Colourful competitor Strandquist dies
Orville Strandquist never hollered whoa as a rodeo or chuckwagon competitor right up until his death Thursday night in his lifelong hometown of Stettler.
The colourful Strandquist, who competed at the Calgary Stampede in both rodeo and chuckwagons from 1937 until 1991, passed away Thursday night a little more than a month short of his 92nd birthday.
“He fell out of bed again about three months ago and was having a tough go of it since then,” said Billy Melville, one of Strandquist’s grandsons. “He was one of a kind, though. Leaves a lot of fond memories.”
Strandquist is arguably the last of the old-time cowboys and certainly one of the most celebrated.
He was a competitor at the Calgary Stampede between 1937 and 1991, entering his first chuckwagon race as an outrider in 1937. He competed in assorted rodeo events even after he jumped into the chuckwagon as a driver in 1940.
No one drove in the Rangeland Derby longer than Strandquist, from 1940 to 1991, nor did anyone outride for more Rangeland champions — 12 between 1946 and 1970. He never did win Calgary as a driver, but won assorted shows on the circuit, including Edmonton and Cheyenne.
And he often competed for little more than a can of beans or a handshake.
Strandquist might have been small in size but he was as tough as they came.
“I remember him outriding in a race at High River when he was 60 years old,” said Melville. “I remember that because he lost his (false) teeth in the race, found them and came back to the barn picking dirt out of them with a jack-knife.”
He also competed in a wild horse race at Cheyenne’s Frontier Days rodeo at the age of 65. Strandquist drove the chuckwagon right up to age 70 when the The Stampede recognized Strandquist’s contributions in 1992 by putting his name on the top rookie chuckwagon driver award. Prior to that, in 1985, he was the first chuckwagon driver to receive the Stampede’s prestigious Guy Weadick Award.
Strandquist is a member of the Stampede’s Pioneers of Rodeo, the Canadian rodeo hall of fame and the Cheyenne rodeo hall of fame.
Predeceased by his wife Doris, Orville is survived by seven children, 13 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Stettler Funeral Home and Crematorium.