Melvin Howard Bishop

Melvin Howard Bishop was born on November 3, 1944 in Syracuse, Kansas. He passed away from complications following a stroke in Englewood, Colorado on September 29, 2020. He was 75 years old.

Melvin’s parents were William Howard Bishop and Rose Mary (McGee) Bishop. Melvin grew up in rural Greeley County, Kansas near Tribune, and was baptized at St. Theresa Catholic Church in rural Wichita County. He worked alongside his father on the family farm, and as a young child, developed a love of horses. He graduated from Greeley County High School in Tribune in 1962, where he had been an active FFA member. He went on to attend college at Panhandle Agriculture and Mechanical College in Goodwell, Oklahoma. During that time, he became competitive in livestock judging, even earning awards at the National Collegiate Livestock Judging Competition in Chicago. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry in 1966. Melvin went on to work as a cattle buyer for American Stores from 1967 to 1977.

After college, Melvin took up team roping as a serious hobby, and it was at a local team roping event in the summer of 1971 that he first saw a pretty, dark-haired college girl named Jeanette Fischer. He finally called her in December to ask if she would accompany him to the Cowboy Ball in Lamar, Colorado. They were married a year later on December 23, 1972. Melvin and Jeanette eventually moved north of Wallace, Kansas where Melvin managed the Cogswell Ranch, finally getting to put his love of horses and cattle fully to work.

Melvin went to work as a cattle buyer once again in 1980, this time for IBP (later Tyson Foods). He and Jeanette made their new home in Wray, Colorado. It was here that they would welcome two daughters: Maeghan Marie, born in 1984; and Lyndsey Dawn, born in 1986. He became active in the congregation of the Wray United Methodist Church, eventually serving as chairman of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee for many years. Over the next nearly 40 years in Wray, Melvin would meet many people, drive many miles, and adapt to many industry changes as a buyer. He often found his computer to be a challenge, but he was skilled at handling the complexities that came with buying for Tyson’s natural beef program. December 2020 would have marked 50 years of buying cattle, 40 of them for IBP/Tyson.

Melvin was a cowboy at heart. He enjoyed team roping, riding along the Black Wolf creek, and driving horses pulling one of his buggies. His love of nature was evident in the many books he bought to identify flowers and plants, and he never passed up a chance to share this knowledge with his daughters. Melvin was also fascinated by history, especially that of the American West. He could get lost in a book for hours, and never missed the chance to stop at a historical marker in his travels. His mind was as full of historical dates as it was of feedlot phone numbers. Most of all, though, Melvin loved his family, and in recent years, became a doting grandfather.

Melvin Bishop was preceded in death by his parents and his brother-in-law John Pruitt. He is survived by his wife, Jeanette; his daughter Maeghan Bishop of Topeka, Kansas; and his daughter Lyndsey Graves, son-in-law Kale Graves, and grandsons Decker and Carter Graves, of Kearney, Nebraska. He is also survived by his 6 siblings, along with their spouses and 11 nieces and nephews: Homer Bishop of Farmington, NM; Wilma Cole and husband Larry of Wichita, KS; Faye LeBlanc and husband Dan of Wichita, KS; twin sister Maurine Pruitt of Manhattan, KS; Jeanie Huddleston of Burlington, CO; and Gilbert Bishop of Tribune, KS.

Memorial services will be held at Wray United Methodist Church in Wray, Colorado on October 5 at 2:00 pm, and at Ft. Wallace Museum in Wallace, Kansas on October 6 at 10:00 am. Burial will be at Dinas Community Cemetery in rural Wallace County.

Schmidt-Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.