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Raymond Mark Winter
Winter Livestock
Raymond Mark Winter was born on January 7th, 1934, into a cattle ranching family. Ray was the third generation of Winters to live on the homestead in Kalvesta Kansas. Karl Mark Winter and Gladys Brown Winter had three boys; Ross, Ralph and Raymond, who was the youngest. In 1936, due to his mother Gladys’ failing health, the Winters moved to Dodge City Kansas. Karl purchased the livestock auction facilities, and leased the adjoining Santa Fe Rail Company stockyards, which was the beginning of the Winter Livestock Commission Company. In 1939 Ray’s mother Gladys passed away. Three years later his father married Grace Bayless and in 1946 Ray’s younger sister Phyllis was born.
In middle school and high school, Ray spent his summers working at the Winter Ranch in Kalvesta. He spent long hours bucking hay, fixing fences, and farming in the cab-less Ford 8N tractor. After a long day at the ranch, Grace would wait for him to get home and cook him a big steak, reminding him that hard work pays off.
While attending high school at Dodge City High School he excelled in both football and basketball. He later earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Denver in Business Administration.
In 1957, Ray volunteered for active duty in the U.S. Navy where he was hand selected for Officer Training School in Pensacola Florida and trained as a Naval Pilot. After his naval service he came home to manage Winter Livestock in La Junta Colorado. In 1960, Ray met the love of his life, Sue Frizzell, from Larned Kansas. Within three weeks he knew she was the one and asked for her hand in marriage, a marriage that would last 51 strong years until his passing. Sue and Ray were blessed with 6 children (Weston, Renee, Brian, Mark, Keith and Kristin).
A cattleman to its truest form, Raymond lived in La Junta, CO where he learned the ropes and managed the sale barn for 23 years, until his father’s death, in 1981. He then moved to Dodge City, KS, leaving La Junta Livestock in the trusted hands of Jerry Keffeler and John Campbell. Back in Kansas he continued to grow and manage Winter Livestock into the largest independent cattle auction in America partnering with his brother Ross, who managed Winter Feed Yard. His did this while also raising the next generation of cattlemen in the family. In the early 1990s, looking to the future, he delegated the Dodge City location to his oldest son Weston, and planned the construction of a new barn in Enid Oklahoma, where his home would be for the remainder of his life. Building this new barn was a way to keep serving cattlemen through expansion. In 1992 Ray called his next two oldest boys, Brian and Mark, home from college to start construction. In partnership with his sons, Raymond oversaw the growth of Winter Livestock to include operations in Dodge City, KS; La Junta, CO; Enid, OK; Riverton, WY; Pratt, KS and the creation of CattleUSA video and broadcasting. During Ray’s fifty-five-year career, Winter Livestock marketed 27,211,033 head of cattle for local cattlemen.
Raymond lived by his saying, passed on to him by his father Karl, “Be honest and honorable.” This is how he conducted his personal life and business. Ray knew the importance of hard work and attention to detail; he brought this expectation into every aspect of his life and to those around him. His children remember working days on end straightening nails that came from the old wooden pens to be reused again around the sale barn or cleaning off bricks to be recycled in the next construction project. When computers started to become a part of modern office usage, Raymond attended night school at La Junta Junior College to have a full understanding of them and put this new technology to the best possible use.
On June 30th, 2012, Raymond Winter passed away, having lived a life devoted to his faith, family and business. Through partnerships with his father, brother and children Raymond was able to build, expand and pass on Winter Livestock as an auction house founded on honest and honorable dealings. Through the example Ray set for his children and grandchildren Winter Livestock proudly upholds these standards today.