Obituaries

Max Franklin Boroff, Sr.

Max Franklin Boroff Sr. was born Nov. 30, 1914, in Doniphan, Neb., to Mabel and Frank Boroff. The family farmed near the Platte River and Max grew up helping with the corn or wheat and other duties.

During the Depression, Max, the oldest of four children, left school after the 10th grade to work full-time. By 1936, Max had drifted to California, where his grandmother and other family members lived.

Hoping to find better work there, he had headed West. But it wasn't long before he realized he didn't like southern California and decided to try elsewhere. Max found a freight train headed for Montana and climbed aboard. Arriving in Polson, Mont., he started working on a ranch and stayed there through that haying season.

By 1937, Max had found his way to Sublette County, where he heard there were plenty of jobs. His first job was on the Bill and Effie Todd place, down on the Green River near Daniel.

Max met his wife, Marion, at one of the community dances near Daniel. The couple hit it off right away and planned to get married when Max was called to the Army in 1942. Stationed in Manhattan, Kan., the couple married in Sabetha, Kan., where Marion's older sister, Laura, was living at the time. While in the Army, Max, along with other Sublette County residents Roy Steele and Mort Wassenberg, was a member of the last horse cavalry divisions in existence.

While Max was still serving in the Army in Kansas, Bill Todd passed away and Mrs. Todd tried to get Max's release through a hardship discharge so he could come help her. But by the time the Army agreed to this, Mrs. Todd was forced to sell the ranch. Returning to Sublette County anyway, Mrs. Todd helped Max and Marion buy the Linc West Ranch near Daniel, where they lived the rest of their lives.

For Max, settling back into Sublette County meant not only ranching and raising a family, but helping all of his neighbors any way he could. He was one of the driving forces behind starting the Sublette County Fair, including serving on the fair board for many years; he has served on the soil conservation boards, the Bronx school board, federal land bank board and the cattlemen's association.

For years, Max was the voice behind the 4-H livestock auction at the county fair, as the auctioneer. He will be remembered as an extremely kind, generous and helpful man, always with a smile and a story to tell.

He loved the life of a rancher and told the story that, as a kid he dreamed that if he could have his own place he would spend his days learning rope tricks and riding horses. Though he never got the knack of rope tricks, he did spend his days doing what he loved most - ranching.

He is survived by Caroline Brazell of Pinedale, Joe (Max Jr.) of Merna, Jon of Daniel and Candace of Star Valley; two sisters, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. at the Rendezvous Pointe Senior Center in Pinedale. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sublette Center.

William S. Nebeker

Bill Nebeker passed away on Dec. 27, 2004, in Fairbanks, Alaska, after a six-month battle with cancer.

Born in Big Piney to Stanley and Carol Nebeker and the eldest of five boys, he attended Big Piney schools and graduated in 1946.

After graduation, he enlisted in the Marines and served 10 years, including two combat tours in Korea. Following his honorable discharge from the Marines in 1956, Bill worked as a buckaroo, government trapper and for the Nevada Indian Tribal Council as an alcohol and drug counselor, a career he pursued for the rest of his working life and one that made it possible to fulfill a lifelong dream of moving to Alaska.

1976 found Bill in Fairbanks working for the Fairbanks Native Association managing a halfway house and a substance-abuse program where his kindness and compassion for others built a legion of friends that endures beyond his death.

He retired in 1990 and commenced working full-time on his life-long passion of shooting and hand-loading ammo for his vast collection of rifles and pistols.

A quiet and reserved man, Bill's eyes would light up when the topics relating to his hobby came up and he freely shared his vast knowledge and considerable inventory with a large number of friends in the Fairbanks shooting community and beyond. He was an institution at the "Down Under Gun Shop" and was their first customer.

Bill is survived by his brothers, Douglas Nebeker of Concord, Calif., and Robert Nebeker of Colorado Springs, Colo.

A get together celebrating his life was held at the Mushers' Hall in Fairbanks, where many friends gathered to pay their last respects. Bill will be sorely missed by many people whose lives he touched in wonderful ways.