Bobby & Lenore's
Legacy of Love
Bobby & Lenore, a horse-loving couple, were the first to call Cactus Creek a marriage haven.
Bobby first laid eyes on Lenore at a diner, where they were both were grabbing a bite after a rodeo. He was absolutely smitten with this fiery, barrel racing woman and determined to get to know her a little better.
It turns out that Lenore wanted to get to know Bobby a little more too. The morning after they caught each other’s eye at the diner, Bobby went to load his cattle into the trailer bright and early. Lenore was waiting for him; and the rest is history.
Just a few months after they met, Bobby and Lenore knew that they were meant to be together forever. So just after a rodeo one day they drove down to Georgia (no waiting period for a marriage license!) to tie the knot.
In their haste, they clean forgot that it was a holiday weekend. Bobby would not be deterred; he made some calls and a friend of a friend got the judge to come down for a quick ceremony. After their “I dos” were said, they drove straight back up to the rodeo, where Lenore won barrels and Bobby won bull riding. Not a bad way to start a marriage!
Bobby and Lenore were committed to living life fully and adventurously. They supported each others’ dreams and talents, being more together than they could have been apart.
When the pair purchased the property that is now Cactus Creek, they knew that they wanted to share their love of horses and rodeos with others. Bobby painstakingly built the barn himself by hand, a process that took nearly two years. The lovebirds then opened the barn as an educational center, where they taught local schoolchildren and senior citizens about the old west and the values of rodeo life.
Photo by Abigail Bobo
In their 47th year of marriage, Lenore was diagnosed with breast cancer. Bobby just couldn’t let her sit in the house where she would be separated from her beloved horses. So when she became too weak to walk, he built her a stretcher and would carry her out for training every day. Lenore would happily boss Bobby around, sometimes even to the point that he would jokingly threaten to drag her back in the house.
Lenore lost her fight against cancer on October 8th, 2005. Bobby was heartbroken without his partner; he couldn’t bear to part with any of her belongings. He left nearly everything as it was for years, remembering happier times with his beloved.
When Connie and Ken went to visit Cactus Creek for the first time, they felt the incredible joy and passion that Lenore left behind her. Her incredible spirit is present through every corner of the property. They stayed with Bobby in the long shotgun house near the horses and heard his incredible stories about Lenore, strength found in weakness and love that never dies.
When Bobby left the property to move closer to his son, he entrusted Ken and Connie with Lenore’s hat and their boots. He looked Connie straight in the eyes and said, “Keep the legacy.”
Cactus Creek’s legacy is one of grit, determination and the endless joy found in true love.
We encourage our couples to take part in that legacy through a Cactus Creek Barn tradition. We ask couples to take a stroll along the creek and pick out a rock to decorate with a word, message, or drawing that embodies them as a couple. When they’re finished, we add the stone to our growing collection. In this way, couples can leave a little of what makes them special to bless future couples.
Photo by Abigail Bobo