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Longtime Del Rio sheep rancher Toots Hutto, 83 years old, died Saturday, July 1, 2006, at his second home in the Rio Concho West Retirement Community in San Angelo.
Toots courageously battled back from many illnesses and surgeries over the years. He often said his body scars looked like a Texas road map. Thanks to the special care given by Nancy, Maria, Lilia, Emily, Sylvia and Virginia, Toots was able to spend his last few weeks of life at home, surrounded by his family, friends and their good Mexican food.
Services were held at 1:30 p.m. Monday, July 3, at the First United Methodist Church in Del Rio, where Toots was a member, with the Rev. Richard Young officiating. F.H. “Tuffy” Whitehead, one of his many special friends, delivered the eulogy. Burial followed at 4 p.m. in the Carta Valley Cemetery. The family received friends and family at the Toots Hutto Ranch home afterward.
Toots was the only name he was ever known by. He was the youngest of three sons, born Jan. 18, 1923, in one of the hotels in Del Rio, Texas, to Chris Hutto and Bertha Louise Rosenow Hutto. His mother died when he was about 18 months old, leaving his dad to rear the three small boys alone at the ranch in the Carta Valley area.
Toots started school at the Little School House in Carta Valley, Texas. He rode his horse back and forth with his brothers and cousins, following rags that were tied to brush by his dad to mark the way. He later graduated from Del Rio High.
Toots and Ruth Anna Hutchinson were married April 7, 1955, in Ozona, Texas. They spent their life together ranching in Carta Valley. Together they had three children, Roy Lee, Lee Anne and Toby Louise. They, along with Ruth Anne and the ranch, were his whole life. Toots was one of the last old-time ranchers. He said you have to love the country, hard work and hard times to be a successful rancher. Toots believed that a handshake and a man’s word were law. He had a great sense of humor and was very highly respected throughout the ranching communities. All the knowledge he acquired by experience and practice showed in his ranching success.
Toots was a member/director of the American Rambouillet Association and the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, as well as an honorary director for life. Toots sold his Registered Rambouillet herd because of bad health, but he continued to enjoy going to all the local livestock shows to see the fine animals and to “shoot the bull.”
Toots served on the first Quarter Horse Racetrack Board in the early 1940s and again in the ‘60s and ’70s. He was very active with the 4-H Lamb Club in Val Verde County, never missing a show until his bad health kept him away just a few years ago. He was active in the Horse Club as well, helping to build the practice arena in Del Rio as well as the present 4-H Barn. Toots served 20 years as a committeeman on the Val Verde County Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Service Board (FSA). Toots enjoyed hauling his children to the American Junior Rodeo Association rodeos when he wasn’t busy ranching. Toots loved good friends, good livestock, good times and a good rain. He believed honest, hard work, self-reliance and good fellowship would take you a long way. His honesty, desire to be fair and to help others is what he tried to instill in his children.
Preceding Toots in death is Ruth Anne Hutchinson, his wife of 46 yeas; his parents, Chris and Bertha Louise Rosenow Hutto; one brother, John Marvin Hutto; and his grandson, Sloan Lee Cathey, age 16.
Survivors include his three children, Roy Lee Hutto and wife LuAnn Bennet Hutto of Del Rio, Texas, Lee Anne Hutto Powell and husband Larry of Eola, Texas, Toby Louise Hutto Romine and husband Jacky Dean of Lenorah, Texas; his grandchildren, Casey Bob Hutto of Del Rio, Shelley Cathey Burk and husband Clay of San Angelo; Chey-enne Romine Davis and husband Mike of Bangs, and Cole Dean Romine of Midland; special great-grandchildren Kayley Samantha and Hannah Elizabeth Burk of San Angelo and Jayton Ray Davis of Bangs; step-grandchildren Nicole Ingram and husband Brian of Santo, Schulyer Dhooghe of San Antonio, Wade Powell and family of Mason, and Kimberly Slaughter and husband Craig of Clyde; his brother, Ray Hutto of Del Rio; sister-in-law Pattie Edith Hutchinson Benedict of Tucson, Ariz.; brother-in-law Fayette Fred Hutchinson of Kerville and their families.
Friends preceding him in death are Clifton Lowry, Jim Bob Altizer, Bud Smith and Bit Terry, all of Del Rio, Poochie Quigg of Terlingua, James Wittenburg of Rocksprings, Wayne Frye of Zapata and Breezie Locke of Kerville. Serving as pallbearers will be Pascaul Marruffo of the ranch, Bo Hutto, Chris Hutto, Bobby McCulley and Wayne Lewis of Del Rio and Danny Hinds of Lubbock.
Toots had so many good friends, he wanted to honor them as honorary pallbearers: Carl Rohlfs of Austin, Raymond Quigg of Terlingua, Carl Hyde and Epp Epperson of Rocksprings, David Winters, Pat Martin, John Weston, F.H. (Tuffy) Whitehead, Fred Rose, T.J. Jarrett, James Leonard, Jack Brown, Wayne Brown, Olie Smith, Jim Smith, Martin Wardlaw, Clyde Earwood, Bobby Burk, Justin Burk, Henry Mill, John Wardlaw, Bill Cauthorn, Weedy Zorn, Jimmy Sellers and Bubba Whitehead of Del Rio, Bill Locke of San Antonio, Rex Stultz of Eden, Scott Hickman of Midland, Rick Hardy of Palestine, Glen Richardson of Sonora and Bill Shaw of San Angelo.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Hospice of San Angelo, Meals for the Elderly and the West Texas Boys Ranch. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Cox Funeral Home in Del Rio.