LEONARD DOUGLAS CARROLL

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LEONARD DOUGLAS CARROLL Len was born at Treherne, Manitoba on Christmas Day, 1927. He moved in 1928, to the home where he would grow up at Bagot, Manitoba. Len was the fifth son and eighth child of Thomas and Myrtle (Leader) Carroll. He is predeceased by his parents, his elder brothers: Arnold, Russell (Joy) of Winnipeg, Cdr. George (Verna) Dartmouth, NS; sisters, June of Port Alberni, Gladys (Wesley) Hughes of Kamloops; and nephew Thomas Carroll of Winnipeg. Left to mourn his passing are his sister Wylla (Wilfred, deceased) Webb, Jack (Erika) Carroll, Karen (Keith, deceased) Boughton, all of Winnipeg, as well as his many nieces, nephews into the second and third generations. Len attended Bagot School. From a very young age he followed his wishes to be involved with horses all his life, this included working as a ranch hand in Alberta on the Percy Copethorne Ranch. Then guiding and packing in the mountain area near Jasper, where he took part in three different movies acting as a double and part-time stunt man. With the movies, he had the opportunity to work with such people as James Stewart, doubled for Robert Mitchum, Walter Brennan and Henry Morgan. Marilyn Munroe and Ruth Roman were also part of those movie productions. After about 12 years of this part of his life, he returned to Manitoba to complete his high school and take a couple of University courses. He operated a riding school for a few years, then directed and managed a larger horse complex. He held a Senior Horse Judging Card for 30 years, trained horses and taught horsemanship. He judged all disciplines of riding and driving horses for many years including both the East and West Coast and the United States. Len was the founding member and director of both the Quarter Horse Association and the Manitoba Cutting Horse Association, winning several contests himself. He was the founding member and first President of what is now the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys' Association. In 1993, he became the first inductee into the Association's Hall of Fame. During his middle and later years, Len spent considerable time entertaining in the Cowboy Poetry Evenings, which began through a meeting with Dr. Hayes of Brandon University. These included Len's talent for storytelling and poetry writing. As well, several western poets and musicians would complete the group. They became very popular all over Southern Manitoba. Len settled on a farm in the Sandhills at Austin, Manitoba, where he trained horses and enjoyed doing some writing in his quiet times. Len passed away December 26, 2015, one day after his birthday, at the Carberry Hospital. During the time spent in hospital over the past several months, he was moved to Glenboro and back to Carberry a few times because of space. The family would like to thank the staff at both of these hospitals for the excellent care he received in all respects. A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. at the Austin Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sprucedale Industries, P.O. Box 225, Austin, Manitoba R0H 0C0. Clarke's Funeral Home, Gladstone~MacGregor www.clarkesfuneralhome.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 02, 2016