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Bill McMeans, one of Washington's all-time most successful
Thoroughbred trainers, passed away on March 6 at his home in Sunnyside
after a long illness. He was 69.
Born on July 7, 1937, in Stonewall, Oklahoma, to J. B. and Rose (Moshier)
McMeans, Bill grew up in Sunnyside. After graduating from Grandview High
School in 1955, he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1955 to 1959.
He married Pat Cranford on October 16, 1997.
His ability to select and develop young horses earned him a total of
six victories in the Gottstein Futurity, the state's richest race for
two-year-olds: Proud Admiral (1968), Royal Ruler (1970), Prince Joda
(1970), Koko’s Pal (1971), Saratoga Dancer (1977) and Favored One
(1994). He also won the Longacres Mile in 1974 with Times Rush.
McMeans led the life of a cowboy until the late 1960s when he began
training Thoroughbreds under the name Emerald Stables in Sunnyside. He
spent the next 20 years winning numerous stakes races in Washington and
California with greats such as Table Run, Koko's Pal, Fleet Fair, Kauai
Prince and Times Rush. Koko’s Pal, Favored One, Saratoga Dancer, Cup of
Speed, Prince Joda and Proud Admiral were all state champions from
McMeans’ barn. The astute horseman won back-to-back training titles at
Longacres in 1970 and 1971 and was leading trainer at Yakima Meadows in
both 1976 and 1979. Among the many other stakes winners he trained were
Sport Funagin, Seaborn, Big John Jr., Table Neptune, Splendid Way, Our
Favor, Soft Refrain, Hoist the Silver, Atom Line, Vital Quest and Delta
Echo.
Though soft spoken, he was known as a great storyteller and
continued to train at Emerald Downs, where he trained 23 winners, and in
California and Arizona until 2004.
He also enjoyed hunting trips to Selway, Idaho, reading and pack
trips with family and friends.
Bill was a member of the WTBA and the Professional Rodeo
Association.
He is survived by his wife, Pat, of Sunnyside; sons, Bobby (Alice
Amator) McMeans, of Phoenix, AZ, Ken McMeans, of El Monte, CA, Jeff
(Missy) Raver, of Prosser, Scott Raver, of Sunnyside; daughter, Cheryl
McMeans, of Huntersville, NC; brother, Wayne (Cindy) McMeans, of
Ellensburg, and twin brother and fellow trainer, Bob McMeans, of Federal
Way; and four grandchildren.
For a heartfelt tribute by his son Ken, got to
www.wildwestexpress.net. |
