We would like to extend our deepest sympathies........

Richard Sewing, National Mustang Association

 

CEDAR CITY - A local man known for his generosity and dedication to wild horse protection died in an automobile crash Monday, but those who knew him said his work would not be forgotten. Richard Sewing, 79, had been a retired farmer for years, and dedicated the last 15 years of his life to protecting the wild horses and burros of Utah and Nevada as a member of the National Mustang Association. He worked as the association's operation manager, taking care of its ranch sanctuary in Barclay, Nev.
As a result of his work with the horses, Sewing had a close relationship with the Bureau of Land Management, recently having served his second term as member of the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board that offered recommendations to the BLM. "He was very instrumental in putting projects on the ground for the horses," said Chad Hunter, Cedar City wild horse and burro specialist for the BLM. Hunter got to know Sewing 14 years ago when he worked with Hunter's father, a retired BLM specialist. Hunter said Sewing worked to get the wild horses water, seeding and foliage for their grazing areas and made sure all involved parties came to a compromise when conflict arose between mustang advocates and ranchers protecting their land from the horses. "He was always working to find a solution," Hunter said of Sewing. "He thought there was a place for everything out there. He put his money where his mouth was - didn't fight the BLM or the ranchers, he fought for the wild horses."
Ranchers Matt and Marilyn Wood knew Sewing as a generous, knowledgeable man who would help them as a sort of liaison between ranchers and the BLM in controlling horse issues. "He was so aware of the ranchers and what we had to deal with," Marilyn Wood said. "He wanted to have the ranchers and the mustang association get along." Wood said Sewing and her husband had just gone out for lunch last week and Matt Wood came home saying, "I love to talk to him." "The information Richard gave us was very valuable," Marilyn continued. "I can't say anything negative about him other than his bad hearing," she laughed, sharing a joke of how Sewing would visit and sometimes his hearing aids would buzz. "When we heard what happened, Matt was just sick," Wood said of the accident. On Monday at about 4:25 p.m., Sewing had been traveling east on Highway 56 near 7700 West, according to Utah Highway Patrol reports, when his Chevy pick-up rammed into a stopped school bus letting off children.Sewing died at the scene, but there were no other reported injuries, according to highway patrol.
UHP has not determined the reason Sewing did not stop from hitting the bus, but a medical examiner is checking for possible illness, distractions or other causes. Sewing's wife June, an active Cedar City resident who is part of the foundation board for Valley View Medical Center, said her husband was a straightforward man who stayed very involved in the local area, especially with his work on wild horse protection. "He could be passionate about a lot of things, but he didn't like things flowery," June, his wife of 54 years, said. The two moved to Southern Utah in 1975, after Sewing had lived in southern California, working for Shell Oil for 20 years. They operated a farm in Newcastle for more than 20 years and have children, Rick, of Fort Lupton, Colo., and Jerry, of Arroyo Grande, Calif. They also have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren with one on the way. Sewing was a longtime member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod and served as elder and president. Services will be at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cedar City, with date and time to be determined. The family requests that instead of flowers, donations be given to the Valley View Health Care Foundation.

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In Loving Memory of my brother Shane.......