Leland Frank Davis

Leland Frank Davis, 90, of Bruneau, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, in Bountiful, Utah. Services will be held on Saturday, Mar. 3, 2018, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Grand View. A visitation will be held from 10-10:45 a.m., funeral services at 11 a.m., and burial will follow at the Bruneau Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the care of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, in Mountain Home.

Frank was born at Canyonville, Oregon, on Sept. 13, 1927, the fifth of six children of Perle and Hilda Davis. In December of 1927, his family moved from Oregon to Kuna, Idaho where Frank went to school until the middle of the seventh grade. In 1939, his dad took up a homestead just across the Oregon border from Homedale. He finished school at Adrian, Oregon.

Immediately upon graduation from high school in 1945, Frank enlisted in the US Marine Corps. After completing boot camp at San Diego, he was assigned to the Marine detachment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway, where he served until the end of WWII.

Having survived Marine boot camp, Frank decided he might be tough enough to be a cowboy. He worked with horses and cowboyed as much as possible until the Korean War, when he reenlisted in the Marines.

Frank shipped out to Korea in November and served there until June 1951 when he was wounded. He received his second honorable discharge in October 1951. It was a memorable experience, especially watching those flatlanders who had never been off the city sidewalks try to negotiate the brush-covered hills of Korea.

In 1953, Frank started rodeoing, and riding bareback horses. He rode bulls whenever he could find them, but there weren’t many amateur rodeos back then that had bulls.

He really wanted to be a bull rider, so in 1954, Frank joined the RCA and rodeoed pretty steadily until 1967. During those years, like most of the other rodeo cowboys, he won some and lost some. He split the Cow Palace with Wagner in ’59, won Tucson on a good Vold bull in ’60, got a buckle from John Day Oregon and gathered a few other bits of memorabilia.

Frank was a Gold Card Holder in the PRCA, a member of Bruneau American Legion Post #83, an inductee to the Idaho Cowboy Hall of Fame, and a member and Past President of the Owyhee Cattleman’s Association. Frank and Tally were made Honorary Life Time Members of the Owyhee Cattleman’s Association in 1997.

He also served on the Idaho Animal Damage Control Board.

Looking back over those “roll of red and a loaf of bread” days on the rodeo road, Frank met a lot a great people, saw a lot of new country, and came away with a heart and mind full of wonderful memories.

During and after his rodeo years, he cowboyed for brothers, Bob, Don and Gene until he got a ranch of his own. Frank ran cows for nearly 40 years and raised some good horses.

Frank married the love of his life, Nathalie “Tally” in 1970. He always said marrying her was the best thing that ever happened to him. They had nearly 48 wonderful years together.

Frank was a man of few words. It was a great compliment when he called someone a “good man.” Frank was a good man.

Frank is survived by his wife Nathalie “Tally” Davis, her two sons, Mike and Doug Atkins, his brother Dick and his wife Joyce, sister in-law Pat Davis, 13 nieces and nephews and their families and many loving family members on Tally’s side.

He was preceded in death by both parents, his sister Frances Newman, his brothers Bob, Don and Gene, nephew Bill Davis and niece Darlene Williams.

Memorial contributions can be made in Frank’s name to your favorite charity or take your kids and grandkids to a rodeo.