LEMMON, S.D. – Paul Huffman made a lot of things possible.
Most recently, it was seeing to it that his sale barn, Lemmon Livestock, continued in the hands of a local, younger generation of cattlemen who spent years working at the auction market when they were youngsters.
Huffman passed away March 28 at the age of 81.
“I’ve worked at Lemmon Livestock since high school,” shares new co-owner Rowdy Benson. “I’m grateful to Paul for giving me the opportunity to have an auctioneer career and now the opportunity to own the sale barn. It’s always been in in the back of my mind.”
Benson, along with Brady Ham, recently purchased the well-regarded auction market.
Family and friends remember Paul as a generous, hardworking, and tenacious man. South Dakota was exactly where a cowboy like him dreamed of living. In 1974 Paul and his brother Dale bought 900 head of steers in their home state of Oklahoma. Dale recalls Paul loading up in a semi to haul the steers to South Dakota and never returning. He had found where he wanted to be.
Paul grew up in Mutual, Oklahoma on the family farm and ranch operation and was always more interested in the cowboy side of life. He worked alongside his brother and sister on the farm while frequenting the local sale barns to buy and sell cattle. It was rumored he gave college a try for a whole three hours before returning home to the local sale barn where his Grandpa Sam was spending the day buying cattle. Sam didn’t even look up from the program before asking Paul, “What took you so long?”
In 1962, he married Edna Gilliland. Paul and Edna’s oldest son Dave was born in 1963 followed by Brad in 1965. He spent his time managing sale barns in Woodward and Buffalo, Oklahoma, and running cattle in Oklahoma, Colorado, South and North Dakota, and Montana. It was 1974 when he moved north and continued running yearlings all over western South Dakota. Paul married Gwendolyn Hetzel in 1976 and gained two more sons, Chad and Cody.
Paul’s actions in supporting the community and surrounding area spoke for itself. He was selfless in sharing the sale barn facilities he owned for 23 years, with anyone who needed them. People in town for rodeos and ropings could drop off their horses at no charge. Paul provided feed, water and care. His was a well-known name at 4-H events and the Lemmon Junior Livestock Show. And when there was a community need of any kind, Paul organized benefits at the sale barn.
