Obituary celebrates Arizona rancher, speaks to changing landscape in rural Southwest

The front-page obituary for rancher Delbert Pierce that appeared in The Daily Courier not only celebrated the life of a key member of the Prescott, Ariz., community, it highlighted the changes many rural areas have seen over the past few decades. Pierce died last week at the age of 91, and he "was as a man who knew the Arizona landscape, right down to every flower and tree and animal, because he took care of them with his own hands," writes Joanna Dodder Nellans. "Numerous awards and his induction into the Arizona Ag Hall of Fame attested to these facts, but they are not what people remember." (At left in a family photo is Pierce with his wife, Anna Beth, who died 12 days before he did.)

Pierce purchased his Las Vegas Ranch, just north of Prescott, in 1959 and eventually expanded it to 18,360 acres. "He was just an honest, hard-working person who took good care of cattle," Pierce's neighbor and fellow long-time rancher, John Kieckhefer, told The Daily Courier. Kieckhefer's wife Lynda said, "It's hard. These old pioneers are leaving us. It's just kind of the passing of an era." (Read more)

In the comments section of The Daily Courier's Web site, one reader's comment explained why the obituary deserved its front-page placement: "This article captures an important dimension of what was historically significant about this region while at the same time celebrating the life and career of a life well-lived."