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Patsy Tomera
Patsy Tomera attended her first Cattlewomens meeting in October of 1983 and has been a supporter since. Patsy is the embodiment of the American dream.
Born in Lane, Oklahoma. She grew up with three sisters and a brother. She graduated in eighth grade from Lane with Carolyn Thompson, Maxine Coben and five boys. She loved vacation bible school and singing in church.
She and her siblings spent their youth in the rural community surrounded by horses and some cattle, but her family never owned any. Who could have imagined back then that one day she would ride her own string of horses and run one of the larger ranches in Northeastern Nevada!
That city girl found herself in Elko with a horse of her own in 1973. While cocktail waitressing at the Ranch Inn Patsy met a local rancher, Tom Tomera. They were married in 1977, and she jumped into ranch life feet first!
Tom and Patsy lived at the family ranch in Southfork for five years. It was there she rode her faithful horse, Wahee, and learned to rope, brand, and feed cattle. The ranch was sold to make way for the South Fork reservoir in 1982.
Together Tom and Patsy packed up their family of five children and their share of cattle and moved to the Stonehouse Ranch in Pine Valley. Patsy has countless stories of long days in the saddle, salt hauling adventures, and many memories made alongside Tom on the ranch.
Patsy made time to be involved in many different stewardship programs imperative to ranching communities. Volunteering decades of years on boards for the NRCS, Great Basin Resource Board, FSA, and the Eureka County Conservation District.
She was also a member of the Carlin Booster Club, the Pine Valley Volunteer fire department, and she served as a 4H leader for many years. Patsy was also instrumental to the Eureka County Fair and its team branding competition and horseshow.
In addition to her community support she tended to every aspect of ranching from cooking her famous deviled eggs and chili beans for brandings, keeping the books, and running the swather (hay cutter) all summer.
As many of you know, no one keeps busier on the ranch than the rancher’s wife! Patsy finds joy in giving advice to other folks who might be new to the ranching industry. One of her favorite quotes is “Anyone can do it, but it takes hard work and a realization that it’s a lifestyle not a job.”
Her children have taken a cue from her example and are involved in the agricultural industry. There’s a sheepman, a farmer/cattlewoman, a forest fire technician, and the youngest two help manage the ranch since Tom’s passing in 2021. At the age of just 82 Patsy still feeds over four hundred head of cattle daily, brands calves, and runs her swather.
The city girl in her still loves a good cheeseburger and fountain “Diet Pepsi” soda, but the cowgirl in her loves a Garcia Bit and a pair of jingle bobs! She has traded the long rides horseback for shorter ones and maybe spends more days running grandkids or cooking dinners, which, honestly, can be more exhausting.
She is thankful for the nomination for this award and for being included with the other great cattlewomen who have come before her as recipients, including her mother-in-law, Malfisa Tomera.
It truly has been a lifetime of achievements and milestones in her career as a cattlewoman. Patsy notes that even though she doesn’t live in Lane, so many memories and relatives are still living there and in her heart.
