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Steven Mark Duncan

Steven Mark Duncan was born Jan. 14, 1962, in Hayden to Catherine Taylor Duncan and Harry Duncan. He died March 27, 2013, while working bulls on the family ranch in Dixon, Wyo. He is preceded in death by his father, Harry Duncan; his grandparents, Henry Taylor and Alice Taylor, and Thomas Duncan and Emilie Duncan; and his sister-in-law, Debra Counts VanHoorelbeke.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Counts Duncan; his children, Natalie and Braden Duncan; his mother, Catherine Duncan; his uncle Jim Duncan and aunt Mary Duncan; his brother, Nelson Duncan, wife Trudy Duncan and children; his brother, Duane Duncan and children; father-in-law Wesley E. Counts and mother-in-law Beverly Ottens Counts and children; and many other aunts, uncles, cousins and dear family friends.
Steve attended elementary school in Savery, Wyo., and graduated from W. Wesley Morrow High School in Baggs, Wyo., in 1980 after participating in Rattlers sports and activities including basketball, track and FFA. He lived many years before his marriage on the upper ranch located south of Slater, where Steve’s grandparents homesteaded, and his Grandma Tillie and her children grew the Duncan Livestock Corporation, first as a large sheep operation before converting to cattle in the early 1990s.
On Jan. 2, 1993, Steve married Linda Fay Counts in Craig, and they made their home on the portion of the ranch located east of Dixon. They celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in 2013. In 2005, Steve and Linda adopted Natalie at age 12 and Braden at age 7, who had been a part of their family since 2004. Steve couldn’t have been a prouder parent and deeply loved both of his children.
Steve was a big-hearted man. He loved the Lord God, he loved his family, ranching and, like many ranchers, he and his dog, Jaxsen, were inseparable.
He loved helping new calves into the world each spring, working cows and shipping calves each fall, and everything in between.
He looked forward to attending Bible class and worship at the Church of Christ in Craig each Sunday, and staying the afternoon to socialize with his Craig relatives and church family each week. The Counts’ vacation property, affectionately known as the “Ponderosa,” near Meeker held a special place in his heart.
Contributions may be made to the LSR Lions Club “Walk 4 Life” (which directly benefits local cancer patients) in honor of his sister-in-law Debbie, who passed away from cancer in 2005. His ashes will be interred in a private ceremony at Reader Cemetery east of Dixon.

I’ll Ride On
It’s not the end of the trail for me,
I’m just headin’ out to the light I see.
Beyond those mountains there’s a soft glow;
It’s gettin’ brighter the closer I go.
It’s like the beginning of a new day,
And the trail I’m followin’ leads the way.
I feel sure there’s friends and family ahead,
And they’ve set up camp on a brand new spread.
Yes, I can hear the voices callin’ my name,
sayin’, “Welcome Steve, sure glad you came,
This new range is special, you’ll like it here,
There’s grass for your horses, the streams are clear,
The cattle are gentle and never stampede,
And in every direction there’s plenty of feed.
If you’re thinkin’ it sounds too good to be true,
it’s not—’cause the Boss made a promise to you.
If you’d ride for his brand, be honest and square,
He’d relieve all your pain, and remove every care.
He was mighty pleased with your life on earth,
That you did your best, and proved your worth.
So step off your horse, and tie him on up,
Your Dad, Deb and friends want to pour you a cup.
We’ll talk about old days, as time allows,
’cause startin’ tomorrow you’ll be workin’ cows!”

Adapted by Linda Counts Duncan for Steven M. Duncan, 2013, from an untitled poem written by Carole Jarvis for Dan Jarvis, copyright 2010. Reprinted with permission from the author.


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