A long-time Williams Lake Stampede Association and high school rodeo supporter has died.
Willie Watson Crosina passed away on July 23, just shy of his 98th birthday.
“Truly an icon and a legend in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, Willie has touched so many. Me included,” Cariboo Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson said in a Facebook post.
Willie was predeceased by his wife Terry Crosina on May 16, 2021.
They were married for 70 years and volunteered side by side for decades at rodeos.
In the last decade you were guaranteed to see them sitting together at the annual bull sale at the Williams Lake Stockyards.
Willie and Terry were always on the left side of the ring with front row seats.
He had a smile that could warm your heart and was always game for a friendly conversation.
A founding father of what is now the British Columbia Rodeo Association (BCRA) Willie kept busy playing vital roles as both a Williams Lake Stampede director and for the Williams Lake High School Rodeo Association.
At high school rodeos he served as a clown and bull fighter in his younger years and as a beloved rodeo announcer for 20 years or so.
For more than 40 years he led a bus tour from the Cariboo to the Canadian Finals Rodeo and in 2019, he was presented with the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Committee Member of the Year award.
During the Williams Lake Stampede on Saturday, July 2, 2022, the Stampede Association paid tribute to the Crosinas by naming the area that houses the announcer’s booth after them.
A new wooden sign hanging from the rafters featured the words “The Terry and Willie Crosina Pavillion.”
In his dedication speech, Doerkson said Terry was widely known for her skill as a rodeo timer and her stopwatch was almost a permanent fixture in her hand.
He gave a shout out to Willie who he knew was watching the rodeo virtually.
The Crosinas are survived by their sons Allen (Dianne), Mickey (Liz), Tony (Kathy) and Raymond, and daughters Louise Power, LeeAnn (Al Wilson) Crosina as well as many grand-children, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
We at the Tribune will miss the Crosinas and know their legacy will live on.
With files from Angie Mindus
news@wltribune.com
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