MITCHELL, Neb. – Marselle May Saul, 78, died March 20, 2020 at the Mitchell Care Center in Mitchell.
She was born Dec. 26, 1941, at Reynold’s Home in Sheridan, where her father was a foreman at the local sawmill. Marselle, her older brother Delmer and her younger sister Carole attended Beaver Creek Middle School on Big Goose Creek until 1955 when the family moved into Crook County to their ranch on Sunny Divide.
The ranch was somewhat isolated and getting to school in winter required the use of horses. Marselle and her brother had to ride five miles and open several gates in order to reach their bus stop. Their dad had built a shed near the bus stop to shelter the horses while the kids were in school. On one occasion, their dad had sent the kids off to school not realizing until they had left that he had misread the temp and in fact it was minus twenty degrees. The kids made the trip safely but their dad never forgave himself.
Marselle excelled in school. She was on the student council and was selected to Girl’s State. Upon high school graduation Marselle enrolled at the National School of Business in Rapid City, S.D. She often spoke of how homesick she was during her time in Rapid City. From the Business school ,she was hired by Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor, and so began a travel adventure with the company. She went from Tuscan, Ariz., to Moose Lake, Wash., then to Cheyenne, where she soon after left the company.
Her next move was to Laramie, where she was a secretary to the Dean of the Law College, Dean Mundell at the University of Wyoming. Change found her as secretary for Bill Hepworth who was Supervisor of the Game and Fish Research Lab on campus. It was here she met her future husband, Richard Saul, whose job required another move to Torrington.
In 1972 they purchased a small acreage along the river south of Lingle. Here they made a home for the next 48 years while raising two boys. Marselle pointed out the newly acquired property needed to be fenced as she wanted to have her horse with her. Not long after she had her horse, word spread about Marselle and her knowledge of both horses and livestock. Her willingness to help others, be it a small job or a several days event, cemented her relationship with many families in Goshen County.
Marselle was a true partner in marriage, being willing to take some risks in support of her husband’s dream. When an opportunity arose to purchase some farmland in 1981 she gave her blessing and two people who knew little about farming became farmers, but not without the help of many friends and neighbors like the Cliff Moine family. Upon purchasing the farm ground, there was need to purchase cattle. With help from her dad they purchased 30-plus Hereford cows at the liquidation auction of Glen Edwards Ranch near Douglas. The purchase of cattle required designing a family brand and the Lazy S Mill Iron was born.
As years passed other opportunities to purchase land presented themselves and Marselle gave her full support. An opportunity came forth in 1997 that would require additional help. It was then David became fully involved in the family operations. Marselle’s secretarial skills kept the operation on track. She kept abreast of the latest livestock news. She was instrumental in having the cattle evaluated in numerous feeding tests to determine and improve the cattle’s bottom line. Although starting from Hereford base, Marselle quickly saw the value of crossbreeding and her willingness to change has made for a reputable cow/calf operation.
On the family side she was able to see her boys Boyd and David grow and mature while building successful lives. She felt beyond blessed to be a mother-in-law to Heather Saul and grandmother to Celeste Saul, Madison Saul, Anyssa Sargent and Kelcie Sargent. In August 2015 she was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. She underwent chemo and radiation and continued to work as cancer was no longer detected. In December 2019 it returned.
She was preceded in death by her father Calvin Werre, mother Pauline Werre and brother Delmer Werre.
