Fritz Rundell, thought by many to be one of the premier rodeo announcers and auctioneers in the state, died at his Salida home Monday. He was 74.
Rundell “had a natural talent” for both announcing and auctioneering, said Dave Potts, chairman of the Chaffee County Fair Board.
“He had a real, real mellow voice, knew and worked the crowd and understood the bidders,” Potts said.
Sometimes people came to auctions just to hear Rundell call, Potts said.
Rundell did rodeo announcing and auctioneering in Colorado and several other states, including Hawaii, where he did an auction job, said his daughter, Trish Buffalo of Salida.
Rundell was a big supporter of kids, especially those in 4-H and Little Britches rodeos.
“He could announce two rodeo arenas at the same time at a Little Britches event,” his daughter said.
“He could go full throttle when he needed to,” said his son, Darrell Rundell of Weatherford, Texas.
Fritz Rundell announced the Chaffee County Fair rodeo for 50 years.
Many considered him “the backbone” of the rodeo, Potts told a Salida newspaper.
“He had the voice and could think real fast,” said Glenn Everett, a rancher in Salida who grew up with Rundell.
Everett and several other men started the county’s first rodeo in 1961, which they called Heart of the Rockies Stampede. The county later took over the rodeo and renamed it.
Rundell was on call often for auctions of all kinds, including farm, real estate or restaurant, his wife said.
Elbert William “Fritz” Rundell was born Oct. 24, 1936, in Cañon City. He moved with his family to Salida, where his father, Carl, opened the Salida Livestock Sales Barn. He attended an auction school in Billings, Mont.
He married Nancy Hollenbeck on Sept. 7, 1958.
Fritz Rundell was reared on a ranch and as a young man did bareback riding and roping in rodeos.
He taught his son and daughter and all seven of his grandchildren to ride horses. “I can’t remember when I wasn’t riding,” his son said. “But he was very patient with us.”
Darrell Rundell and two of his nephews have followed in the footsteps of Fritz Rundell, Nancy Rundell said.
At his funeral Thursday, which was held at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds, two horses pulled “an old hearse” with the body. A riderless horse followed behind, Nancy Rundell said.
In addition to his wife, son and daughter, Rundell is survived by seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
