Arnold "Tuffy" Horton, 81, rode off into the sunset on July 17, 2007.

Tuffy was born on July 4, 1926, to Lester and Island Horton of Elm Springs, SD.

On November 24, 1944, he married Shirley Tombaugh and they moved to her family's ranch in Hereford, SD, where they ranched and raised three children. In 1982, they retired from ranching and moved to a smaller ranch in Sturgis and he began working for the Meade County Highway Department where he worked for 11 years.

He was a dedicated husband and father who loved horses, livestock, and the cowboy life. One of Tuffy's great passions was Team Roping. He took the sport up in his early 40's and continued to rope competitively into his 70's.

Tuffy was a past Director of the Federal Land Bank in Rapid City (11 years) and a member of the Western South Dakota Buckaroos. He also served on the Meade County Senior Citizen Board of Directors.

Tuffy is survived by his wife, Shirley Horton, Sturgis; two sons, Monte (JoAnn) Horton, Birmingham, AL, and Kelly (Jennifer) Horton, Sturgis; one daughter, Lyn Rindy, Wenatchee, WA; five grandchildren, Renee Rindy, Robin Rindy, Monte Horton, Sara Horton, and Karmen Horton; three great-grandchildren, Cade Horton, Kathlyn Horton, and Eli Middleton; and four sisters, Della (Jim) Courtney, Ada Mae O'Grady, Marcella (Joe) Nonnast, and Peggy (Jim) Sigman.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother who died as an infant.

A memorial has been established to Hospice of the Northern Hills.

Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, July 21, 2007, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church with Father Arnold Kari officiating. Burial will follow at St. Aloysius Cemetery.