Lee Edward Boggess

Lee Edward Boggess was born in Missoula, Montana, on January 9, 1950. He grew up on a cattle ranch in the rugged Badlands of Montana. When he wasn’t working on the ranch, he would fish and hunt deer and rabbits, which he would then sell to make money. In addition to ranching, Lee attended a one-room elementary school. He rode to school five miles by horseback. The school had only one other student – a girl who was younger than Lee.

At the age of 16, Lee left home to go to high school “in town.” Lee never felt like he fit in with the other schoolboys, who thought punching each other in the arm was funny. Lee said that he had been working like a man for many years and couldn’t see the humor in the arm punching game. So, Lee promptly dropped out of high school and went to work as a ranch hand breaking wild horses. When the school principal informed Lee’s parents that Lee had disappeared, they said, “well, school ain’t for everyone.”

While working with horses on the ranch, Lee discovered his passion for racehorses. That passion carried him to racetracks across the western United States and Canada (though he never had many kind words for Canada). As an owner and a trainer, Lee built a reputation for being hardworking, trustworthy, and one of best horsemen around.

Lee has many friends and many stories from his race tracking days. Many of these friends and stories are not appropriate for “mixed company” (we’re looking at Ace Hare, in particular), and while Lee was not great at keeping in touch, he cherished all of the friendships he made at the track.

In 1988, Lee and his wife Debbie settled in Arkansas. And in 1993, they moved to Black Springs, Arkansas, and they built a cattle ranch from the ground up. Lee spent many days clearing brush, fixing fence lines, seeding, haying, and counting and caring for the cows. The people who bought cows from Lee knew that they could trust him to be fair and to raise great beef.

In 1999, Lee and Debbie expanded into chicken farming, and by 2003, Lee earned the honor of Grower of the Year for Tyson Foods. As many of you know (or can imagine), chicken houses have a really terrible smell. When visitors would come to Lee’s chicken houses, he liked to ask them how the houses smelled. The usual response was that they smelled horrible, or words to that effect. And Lee would smile and say, “smells like money to me.” (But Lee had lost his sense of smell and couldn’t smell anything). Lee spent many days preparing the houses for chickens, dumping chickens, and checking and caring for the chickens (especially when there was something or someone at home he wanted to avoid). And we can’t forget the many late nights catching the chickens.

Lee was a very hard worker. But ranching was more than a livelihood for him — it was something he truly enjoyed. He retired from ranching in 2020 after suffering a severe head injury, but his love for the land and animals never faded.

Lee was a loving son who, alongside Debbie, cared for his parents in their old age. When Lee’s dad was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Lee would take his dad with him to do his work around the ranch. This way, Lee could care for his dad, while also tending to his work on the ranch. After his dad passed away, Lee continued to care for his mom, stopping by and visiting and helping her every day.

Lee was also a loving husband to his dear wife Debbie. They shared 41 years of marriage filled with partnership, laughter, and enduring love. And Lee was a loving father to three children.

In his life, Lee faced many challenges. But he did not back down from those challenges. He faced them, and with his grit and determination, succeeded on his own terms.

Lee’s resilience was matched by his sense of humor. If you’ve spent much time around Lee, you know that he loves to joke (and loves to repeat the same joke again, and again). While Alzheimer’s and dementia took many of his memories, they couldn’t take his quick wit and great sense of humor. He had a smile and something funny to say until the end. We will also miss Lee’s clever one-liners and repeated jokes.

Lee was preceded in death by his parents, Boyd and Alice Boggess. He is survived by his wife Debbie (Day); daughter Kate (David) Henshaw; son Ray (Linsey) Boggess; daughter Shelly (Michael) Rowe; grandsons Nathan (Madison) Rowe, Owen Henshaw, Alexander Lee Boggess, and Ramsey James Boggess; and granddaughters Isla Rae Boggess and Abigail Joy Boggess. His grandkids will miss their “Papa.”

Lee’s legacy is one of humor, perseverance, and love. He will be remembered not only for his work in ranching and horse racing, but for the joy he brought to those around him and the strength with which he lived his life.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 10:00 AM at Smith Family Chapel- Glenwood with Ray Boggess officiating.