April 30, 1964 – April 12, 2019  

Written by:
Shelby Strand (Pomeranz) 

On April 30th, 1964, in Chilliwack, BC, just one minute before midnight, Reggie Dennis Pomeranz was born to his loving parents, Ruth and Dennis Pomeranz. Reggie was the third child in the family, warmly welcomed home by his older brother, Joe, and sister, Joyce. In 1968, Jim, the youngest son, was born, completing the Pomeranz family of six. As a boy, it would have been hard to envision the imposing figure Reggie would become. Ruth fondly described him as a “skinny little runt,” whom they could hardly ever persuade to eat. As a child, Reggie was shy and reserved, yet he had a striking temper that occasionally surfaced. Given that he was the only Pomeranz child without a "J" starting his name and had a mop of blonde hair lighter than his siblings', a running joke suggested he might have been adopted.

For the first eight years of Reg's life, the family resided in Rosedale, BC, where he spent his days playing outdoors with his siblings and cousins, diving into all sorts of mischief. Reg's oldest brother, Joe, and his cousin Brian, would often organize makeshift boxing matches in the barn between Reg and his cousin Barry. To ensure that only minor injuries were possible, they wrapped their hands in towels.

Around 1973, the family moved from BC to Airdrie, where they stayed for about ten years. During this time, Reg grew into a quiet yet popular teenager. For the most part, he stayed out of trouble but couldn't resist a bit of mischief. Alongside his friends Daryl Cole and Mike Uhrich, Reg took a unique approach to interior decorating by shimmying up several flagpoles in Airdrie to steal flags for his bedroom. Recognizing his talents and ambitious dreams, Ruth and Dennis gifted Reg a drum set. Proclaiming his future in a rock and roll band, Reg had a knack for timing his practice sessions to coincide perfectly with his sister Joyce's study times in her room below. 

During his time in Airdrie, hockey played a significant role in Reg's life. His father, Dennis, coached the Airdrie Colts midget hockey team, with Reg serving as its Captain. Dennis fondly remembers how Reg, alongside the Jarrett brothers, stood out at Howie Meeker's Hockey School for their work ethic and skating prowess. Their dedication earned them the chance to work for Meeker, assisting in some of his clinics. Reg briefly played for the Junior A Drumheller Falcons team, but it wasn't long before rodeo captured his heart, becoming his primary passion.

At the age of 15, Reg stepped onto the rodeo scene, initially in the bareback event. Starting with a clinic put on at the Gerlitz Rodeo School, Reg began competing in the amateur circuit. Anyone who knew Reg’s mom Ruth can probably guess the toll this choice of hobby took on her nerves. Once, while watching Reg compete from the rodeo stands, Ruth in a moment of intense reaction to him being bucked off, instinctively grabbed a complete stranger seated in front of her. This unsuspecting woman suddenly found herself inadvertently caught in a chokehold from behind. From that point on, it became a well-known hazard to sit beside Ruth when she watched her son compete - if you were within arms length you would likely find yourself in her death-grip at some point throughout Reg’s ride. Despite the sometimes stressful moments watching from the stands, both Dennis and Ruth were always Reg’s biggest fans and stood behind him no matter what sport or event he was competing in. He was always thankful to have them in his corner. Much to Ruth’s relief, Reg soon moved on to try his hand at a slightly less hazardous event – calf roping. Although it was not his main event for long, Reg picked-up calf roping quickly and came home with a couple of championship buckles from the amateur circuit.  

In 1983, when Reg was about 19, the Pomeranz family moved from Airdrie and rented out  Lesley Liba’s acreage in Genesee, Alberta. As fate would have it, the new Pomeranz’s home  was just a jog down the road from the home of Zolton and Barbara Liba. Jim rode the bus with a  young lady who lived down the road, by the name of Lorelei Liba. Since the arrival of the  Pomeranz family, Lori had been admiring Reg from afar and would often tell Jim that she  wanted a ride in his brother’s truck. Even to this day Lori remembers that the truck was a lifted  black and silver short-box Chevy Silverado, always shined-up. One day when Lori was riding  her 1984 Yamaha Enduro motorcycle on the back roads, she came across Reg broke down on the side of the road, out of fuel. Lori couldn’t believe her luck as she pulled over, coming to  Reg’s rescue. As she drove back to her house to call Reg’s home phone for a fuel delivery, Lori  remembers thinking “Oh my god, that’s Reg Pomeranz, I love him so much, I can’t forget this  phone number”. It wasn’t long after until Reg and Lori became inseparable. In Lori, Reg found  his soulmate and life partner. They were unstoppable together and made each other better in  every way. Reg loved Lori with his whole heart and her free-spirit brought him so much joy  throughout his life.  

