(I should explain the checkbook cover above is mine. Yes, it is well used and almost daily. I always think of Don each time I open it. glt)

We met Don Butler almost twenty five years ago with our research both on Hans Kleiber and Bill Gollings. An artist in his own right with leather, over the years he would just make me stand in awe. Obviously not a horseman but I thoroughly enjoyed my knowing him.

Don was born on September 28, 1946 in Billings, Montana. After serving his country in Vietnam, he returned to ranching in northern Wyoming and southern Montana. As a young teenager he began leather tooling and stamping belts for Ernst's Saddlery in Sheridan, Wyoming. Don and Kitty opened the Custom Cowboy Shop in 1976 in Sheridan with a second store in Cody, Wyoming in 1990. He also worked for the Wyoming Stock Grower's Association as a brand inspector and a sales representative.

In 2009 he was selected as the Saddle Makers of the Year for the State of Wyoming. His many talents also included silverwork with a zeal for western art.