Dallas Gaskill

Dallas Gaskill, age 81, of Broadus passed away on Sunday, March 6, 2022 at St. Vincent Hospital in Billings.

Dallas was born January 12th, 1941, to William (Bill) and Martha (Mardee) Gaskill. The little red headed lad joined his older brother, Doug on the family ranch on Pumpkin Creek. Dallas was a quiet child, but a bit devious, and once old enough to get around on his own, didn't miss too many opportunities to make his brother's life more entertaining than it once was. One time, the spokes of Doug's bike got mangled, and migrant cattle got the initial blame. It turned out that a mad four-year-old with flaming red hair had quite a bit to do with the damage. Despite the four-year age difference and some typical brother-against-brother moments as youngsters, Dallas and Doug developed a life-long bond that is not unheard of, yet very special.

As Dallas grew through the years, and developed into a strapping young man, so did his love for animals. He always exhibited a flair for taming his four-footed friends, especially cats and dogs. One time he found a baby antelope, and like many ranch kids, brought it home. Knowing his mom would not approve, he hid the little critter in the barn and conned his sister-in-law, Jackey, into joining in on his scheme. He didn't have it for long as the antelope was soon out-of-the bag, so to speak, but Dallas was always on the lookout for a furry friend and an adventure. Dallas's love wasn't hostage to only the smaller farm and wild animals; as a teenager, he developed a keen love of horses. Dallas developed quite a collection over the years. Any quarter horse, thoroughbred, or Arabian was good in his book. And an Appaloosa was even better. Dallas became somewhat known for raising and training many colts. There were always lots of pictures of his horses scattered around the house.

Dallas wasn't just a great horseman; he was also a great judge and breeder of prime beef cattle. Dallas dedicated his life to developing a fabulous herd of reputable cattle on the family ranch on Pumpkin Creek. When his calves went through the sale barn every fall and notice was given by management, the cattle buyers were lined up waiting for these solid Dallas Gaskill calves. They could be described as healthy, heavy, and ready for the feedlot to make a few bucks for everyone involved, with the best heifers staying home to guarantee that future animals would continue his legacy of high-quality beef.

Dallas didn't limit his talents to raising colts, breaking horses, growing hay, buying bulls, and improving beef genetics. Dallas also made saddles and did rawhide braiding, or whatever he set his mind to. Dallas was known for occasionally pulling a prank on an unaware victim, helpers at branding being one of his favorite prey. Cow manure, calf squirts, rocky mountain oysters being favored fare to delight the red-headed jokester with the innocent bystander.

Dallas married Karen Richards in 1971 and welcomed Terry and Robin Mader into the family. The little family settled into a wonderful life on Pumpkin Creek. Dallas loved his home and never cared to be far away from it. Whenever he did have to be away, he always wanted to be back home by bedtime.

Dallas and Karen's favorite times were spent together on the ranch, enjoying coffee together in the early morning, watching the sun rise over the hills in the east, discussing what needed to be done for the day, taking drives to check the cattle, horses or the countryside, and quiet evenings on the deck watching the sun set in west. Simple, but beautiful moments. Included in those moments were Dallas's dogs. Dallas had several dogs throughout his lifetime, and they were like family members to him – he so loved and enjoyed them.

Dallas lived a wonderful, simple life which consisted of hard work, spending time with Karen and his beloved animal friends. Dallas had many friends of all ages and he enjoyed visiting and reminiscing past adventures (and there were some pretty darn good adventures!).

Dallas is preceded in death by his grandparents, father Bill, mother Mardee, stepson Terry Mader, sister-in-law Jackey Gaskill and great nephew Jay Gaskill. Surviving Dallas is his wife, Karen, stepdaughter Robin (Ross) Campbell, brother Doug (Delores) Gaskill, nephew Doug Jr (Jan) Gaskill, step granddaughters Elizabeth (Dustin) Cooper, Emily Spang, step grandson Andrew Campbell and step great-grandson Silas Cooper.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 from 1:00-6:00 p.m. at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Broadus followed by a Rosary at 6:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at St. David's Catholic Church in Broadus. A private family interment will be held at the Family Ranch. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: http://www.stevensonandsons.com.

Memorials and donations can be made to Alzheimer's Association - https://act.alz.org/ or

Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame - http://montanacowboyfame.org/donate.html.