The cows have been fed, the golf cart parked, and the reindeer food sprinkled on the roof one last time. Randal Lynn Boeckman of Friona, Texas, passed away on May 26, 2025, at the age of 67. He was many things, veterinarian, farmer, proud Aggie, amateur spicy pepper judge, semi-professional golf ball chaser, barn cat neutering supervisor, and most notably, the best Uncle Randy the world will ever know.
Born in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Randy graduated from Friona Schools and went on to earn his BS in Animal Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University. He began his veterinary career in Alpine, Texas, before founding Walcott Veterinary Clinic, where he served the community with skill, grit, and his trademark blend of dry humor and maroon scrub shirts.
Randy was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Lawrence Boeckman. He is survived by his mother, Thoma Lou (Fallwell) Boeckman of Friona; his brother and favorite hunting partner, Timothy Boeckman, and wife Mariann of Amarillo; and his sister, Kathy, the original target of his relentless teasing and affection, and her husband Greg of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also leaves behind his pride and joy: nephews Kyle, Kevin, and Kaleb Steen; and nieces Erica and Amanda Boeckman, and Katelyn Steen.
To his nieces and nephews, Randy was simply “Uncle Randy,” the one who handed over golf cart keys as soon as we could reach the pedals, taught us to bottle-feed calves, and showed us that cows didn’t just come for food, they came because they recognized and loved him. Watching the herd follow his pickup was a regular reminder of the bond he had with the animals he cared for. Except when the cows escaped. Then we remember chasing them while Randy hollered out the truck window like a cowboy on the edge, arguing with cows as if they might finally listen this time.
Uncle Randy was a patient teacher. After someone drove the four-wheeler too fast through the pecan orchard to actually apply any chemical to fight pests, he just asked, “Why is the tank still full?” When the high-speed jostling finally cracked the tank, he supervised an attempted repair before judiciously docking that nephew’s pay. And when his niece overheated the tractor three times in one summer, his best advice was: “You gotta talk sweeter to it.”
He also passed along his surgical skills, coercing at least one niece to assist with feline family planning for the many barn cats always running around. He made us believe in ourselves with the simple encouragement: “Tell them you’re a farm kid. You can do it all.” That summed up Randy, confident, generous, and always in your corner.
He was also full of bull. He once claimed he had so many rabies antibodies from vet school vaccines that he could “lick the brain of a rabid animal and not get sick.” We never asked him to prove it, but we believed him.
He was a passionate card player, Sudoku and solitaire master, and Yellowstone devotee. He made us watch Ted Lasso and even gave out his Apple TV password like it was a sacred family heirloom.
He grew 80+ pound pumpkins just to make us smile and once let us use the hood of a tractor as the backstop for a target range, until he realized the hood had more pellet holes than the actual targets. He loved chasing a little white ball around casino golf courses or practicing chip shots in the backyard with his Australian Shepherd, Boscoe.
Uncle Randy made the holidays magic, literally sprinkling reindeer food on the roof and checking NORAD to make sure Santa didn’t miss our house. When it came to human food, the spicier, the better. His culinary adventures included feeding us Rocky Mountain oysters and rabbit, usually without disclosing the ingredients until after the fact. “Try it first, ask later” was his preferred dining policy, especially when sneaking mashed potatoes mixed with sauerkraut to a 4-month-old nephew without asking his mother first.
Faith and service defined Randy’s life. He served as treasurer at his church, lent a hand to neighbors without being asked, and created scholarship funds for his nieces and nephews, even letting us name the cows funding them after Barney characters.
Randy faced hardships, too, both personal and physical, but he never let them dull his wit or his will to help. And yes, we’ll all miss that deep breath he took near every manure pile before saying, “Smells like money.”
May heaven have plenty of land to farm, tractors that don’t overheat, and a never-ending lineup of Aggie football replays.
Rest well, Uncle Randy. You did good.
Services Visitation: Thursday, June 5, Noon – 7 PM at Parkside Chapel Funeral Directors, Hereford
Graveside Service: Friday, June 6, 11 AM at Friona Cemetery
In lieu of flowers or memorials, the family invites you to honor Randy in a way he would’ve truly appreciated: Go hunting with your brother, tee off with your golf buddy, take that trip to Vegas with your best friend, order the spiciest thing on the menu with your crew, or simply shoot the breeze with your neighbors over the fence. You never know when it might be the last time.
Online condolences may be made to Randy’s family at www.parksidechapelfh.com.
Norma Sue (Robertson) Robbins passed away on May 28, 2025 at Senior Care in Denton, Texas. She was born on June 9, 1935, at home about ten miles west of Floydada, Texas and her parents paid the doctor a few chickens and some eggs for coming from Floydada to deliver her. Sue was the third child of four born to Eura (Horn) and Albert Henry “Hop” Robertson. Her siblings were her older brother Bill, older sister Dot, and her younger sister Kay.
Sue grew up in several towns in west Texas where dirt would blow for days at a time where you could not see anything. It was a luxury when they moved to a farm that had water, indoor plumbing and electricity after her sophomore year. They then moved to Bovina, Texas where she graduated from high school with a class of nine students. The day after high school graduation, on May 23, 1953, she married Darrell Robbins. After their wedding they moved to South Dakota and for the majority of the years there, they ranched outside of Blunt, South Dakota and raised three sons: Dewayne, Denton, Texas; Robbie (Cynthia), Mansfield, Texas; and Jeff (Monica), Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sue always had a meal ready and waiting every time the men needed to come in, recharge and go back out to try to grind out a living in the wind-blown plains. She was an avid follower of her sons many sporting activities, never missed a game and was always their biggest cheerleader. After ranching, they moved to Pierre where Darrell built a beautiful home that Sue did a wonderful job of designing and decorating. In 1981, they moved to Denton, Texas, where she was able to live in the same town as her two sisters again and was very active in her community.
Her grandchildren also meant the world to her and she did everything she could to be at all of their activities and sporting events before her health declined. Grateful to have had a blessed life with her are: Tiffany Fitzpatrick, Ryan Robbins and Tyler Robbins; Monét (Trevor Hornsby) Robbins and Jennifer (Iain) Oswald; and great-grandchildren: Preston and Olivia Fitzpatrick.
She was a member of the Denton Church of Christ and resided in Denton until her death.
Sue was preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Darrell, her brother Bill Robertson, her two sisters Dot Herd and Kay Brown, niece Kelley Herd Johnson, her parents Hop and Eura Robertson and parents-in-law Miles and Nora Robbins.
She is survived by her three sons and two daughters-in-law, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, sister-in-law Dorothy (Marvin) Massey, sister-in-law Phyllis (the late Jim) McDaniel and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Sue’s life will be held on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 1:30 pm at Denia Community Church, located in the Denton Baptist Temple building.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Denton Baptist Temple.