David Leone Herburger

David Herburger, 79, of Mt. Vernon died June 20 at Blue Mountain Care Center in Prairie City. A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 25, at Moon Creek Cemetery west of Mt. Vernon, with Pastor Jack Retherford officiating.

Mr. Herburger was born Aug. 1, 1935 in Burns, to Cedric Herburger and Isobelle “Sally” Burnside. He attended elementary school in Ashland and his senior year at Rogue River High School, where he played football, basketball and ran track. He graduated in 1954.

He married early and the couple had one daughter, Connie Jo.

He later married Carlene Greenwood on July 11, 1961, in Bartlesville, Okla. They had a son, Davey, and a daughter, Fonda.

In his teen years, he developed an interest in rodeos and soon prepared to enter his first rodeo. He did this by putting a borrowed bareback rigging on his saddle horse and riding her around the corral. This paid off when he entered his first rodeo and won first place in Redmond. He had been bitten by the rodeo bug, and he was on his way.

Joining the professional ranks, he traveled throughout the nation and went to Brussels, Belgium, with a group of cowboys, to represent the American Cowboy at the World’s Fair in 1958. He also worked on ranches, built fence and was a timber faller.

He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing and taking in the sights and sounds of the woods. He loved his family, friends, gatherings and hanging out at the Silver Spur in Mt. Vernon every morning. He loved living in Oregon.

Survivors include his wife, Carlene Herburger; brother, Jack (Patty) Herburger; sister Katie (Jack) Johns; son, Davey (Robin) Herburger; daughters, Fonda (Mike) Woodward and Connie (Jack) Mortinson; four grandsons; three stepgrandsons; one granddaughter; five great-grandchildren; and three stepgreat-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ranch and Rodeo Museum in John Day, or the Wounded Warriors Project through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.