Truett Carroll

Truett Carroll, La Junta, Colo. passed away on August 23, 2015. He was 81, one day short of his 82nd birthday. Truett was born August 24, 1933 in Elida, NM to O.C. and Lorena Carroll. He was the fourth of eight children.


Truett attended Elida School before beginning to work on ranches in southeast New Mexico and later in southeast Colorado. He served in the U.S. Army and did a tour of duty in Korea. While working on a ranch in the Kim, Colo. area, Truett met and married Regena Platt. The couple continued to ranch in the Kim area for several years before moving to Cheraw, Colo. where they established a farming/ranching and horse training business.


Truett had a love for training good horses and roping. He learned his trade as a teenager when a screwworm epidemic broke out in New Mexico. The only way to treat cattle that became infected was to rope and doctor each animal individually. Over the course of several years, Truett became a highly-recruited roper on ranches in the Kenna, NM area because he could quickly rope and treat infected cattle. Once the screwworm epidemic was under control, Truett transferred his well-honed talent with a rope into the competitive rodeo arena.


Truett was a Gold Card Member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association (PRCA). He became a member of the PRCA in 1962. He competed as a professional calf roper on a full-time basis for more than 20 years. Some of his top wins included the Houston Stock Show, Colorado State Fair, Denver National Western Stock Show, Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Buffalo Bill Rodeo. After hanging up his calf-roping rope in the early 1980’s Truett took up team roping and continued to compete professionally in that event for many more years as a header.


When not on the rodeo circuit, Truett was an accomplished roping horse trainer. For over 40 years, some of the top calf roping and team roping horses have been owned and trained by Truett. Truett gladly shared his knowledge with those who wanted to learn; conducting several roping schools over the years and teaching his children and grandchildren everything he had learned the hard way.


Over the year, Truett, and his wife Regena, built a solid farming and yearling operation near Cheraw. Truett served on the board of directors and president for the Timberlake Grazing Association. He was also involved in a partnership that provided cattle processing services to commercial feedlots in southeast Colorado and western Kansas.


Truett is survived by his wife, Regena, of the family home. Daughter; Almabeth (Dave) Kaess, Swink; son Dick (Mary Sue) Carroll, Cheraw; grandchildren Levi (Annie) Kaess, Travis (Min) Kaess, Austin (Molly) Kaess, Tanaye (Dustin) Maez and Shay (Tyesha) Carroll; great-grandsons, James, Patrick and Brody Kaess.


Truett is survived by his brother, Jim Carroll, La Junta; sisters Oneri McCrary, Hobbs, NM; Mary Steward, Ruidoso, NM, and Margaret Stanley, Texas. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Everett, Bob and Ted Carroll, all from New Mexico.


Memorial contributions in Truett’s name can be made to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, 101 Pro Rodeo Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919.


Peacock-Larsen Funeral Home & Arkansas Valley Crematory is in charge of arrangements.



A memorial service will be held on Monday, August 31 at 2 p.m. at the Cowboy Church, 26910 Hwy 109, La Junta.