Francis Ray Herring was born June 14, 1938, in Encampment, WY, to Ellis and Gladys (Fisher) Herring. Francis was number eight out of 14 siblings. Francis lived his entire life in Encampment and passed away on August 9, 2026, in Laramie, WY, after a prolonged illness.

Francis began working on ranches at a young age. Even though he lived out of town on various ranches, he still attended school and got to play basketball. Francis graduated from high school in 1956 and went to work at the Cow Creek Sawmill. Later, he went to the woods and worked for Dave Crow. In 1960, he met Patty Henderson while she was working at the Dairy King. They were married on November 11, 1960, in Walden, CO.

From this union, three children were born: Don (Lisa) Herring of Encampment, WY, and their children, Kaylyn, Alexia, and Deke; Tina Herring of Encampment, WY; and Teresa Pittman of Vale, SD, and her daughter, Dani Herring.

Francis enjoyed both calf and team roping. He attended many ropings in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Utah with many friends. He even helped his friend Red Williams learn to rope after Red had suffered an injury and lost both of his hands. They fashioned rubber bands to his hooks, and away they went! Francis chose his family over his rodeo career; with him, his family always came first. He was a horseshoer most of his life, until his knees couldn’t take it anymore.

He left the woods and went to work in Hanna at Resource Exploration and Mining as a welder in 1974. He worked there until the mine closed and they sold all the equipment in 1984. He was a whiz at blueprints; he could engineer and repair any piece of equipment at the mine.

He went to work at Hammers Sawmill in 1985 as a millwright and mechanic. Tommy Hammer was famous for saying, “Francis, can you make something out of something?” and the result was always a success.

In 1998, he went to work for Sandy Sander as a welder. He worked in the shop in Encampment and did welding jobs at every mine in the Hanna area. He went into every project with the confidence that he could make it better than expected.

After working for Sandy, he had several other jobs, including working at a tire store in Saratoga, and he went back to ranching. In 2001, his daughter Teresa had him come up to South Dakota to help put up hay and build fences. He enjoyed that because he could watch his granddaughter, Dani, play volleyball. He traveled back and forth for three years and came back so he could watch Don’s kids play in their basketball and volleyball games.

He spent the remainder of his life “retired.” He shoveled snow for the entire neighborhood, watered everyone’s yards, and would do fix-up projects for anyone who needed a hand.

He is preceded in death by his parents and grandparents; his brothers, Gene (Carol), Bob (Bobbie), Earl, George, and Bill; his sisters, Cheryl (George Hooker), Betty (Fox Vyvey), and Nancy (Bill Petre); his mother- and father-in-law, Mable and Don Henderson; his brothers- and sisters-in-law, Frank (Phyllis) and Roy (Judy) Henderson, Bob Vorn, and Gordy Nordin; and Helen Hodgekiss.

He is survived by his wife; his children and grandchildren; his brothers, Orvil (Gigi) and Stu (Brenda) Herring; his sisters, Patricia, Margret, and LeDawn; his sisters-in-law, Donna Nordin, Loretta Weber, and JoDell Hone; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and lifelong friends.

The family will be having a celebration of life at a later date. Private family interment will also be held at a later date. We would like to have you donate in Francis’s memory to any first responder or search and rescue organization of your choice.