While living in Genesee, Reg discovered another one of his great loves – steer wrestling. A  friend of the family, Glen Nash, took Reg under his wing and showed him the ropes. It wasn’t  long before championships started to roll in. For the next 7 years Reg toured the LRA and WRA  rodeo circuits making a name for himself as an up-and-coming steer wrestler. He had a  reputation for being a true sportsman who was kind and compassionate to his fellow competitors, and always willing to lend a helping hand. Reg was often seen switching horses  after his run to haze for a buddy or mounting a fellow steer wrestler on his best horse. No matter  what rig Reg was driving he always had an impeccably clean truck and trailer. Even if he was up  in the slack, or the ground was a foot deep with mud, Reg would always without fail show up  with best-groomed horses and whitest splint boots in town. His unofficial motto was “look good,  feel good, do good”. While competing in Steer Wrestling in the amateur circuit, he was the 1987  WRA finals champion, the 1988 WRA season leader and finals champion, the 1990 and 1991  LRA reserve season leader, the 1993 WRA season leader and the 1994 LRA finals champ.  

Throughout Reg’s rodeo career, Lori could always be found close by cheering Reg on from the  stands and touring the circuit along with him. In 1992, a few months before the birth of their first  baby girl, Reg and Lori bought their first home together in Drayton Valley. Shelby was born in  October of 1992 and was the light of Reg’s eye. Lori would proudly haul her around to cheer on  her dad and Reg could often be found showing off his little girl to his rodeo buddies.  

In 1995, Reg made the jump from the amateur rodeo circuit, to the pro-circuit and had a  remarkably successful first few seasons. The very first year he went pro, he was a finalist in the  Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) and won Rookie of the Year. Reg made a smart investment with his earnings from winning a round at the CFR and bought Lori an engagement ring. During Reg’s pro-rodeo career he also competed at the Calgary Stampede and was drafted for the Dodge Team at the All Star Pro Rodeo Series. Rodeo was extremely important to Reg and over these years he met life-long friends, many of which hold his memory dear in their hearts. Reg has been described as embodying the best qualities of an old fashioned classic cowboy, living his life with honor, loyalty, and courage. Over the years, Reg  became a role-model for multiple up and coming young cowboys. There are a handful of men that Reg treated like his own sons and was proud to bring up on the rodeo scene, including Clint, Jamie, and Denver – Reg was very proud of the cowboys you’ve become.  

In 1997, Reg and Lori made it official and got married in a small ceremony, with Shelby as their very proud flower-girl. By this point, Reg and Lori had been together for almost a decade and continued to live as loving husband and wife for over 20 years. A few months after the wedding in November of 1997, they welcomed their second baby girl, Brooke, into the world. Being the laidback expecting mother that she was, the day Brooke was born Lori went to the city with her sisters to get their hair done. Towards the end of her elaborate updo, Lori started having contractions and decided she better make her way back to Drayton. Reg was playing in a hockey tournament that weekend, so she stopped by the Omniplex and encouraged him to  finish his game and meet her at the hospital later. Lori’s dreams of being a beautifully made-up  new mom quickly evaporated, as about an hour into labour she was screaming at Reg to “GET  THESE DAMN BOBBYPINS OUT OF MY HEAD”.  

