Roy (Newt) Worthington, age 91, of Laramie died December 31, 2025 with his wife and eldest daughter by his side after a brief battle with cancer.

Newt was born September 14, 1934, in Wheatland, Wyoming to Harry Oakley Worthington and Maybelle Serena (Marshall) Worthington. Both parents were only children, so he never experienced the gift of aunts, uncles, and cousins. The family moved to Colorado Springs when he was 8 years old where his dad worked in construction at the Air Force Academy. A year later they moved to Cheyenne where he spent most of his childhood. He graduated from Cheyenne Central High School with the class of ‘52.  He met the love of his life Virginia (Ginny) Pfeiffenberger, from St. Petersburg, Florida after her family moved to Cheyenne in 1951 when her dad was transferred to Warren Air Force Base. It wasn’t love at first sight. It took years, but he eventually won her over and they married on Thanksgiving Day, 1955. They were parents to two daughters, Catherine and Kelly, and a son, Guy.

Newt worked in road construction most of his life, but his first job was breaking colts for his dad and cowboying for other ranches, including two winters on the famous Boquillas Ranch in Arizona rounding up and branding stray cattle. On his return home from Arizona one year, he found himself homeless as his parents had moved without notice. He was taken in by a classmate’s family and finished high school living in their basement.

As a young man, Newt proudly carried a Rodeo Cowboy Association card (RCA) and competed in rodeo rough stock events—bareback riding and bull riding. His biggest rodeo accomplishment was winning a go round in the bareback event at the 1952 Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo (CFD.) That same year, his back number was #1 accomplished only because he was first in line to enter the rodeo. These days back numbers are handed out by rankings, so only the best cowboys can wear #1. Newt was always on time or first in line his entire life, so he probably deserved to be #1.

Newt gave up the rodeo life after marrying and went to work for Kiewit Construction as a heavy equipment operator building highways, bridges, and tunnels in Wyoming and South Dakota. His specialty was operating road graders at which he became very skilled. In the first 7 years of their marriage, Newt and Ginny moved 22 times following the road jobs. Their last move was to Laramie in 1962. They wanted to set roots near a university as Newt’s dream was that his children all have college degrees. He left Kiewit and went to work for local contractor Bob Yeoman and stayed in his employ until 1975 when he was hired as foreman of campus operations for the University of Wyoming Physical Plant. He earned a reputation as a no-nonsense, but fair boss. The office staff loved him as he always had their backs, but lazy, late, and unreliable workers were not going to get along with Newt. He retired in 1994 after 19 years of loyal service. He never took a sick day, always packed his lunch, and usually jogged or rode his bike to work.

Newt was an avid sports fan and a good athlete himself, and he was obsessive about mastering whatever sport had his attention at the moment. He was introduced to snow skiing by his best friend from high school, Rex Beougher. He loved it so much that it became a family activity, and soon his children were all training and competing with the Laramie Ski Racing Club traveling all over Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, and New Mexico.  He later became a certified race official and course setter, and the unofficial coach to all the kids in the ski club. In the off season, he liked to play golf, and he coached youth baseball, even built a backstop in the prairie across from our house where all the neighborhood kids could play ball. There was a time when he became interested in motorcycles and bought one for himself and a small dirt bike for his kids. Ginny, who was always patient with most of his obsessions, put a quick stop to that one after several motorcycle wrecks resulted in injuries and insisted the bikes be sold.

When Newt wasn’t coaching or carting kids to games and competitions, he was a competitor in golf tournaments and several Senior Olympic events winning awards in skiing, golf, and running.

Upon his retirement from UW, he decided to take up team roping and he completely immersed himself in the sport–bought a horse and all that goes with it, a truck, and a horse trailer and took roping classes. He sold his house in town and bought horse property where he built a barn and a new home, and team roping became his passion for 32 years. He joined the United States Team Roping Championships (USTRC) and amassed dozens of trophy buckles, coats, saddles, and tack; and most importantly, reentered the cowboy world where he was most comfortable. He roped his last steer at 91 years old just a few months before he passed, always an example that age is just a number.

Sports weren’t Newt’s only interests. He was a self-taught leather tooler and during the early lean years made extra money by making and selling belts and purses. His leather creations were cherished gifts to his family and included belts, tooled leather stirrup covers, light switch covers, and picture frames. He won a blue ribbon at the local fair for a beautifully tooled steer hide foot stool he made during his retirement. He was also a self-taught guitarist. His family remembers many jam sessions in their home with his musical friends. Country music was the preferred genre. Unfortunately, he gave up the guitar after he lost too many fingers in roping accidents. Newt learned to knit one winter when he was in between jobs to ward off boredom, and then he taught his daughters. His favorite food was ice cream, and he told his wife that running out of ice cream was the only grounds for divorce. He was color blind, but always said blue was his favorite color although he couldn’t pick it out of a line up.

Even with all his own accomplishments, he was most proud of his children and their accomplishments in sports, art, music, their professional successes, and most of all, their strength and determination when facing life’s challenges. He could often be heard bragging about his children and grandchildren, even to complete strangers, store clerks, waiters and waitresses, bank tellers, and whoever would listen. His legacy of resilience will most assuredly continue through his offspring.

Newt is survived by his wife of 70 years, Virginia, daughters Cathy (Mark) Moen, Kelly Hanson, and son Guy (Amy) Worthington, niece Jan Cates, and nephews Jay Meyer and Marshall “Buddy” Worthington. He leaves behind 8 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and his beloved rope horse, Bowie; and a bevy of nieces and nephews on Ginny’s side of the family.

He is preceded in death by brothers Jack and Marshall Worthington, sister Annette Meyer, son-in-law Bill Hanson, great granddaughter Jordan Worthington, brothers-in-law Robert and Thomas Pfeiffenberger, maternal niece Debbi (Pfeiffenberger) Miller, great nephew Andrew Cerchio, and Newt’s best and lifelong friend Rex Beougher.

A celebration of life will be held Monday, January 12^th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Laramie Elks Club, 103 S. 2^nd Steet. Those who’d like to make a donation in Newt’s honor, please consider the amazing Hospice of Laramie, 1754 Centennial Drive, Laramie, WY 82072.