Keith Horrocks

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 Ronald Keith Horrocks, age 87, of Lapoint, passed away October 3, 2026, at his home. 
    He was born November 11, 1938, in Vernal, to Ronald Taylor and Merl Jenkins Horrocks. He was the oldest of eight children. His early life was simple and busy with farm chores. His high school career was packed with football and wrestling events. His school attendance was nearly immaculate, and he was an excellent student. 
    Keith married his sweetheart, Taline Nielson, on June 27, 1959. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on December 20, 1961. She died April 14, 2019. 
    They had two children, Wade and Teresa. As he tells it, they were poor as church mice when they got married. Still, Keith and Taline found joy in the small pleasures of life, including participating in a bowling league for fifteen years, watching sports games and rodeos, and going for rides in the evening. 
    While raising his family, Keith worked for 22 years at Great Lakes Timbers as a sawyer. He also drove a logging truck and worked in the oil field. For 20 years, he was a meter reader for Moon Lake Electric Association before retiring in 2006. Throughout his life, he enjoyed ranching, farming, riding horses, working cattle, and riding his four-wheeler. He put so many miles on his four-wheeler that at trade-in, the dealership was stunned by the mileage. They couldn’t possibly know how many miles of freedom that machine gave Keith, how many miles of Lapoint highway it saw, how many trips to check the cows it experienced…I mean, we don’t know either, but we know it was a lot, enough that we had to laugh at how well he got around on it. We recently learned that sometimes he even rode it around shirtless. 
    Keith was an avid farmer and rancher since the 1960s. His farm and ranch career started with one cow that he got from his dad when he got married and grew to as many as 100 head before settling at about 23 head of Black Angus beauties. He loved his cows! They kept him busy and gave him purpose. “Oh, they’re good” he would say, “they’re good ones”! He was so proud of the cow herd he had built. 
    For 20 years he ran cows on Mosby Mountain. Every time he went to the mountain he made it a point to carve his name in at least one tree. Visiting there today–his name is everywhere, dotted along the roadside and scattered throughout the deep. 
    For many years Keith enjoyed team roping and team penning. He is one of the founders of the Gusher Roping Club that started in the early 70s. Keith and a few others went to the Book Cliffs and cut the cedar posts to build the arena which is still in use today. 
    Keith was a true social butterfly. He had the unique and disarming ability of making friends wherever he went. He was quick to shake a hand, introduce himself proudly using his first and last name, and strike up a conversation. He’d have a new friend for life after that. He especially enjoyed attending the Friday auctions, where he could visit with friends and enjoy a hamburger. He was honored with the Uintah County Cattleman’s Association Cattleman of the Year Award twice and was proud to serve as Grand Marshal of the Lapoint Parade. He loved his hometown of Lapoint! It was his paradise. 
    Keith loved his grandchildren and treasured spending time with them, especially taking them for rides on the four-wheeler. It made him so happy to give them a few dollars of walking-around money whenever he saw them. He was often a big kid himself; he laughed easily and listened sharply when they told him things. He worked hard throughout his life and took every opportunity to help his family by being generous. 
    Keith is survived by his children, Wade Horrocks, Teresa (Russell) Shaw, both of Vernal; grandchildren, Cheridan Horrocks, Kimberly Horrocks, KaNesha Horrocks, Melissa (Jacob) Chew, Heather Reese, Shad (Tiffany) Boren, Whitney (Jeremy) Keele; 13 great-grandchildren; siblings, Glenn (Pauline) Horrocks, Judy (Marc) Corfine, Lewis (Sherry) Horrocks, Bruce (Westona) Horrocks, Becky (Lance) Hancock; brother-in-law, Clinton Neilson; sister-in-law Karen Horrocks, and numerous nieces and nephews. 
    He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Taline; grandchildren, Micade Horrocks and Emmily Boren; great-grandson Aiden Keele; and siblings, Howard Horrocks and Marlene Swain. Thank you to Canyon Home Health Services. 
    Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 11 a.m. at the Lapoint Chapel. There will be a viewing on Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Hullinger Mortuary and from 10 - 10:45 a.m. Friday at the church.       Burial will be in the Lapoint Cemetery.