Today I am missing someone who is only with us in our memories now. He hasn’t been gone very long, and until just the other day I wasn’t missing him, because I thought he would be there just like all the times before. Whether he sat down beside me in the cafe or parked in a chair out in front of the auction ring, I was always honored that a man like him cared enough about me to want to talk to me. His overalls were always crisp, his cowboy hat always looked just right and he always had a grin and a story. Looked like a farmer to me, and boy did he know the cattle market. I guess you could say he was a pioneer in that area. As I got to know him better, I found that his expertise was sought out in other businesses as well.
Junior Sumners deserved all the respect he got, and he got a lot.
Junior, we’re going to miss your stories and your friendship. There are a whole lot of us that are going to miss you, but I guarantee, we will never forget you.
By the way, Junior, I just got lucky that day I guessed that old bull’s weight.
Note: E.B. (Junior) Sumners died December 2, 2009, at 83 years of age. He was associated with the National Commission Company for 47 of those years, and also served on the Board of Directors at the Bank of Billings and Charter Bank in Aurora, Mo.
