Former State Representative Bill Webster Dies At 90!
Former state lawmaker William “Bill” Holcomb Webster passed away quietly on January 10 at the age of 90, surrounded by his loved ones. On October 7, 1932, Webster was born in Rochester, Minnesota.
His family relocated to Weld County, Colorado, when he was a young boy. From elementary school through high school, he attended classes in Greeley. Bill Webster attended Colorado State University for a brief while following his high school graduation before departing to enlist in the Army and serve at Fort Richardson in Alaska.
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When he returned to CSU, he dropped out to pursue his dream of working with animals. From 3,000 cattle, he increased his herd to 25,000. When he was 81 years old, Bill Webster earned a bachelor’s in animal science.
At the Greeley Rodeo, while they were both still in high school, he met Sylvia, the love of his life. Since his father, Dr. Bill Webster, had treated her for a severe fall when she was three, she was already familiar with his family.
On August 9, 1953, they married and were together for 66 years until she passed away on January 20, 2020. Weld County was made famous by Webster, who founded the Webster Land & Cattle Co. and the Webster Feed Lots, Inc., and “his unique feeding procedures,” according to a county statement.
These modifications, which included employing computers to monitor cattle and producing “flaked corn” for animal feed, were covered in a 2016 article by the Greeley Tribune. Cornflakes can be eaten and digested more easily by cattle when cooked.
This reduced waste by 10% and increased his feedlot’s efficiency by 10%. According to the Tribune, it was the first commercial feedlot to employ this technique. In 1991, Webster won his first election as a county commissioner. He worked here for two terms.
#CoronationStreet actor Peter Armitage, who played Bill Webster, dies aged 78 https://t.co/RmENzyVQdH pic.twitter.com/BNznksnzE3
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) December 5, 2018
He was chosen to represent House District 48 when he was first elected to the Colorado House in 1998. He was re-elected in 2000. He served on the House committees overseeing local government and agriculture.
His laws mainly dealt with agricultural issues, such as removing sales and use taxes from dairy products, transferring responsibility for preventing livestock illnesses to the state veterinary commission, and altering the restrictions on the maximum amount of fat present in whipped butter.
Perry was selected in 2012 to represent the close-by House District 49. She was chosen to represent the entire county as a Weld County Commissioner in 2020. For his contributions to agriculture, Webster was inducted into the FFA Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2017.
At Webster’s induction, then-Agriculture Commissioner Don Brown remarked, “There wasn’t a man who fed a hoof who didn’t know Bill Webster.” Wade (married to Ann), Dan (married to Dawn), and Perry are his surviving children. He also leaves behind 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
The family has requested that, instead of flowers, money be directed to Allnutt Funeral Service, 6521 W. 20th ST, Greeley, CO 80631, in support of the Weld County Community Foundation.