Tommy Herrera Obituary

Tommy Herrera, 91, of Marvel, Colorado, passed away peacefully July 14, 2020.

Mr. Herrera was born April 11, 1929 to Marcelino and Dorothy Herrera in Marvel, where he lived most of his life.

A passionate supporter of the Western way of life and truly a cowboy, Mr. Herrera bought his first set of cows at 14 and worked on ranches like the Famous Tejon Ranch outside of Los Angeles. When he broke his leg at 17, Mr. Herrera moved home to Marvel, where he stayed.

When Hollywood came to Durango looking for real cowboys to star in their new favorite genre-Westerns-Mr. Herrera jumped at the chance to showcase his roping and riding abilities in the movies. He played parts in movies like True Grit, Naked Spur and Cheyenne Autumn. He knew John Wayne personally and worked with actors like Jimmy Stewart, Coleen Gray and Mark Stevens.

Mr. Herrera competed in bareback riding and bull riding in his younger years across the West, and he was a rancher for most of his life. He also was an avid rawhide braider, whose work adorns the homes of many of his children and grandchildren, as well as many of his friends and acquaintances.

Always a hard worker, throughout his life, he worked heavy equipment, ranched, worked for Pyramid Oil Company, owned racehorses and guided hunters through the Rockies.

Mr. Herrera is preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Mary, his first daughter Mary Avis (Boots), his second wife, Myrtle, and his daughter Barbara. He is survived by his children Brad (Lynn) Herrera, Roger (Debbie) Herrera, Cricket (Kevin) Kobza, Ladd (Kelsey) Johnson and Gerry (Cheryl) Johnson. He is also survived by Charlene Fitch, his companion of 47 years, and her children, Jimmy, Billy, Charles, Steven, and Johnny Fitch and Gayle Bartlett.

Mr. Herrera enjoyed nothing more than supporting his many grandchildren and great grandchildren in their rodeo endeavors across the United States. Tom found great satisfaction in spending time with the children in his life, whether they were related to him or not.

There will be a graveside service at Marvel Cemetery on Monday, July 20, 2020 at 10am. Please bring your own seating.