Mary Jo Millsaps of Chrome died peacefully on Monday, November 25, 2024, after a courageous health battle following a stroke. She was born on in Lakeview, Oregon, to Lawrence and Eva Quenell on November 17, 1951.
She graduated from Lakeview High School in 1970. Leading up to that, she participated in 4-H every year and led the local horse 4-H club as a teenager.
She was a Junior Rodeo Princess and Rodeo Princess on the mare she raised and trained herself. She loved horses and rodeos, competing in barrel racing as well as team roping with her dad.
She was a proud steward of the land, dedicating a lifetime to ranching and sheepherding. From an early age, she developed a deep love for the open range and the livestock that became her life’s work. She carried on the traditions of ranching with a tireless work ethic and an unwavering respect for the land and animals under her care.
She met her husband, Mike Millsaps, at a rodeo in Cedarville, Calif., in 1974. They were married on August 2, 1975, in Lakeview, Oregon. The couple enjoyed many pack trips to the Warners and Yolla Bolly wilderness on horseback with Risky the mule and Diamond the horse.
Upon moving to the Millsaps’ ranch in Chrome, Mary started running sheep with her father-in-law, Bernie. Together, they ran several thousand head of sheep for many years.
After Bernie’s death in 2003, Mary continued to run a couple hundred head, eventually cutting the herd numbers drastically in 2021 due to the drought. She was well known for the quality of her butcher lambs, which she sold directly to many loyal customers over the years.
In addition to the sheep, Mary and Mike ran beef cattle on their foothills ranch. Mary especially enjoyed attending the Red Bluff Bull Sale, in search of the next fine addition to their herd, cooking a full meal for the branding, and traveling to Oregon in the summers to see the cattle on their summer pasture.
Mary and Mike welcomed their feisty red-headed daughter, Ritta, in 1986. Mary had her riding horseback before she could walk.
Mary enjoyed helping in the classroom and always volunteered to chaperone the school fieldtrips. She loved having her grandchildren, Reese and Paisley, involved with the livestock on the ranch and especially enjoyed involving them in caring for the newborn lambs and bottle-baby calves.
While she didn’t directly claim them as her own, Mary was an integral part of her daughter’s goat business and particularly liked to let her know when they were on the road or otherwise misbehaving.
She took great pride in mentoring younger generations, passing down hard-earned lessons about life, perseverance, and stewardship. She served as a key leader of the Elk Creek 4-H Club for many years, as well as being the sheep leader.
She was a dedicated school board member for the Stony Creek Joint Unified School District for several terms and served on the Elk Creek FFA Ag Advisory Committee. Additionally, she was a member of the Glenn County Farm Bureau, California and Oregon Cattlemen’s Associations, Glenn-Colusa Wool Growers, and California Wool Growers Association.
She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Mike; daughter Ritta Martin (son-in-law Mat); grandchildren Reese and Paisley Martin; sister Leslie Quenell-Silverstein (brother-in-law, Brian) of Lopez Island, Wash.; and niece Ariel Quenell of Portland, Ore. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Eva Quenell.
Her loved ones agree, she will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her, but her legacy endures in the fields she walked, the flocks she tended, the hearts she touched, and her grandchildren who walk the same land.
A celebration of Mary’s life is planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 14, at the Elk Creek Elementary School, with a luncheon to follow. Please bring your favorite side-dish or dessert to share, plus a picture or story about Mary.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Elk Creek FFA chapter in Mary’s honor to support the agriculture education of the youth in our community.
The Glenn County Observer 