office stepped up and took over as much as possible, for which I am so thankful. Then, on Sunday we hosted a celebration of life at the ranch. Over 100 people showed up as Terry, Dace and Ben led the service with music and thoughtful words. Peggy got to be here with her kids Nicky, Christy and Gregg along with some other family members. It was a nice way to wrap up a week of mourning with celebration and laughter.
For me, I have come out of the week with an immense amount of gratitude. I think I can speak for the entire team to this point. We are grateful for the outpouring of love from friends and family who have circled around all of us to show their support and appreciation for how Jerry left an impact on them. We are grateful to have such an amazing group of people here at the ranch who have become like family to each of us. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work for a man, and a family, who are so invested in each of us and the vision for the ranch. We are grateful for the leadership Jerry offered to each of us, and the enthusiasm from the family to continue down the path we’ve been walking. We are grateful for the wonderful guests here this last week, who seized the opportunity to enjoy the ranch and celebrate a life well lived with us. We are grateful for so much, and we are excited now to pick ourselves up and move forward with a man and a mission in mind. We will continue to do our best to create an amazing experience for our guests and our staff. We will continue to try to be the best dude ranch out there, knowing that we’re only as good as our efforts. And we look forward to the road ahead of us, while keeping fond memories of a man who helped steer our course. We hope you’ll join us on the ride, and know that a wonderful man had a vision that we all get to live out in his honor.
