And this is where the cowboy rides away.

Just a month shy of his 95^th birthday, Jim’s body decided it had had enough. We can only imagine the party in heaven when he was welcomed by his wife Cindy and his favorite horse Doc. And so many good dogs and friends and horses that shared his journey over the years.

Jim was a true cowboy, one of the authentic kind. He farmed out of necessity, but his true love was with the cows and the horses and anything that required a long day’s ride, a good story and a drink at the end of the day.

He was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, on October 28, 1929, to Sadie and James Lancaster. Travel to the school was uphill both ways, either walking or horseback.  He graduated from Filer High School in 1947.  FFA was one of his favorite activities.  Greenhand initiation during his upper-class years included swallowing raw liver attached to a string, and pulling it back up.

Then duty called and the young cowboy traveled around the world to defend his country during the Korean War, serving as a Corporal in the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged in 1952 and returned to his beloved Idaho. He needed a horse, so Jim caught a mustang he named Buck in Nevada and rodeo him back to Idaho in the dark.

While working as a wrangler at the famed Sun Valley Resort entertaining movie stars, Jim met a city girl working as a cashier who moonlighted as a model. Cindy and Jim wed soon after and were married for 68 years until her passing in 2021.

Early in their marriage, Jim took an opportunity of a lifetime, drawing a lot in Block 20 of the newly developed Columbia Basin Irrigation District, a privilege provided to veterans willing to take a chance on undeveloped land in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. They moved to Washington in 1960 with two young boys in tow.

The Lancasters were pioneers here and faced the hardships that came with the bravery of that task. It was not an easy life, raising young children in a tiny trailer with relentless wind and dust and a ditch for a bathtub. By the time daughter Lori came along, the family had the luxuries of running water and a stick-built house and a new community of friends.

In their later years, Cindy and Jim had many adventures and a large social circle, spending time at Old-Timers rodeos, teacher reunions and a myriad of other social events. They were inducted into the Mid-Columbia Ag Hall of Fame in 2020 and were long-time members of the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association.

Jim was quick with a grin and had a great sense of humor. In addition to family and farming, he spent countless mornings drinking coffee with the boys in Basin City, served as a volunteer firefighter, and shared a ranch near Riverside known as the 20-3 for decades with families from the Basin.

Jim enjoyed adventures until the end.  Some favorite trips included camping for six nights on the Middle Fork from a drift boat at age 86 and hog hunting in Texas at age 89. It took some effort, but he got one.

He loved his kids and grandkids fiercely. And he put in an amazing shift. Good ride, cowboy, good ride.

A graveside service with military honors will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Country View Cemetery in Basin City. A celebration of Jim’s life will follow at 1901 Colonial Road.