Lucretia Ann Bourrous

Funeral services for Lucretia A. Bourrous, 64, of Pollok will be held Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. in the Carroway Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Mike Loftin officiating. Interment will follow in the Fairview Cemetery.

Ms. Bourrous was born December 20, 1955 in Lufkin, Texas to Ella Mae (Gilbert) and G.P. Bourrous, and died Saturday, August 15, 2020 at her residence.

Ms. Bourrous was a rancher and had owned and operated Indian Valley Ranch in Pollok for many years. She was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, daughter and sister whose family was most important to her, as well as her love of the Lord. She was of the Methodist faith.

Lucretia started her Texas Longhorn cattle journey over thirty years ago while she was living in the Texas Hill Country. She would go on to build one of the country's top show-winning herds. Genetics from her herd were highly sought after by top breeders. She was a true pioneer for women in the Longhorn breed industry not just because she was a woman, but because she did it on her own.

It all started with a visit to a well-known Hill Country Longhorn Ranch in Comfort, Texas. While on that visit, she would see a young bull she was immediately drawn to - "there was just something special about him". She would name him Checotah, and he would be the start of her Longhorn program. She also made a deal with the farm manager to board the bull there at the farm. She would drive out each morning after dropping the girls off at school and spend the morning grooming and training him for the show ring. They would also be back at the farm in the afternoon after school. Checotah would go on to win an unprecedented number of class wins and championship titles in the adult shows with Lucretia on the lead and in the youth shows with her daughter, Jerri, on the lead, and his most prestigious win was Champion Bull at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Lucretia would also end up training him to be ridden with a western saddle. He would later make a public appearance, with saddle, at The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston to be ridden around their grand ballroom for a Walmart regional convention. He was truly a special animal, one of a kind.

Not long after acquiring her bull Checotah, she would purchase a beautiful black and white heifer from the same farm with the same boarding agreement. These two animals would go on to produce a number of outstanding offspring that would help her grow her breeding program. That black and white heifer was named Something Special 395 aka Baby Girl. She would not only go on to have a hugely successful show career but also an incredible production record of producing multiple show champions and high sellers.

Not long after she acquired the foundation of her herd, she moved back to East Texas, and Indian Valley Ranch was established. She had a love for the Native American culture and history. She would purchase only a few more head for the foundation of her herd; the rest would be home grown with her herd reaching over 140 total head.

The brand that would go on the cattle was the 7B, which represented the family members. The 7B brand has been on more champion cattle than can be listed here. Lucretia showed her cattle at all the major stock shows and major Longhorn shows all across the country. She and her daughters, Nicole and Jerri, traveled many a mile going to shows and they usually had a few extra kids go; the more the better. She had a passion for the Longhorn breed and got great joy from sharing the breed with others, especially kids. The cattle were not so much a business for her but deep love. She wanted to keep them all and was never eager to sell her cattle. If you were lucky enough to purchase one, that was something special.

She was a member of the International Texas Longhorn Association throughout her years of involvement with Texas Longhorn cattle. She was also a former Rodeo Queen of the Angelina Benefit Rodeo in the 1970’s.

Survivors include her father, G.P. “Jerry” Bourrous of Pollok; daughters and son-in-law, Nicole and Britt Garcia of Pollok and Jerri Bourrous of Nacogdoches; granddaughters, Jade Garcia of Pollok and Jordan Garcia of Lufkin; sister, Deborah Casburn of Diboll; niece and husband, Bridget and Jason Tobias of Diboll; great-niece, Lucchesse Tobias of Diboll; and other family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Ella Mae Bourrous; brother-in-law, Ronnie Casburn; and her grandparents.

Pallbearers will be Britt Garcia, Jason Tobias, Russell Hooks, Gilbert Garcia, Kade Thompson, and Jimmy Crum.

Honorary pallbearers will be Omar Estrada, Paul Cochran, Ernie Brooks, Garland Brooks, Bobby Hawkins, Keith Gilbert, and Danny Gilbert.

The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning prior to the services.

Memories and condolences may be added, and live webcasting of the services may be viewed, at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com.

Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.