Reg raised his daughters around rodeo, instilling a love of horses and traveling the rodeo circuit  in both of them. Reg’s priorities shifted from constantly searching out the fastest bulldogging  horse, to watching for those old reliable horses that are well suited for little girls. It wasn’t long  before it came clear that his youngest daughter Brooke inherited his fierce competitive instinct.  One of Reg’s greatest prides in life was watching Brooke become one of the best hands around  that could go toe-to-toe with many of the old horse trainers on the scene. 

Reg was not only a proud father, but a cherished uncle to his siblings’ children. The Pomeranz  family was blessed to remain close in the years while their young families were growing up.  When he wasn’t rodeoing, Reg could be found on the lake, BBQing, or enjoying the company of  his parents, his siblings, and their families. Everywhere Reg was, his family could be found  close at hand. Reg’s connection to his family went beyond his home and onto the worksite. Throughout his whole life Reg, Dennis, Jim, and Joe worked for one another and with one another in  several capacities. With the Pomeranz men on the case, no job was too big.  

By the early 2000s Reg was thriving and finding success as the owner of his own company Rim  Fire Trucking. Starting with a small tank truck his company eventually diversified to haul gravel  and expanded to an impressive small-scale logging operation. Over the years, Reg was both a  boss and employee to many. Anyone who had an opportunity to work with him would have likely benefited from the fact that Reg always gave 100% to everything he did.  

In 2008, Reg and Lori invested in their property in Arizona that would eventually become their  desert paradise. Reg always had a grand vision, that sometimes was hard for others to  understand and his girls thought he had lost his mind when he hauled them to Arizona shortly  after purchasing the property in the middle of the sweltering summer. The property was initially  a far-cry from the amazing place that it is today and it took an extraordinary amount of effort to  create. As always, Lori trusted Reg and had faith in his vision. Wasting no time, Reg began  pounding posts and welding his perimeter fence, despite the 45 degree heat. I’m sure the locals  must have thought their new neighbor was a crazy person. Over the next 11 years Reg worked tirelessly in Canada during the Spring and Summer, then would head to Arizona in the winter and would work just as hard there building his dream for his family.  Every year he would accomplish a few major projects, the property improving and improving as time went on. Anyone who has had the pleasure of visiting the Pomeranz Ranch will attest to what an amazing place it is. As was often the case in his life, Reg’s presence drew others to him  and he created a community that went beyond just his family in that little corner of Arizona. 

There at the Pomeranz Ranch, Reg supported and coached Brooke, watching her become an  accomplished roper. When Brooke qualified to compete in the World Series team roping finale he was jumping around like an excited kid yelling the news to everyone in the yard. 

Reg developed a passion for motorcycling and came to own two of his own Harleys. In typical Reg fashion, he purchased the bike with as much chrome as possible and spent countless hours washing and polishing it. When Reg wasn’t working on the ranch, or cleaning up his yard with his prized leaf blower, he would sneak off for a ride on his Harley. Reg loved riding his bike and used his time on the wide-open highway to relax. 

In the two winters leading up to his passing, Lori and Reg were able to spend the entire season together in Arizona, a period they both treasured deeply. It was a significant blessing for them to share this time, creating cherished memories and building their paradise. Lori will always hold dear the moments they spent together during those months.

Once the property was fully set-up with an arena, horse pens, and the bells and whistles any  horse lover or roper could desire, Reg turned his attention to his latest project – creating a pool  oasis for his family. This past winter Reg spent countless hours landscaping his yard, which is now centered around his massive in-ground pool he commissioned. Thankfully, Reg’s last  weeks were spent in his favorite place, surrounded by loved ones enjoying the benefits of his  efforts. Reg was taken too soon, but his legacy will always live on in this special place.  

Although Reg is no longer here with us in a physical form, he will live on in the hearts and spirits  of his loved ones. In his brother’s you will see his sharp wit and playful banter. In his parents  and sister you will see his selfless generosity and compassion, in his wife, Lori, you will see his  love of life and adventurous spirit. In his daughter Shelby, you will see Reg’s fierce  independence and ability to lead others and in his daughter Brooke, you will see Reg’s love of  the rodeo lifestyle, calm nerves and good-judgments.  

Reg – the man who was bigger than life. We were all blessed and honored to have him in our  lives, and we will be greatly, greatly missed.