Obituaries

LeRoy Neumayer

LeRoy Anthony Neumayer passed on to greater racing on May 7, 2006. He was 75 years old. He was born Aug. 22, 1930, to Joseph R. and Teresa Poeppe Neumayer, the youngest of five children.

He started his racing career at about the age of 15 with motorcycles. From there, he went on to drag race hot rods on the streets of Long Beach, Calif.

It was probably a good thing he was inducted into the army in 1950, because when he came home there had been drag-racing strips built. He served three years in Korea, returning home in 1953.

He went back to racing, and in 1953 set a speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. He went 233.31 miles per hour and entered the famed 200 MPH Club. LeRoy was featured on the cover of the July 1955 issue of Hot Rod Magazine.

He later built a belly tank racer out of a World War II fuel tank from a bomber and started racing that. He ran the racing circuit all over the U.S. for several years.

After that, he worked as crew chief for racers at Indianapolis 500. He worked for racers such as Diz Wilson, AJ Foyt and Roger McCluskey.

Between races, LeRoy raced in South Africa and from the tip of South America to Fairbanks, Alaska. He also raced in the Mint 400 in Las Vegas, Nev.

In 1965, he came to the Circle S Ranch in Cora with Elmer George, the son-in-law of Tony Hulman, who owned the Indianapolis Speedway.

He fell in love with the country and stayed, helping Elmer George guide hunters, pack meat and put up hay.

In 1976, he married JoAn Hicks-Dyess. For several years after he and Joan were married, he hauled cattle, fuel and heavy equipment, and worked on several ranches.

LeRoy is survived by his wife of 30 years; two step-children: Amy (Phil) Belveal of Pinedale and Corey (Kim) Dyess of Laramie; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; a sister, Sister Norma Lesperance of Apple Valley, Calif.; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers: Walter, Paul and Donald; and one nephew.

Memorial services will be held on June 7 at 10 a.m. in the Pinedale High School Auditorium.

Bobby Sweedler service set

Memorial services for Robert Wayne (Bobby) Sweedler, 51, will be held June 10 at 1 p.m. at Covill Funeral Home. He passed away Jan. 3,2006, in Mesa, Ariz. of cardiovascular disease.

He was born in Jackson Hole Feb. 4, 1954, the son of Bob and JoAnn Sweedler. He was raised and educated in Pinedale, where he graduated from Pinedale High School in 1972. He is survived by his wife, Lynn, his parents, brother Mark of Texas and sister Donna Wright of Colorado.