| Last Name:
GUECK |
First:
Diane |
Middle: Elizabeth
Clare
|
|
Lot # : 288 |
Plot # : 12 |
Gender:
F |
Birth Name: Henderson
|
Born:
April 23, 1941 |
Died:
Nov. 11, 2008 |
Burial Date:
Nov. 14, 2008
|
| Ledger Notes:
Funeral: Young's |
|
|
Obituary: Diane
Elizabeth Clare Henderson was born April 23, 1941 as the
first of three children to Robert Walter James Henderson
and Clara Kathleen Ivie Foster-Henderson of Bristol,
England. At an early age, Diane exhibited a keen
interest in horses, but as the family was not well off,
it was a struggle to find the money to allow her to take
riding lessons.
Nevertheless by the age of 12, her parents finally
agreed to let her help out at a nearby stables and it
didn't take long before the stable master noted Diane's
special talent with horses. Diane was soon riding and
training jumping horses and steeplechasers,
participating in local competitions and bringing home
red ribbons (red is for first place in England) from all
over the countryside. By the age of 16 Diane saved up
enough money to buy her first horse, a bay mare named
Sheba whom Diane showed in pony hunter trials.
Diane graduated from Bristol Central Commercial School
and was near the top of her class academically, but her
real focus remained on attaining honors on horseback
rather than in the classroom. On one occasion, she
competed in two shows on a single day and she sent her
sister along to the next show grounds whilst she
finished up at the first show. Upon arrival she found
her sister Moira happily celebrating second place, but
Diane said "Second is no good, why didn't you get
first!" That was her competitive spirit; go in to win
and never be second best, and that's the way she lived
her life.
In 1961, Diane decided to immigrate to the United
States. She took up knitting to raise money for the trip
and sold her stamp album. She also sold her sister's
stamp album (unbeknownst to her sister). Her mother gave
her enough money to buy a return ticket should Diane
decide to return home, but when Diane sold her horse,
the family realized Diane was not planning to return.
She arrived in America, expecting the Empire State
Building, but instead found herself in the middle of
"Cowboy" country. Klamath Falls, Oregon was a far cry
from New York City in the early sixties, but Diane's
Aunt Molly was living there and she gave Diane a place
to call home. It didn't take Diane long to spend the
money her mom had given her to buy a horse!
She came to America with just two suitcases and a couple
hundred dollars, and from those humble beginnings she
lived her American Dream from that moment on. True to
her English heritage, Diane ordered a cutback (English)
saddle from Sears Roebuck. In those days, no one in
Klamath Falls had ever heard of an "English" Saddle and
the cowboys around town guffawed, and ribbed her about
the "postage stamp" she was riding on. But that didn't
stop her and she soon organized a horse show and had
those cowboys competing in the ring! Gayle Gueck was one
of those cowboys, and on February 23, 1963 they married
and she became Diane Gueck. In 1965 Gayle and Diane
moved to Hillsboro, Oregon so that Gayle could attend
Portland State University where he eventually received
his degree in Accounting. In 1968 Diane had a son,
Stephen, and in 1970 a daughter, Sharon.
After her children were born, Diane was training
Saddle-bred & Arabian horses when she ran into a
gentleman who would change her life. His name was Louis
Tippet and he asked her to train his horse. Diane asked
him what kind of horse it was and he told her it was a
Tennessee Walker. Diane replied by telling him that she
had never even heard of a Tennessee Walker, and
furthermore, didn't know the first thing about training
one. Mr. Tippet's pivotal reply was simply, "now's your
chance to learn." He also indicated that he was
interested only in riding at field trials. Diane's
husband Gayle, however, said to Louis, "just wait.
she'll have you in the show ring in six months!"
Well, it only took three. He went on to become one of
the most prominent supporters of the Tennessee Walking
Horse breed on the West Coast.
In 1970, Diane decided to open her own stables which she
named Cheveaux Training Stables (Cheveaux is French for
horses). Her husband, Gayle and her son Stephen spent
many years building the facility which grew larger and
larger each year as Diane's influence and popularity
grew. In 1976 Sid Maddux, then President of the
Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders Association, was
attending a show where Diane's 6 year old daughter
Sharon was riding.
He was so impressed that he made a comment that he would
have to send her a horse. Diane didn't think anything of
it at the time, just figuring it was idle talk, but in
early November she got a call from Louis Tippet telling
her to come and pick up her yearling filly. Diane said,
"what filly?" and he said, "the one that Sid sent to
you". That filly turned out to be Wonder Lady's Delight,
whom Sharon rode under Diane's tutelage to become a 3
time World Grand Champion Plantation Horse. That put CTS
on the map and the stables expanded again with Diane
having upwards of 25 horses in the barn at times.
Diane was very much self taught in the ways of training
the Tennessee Walker. By putting together her natural
talent with horses and the skills she had learned over
the course of her career, she managed to rise to the top
of the industry both by coaching riders and personally
winning numerous International Championships, including
7 Supreme Versatility Championships,
31 World Championships, 2 Reserve World Grand
Championships, and 3 World Grand Championships, with
such horses as Wonder Lady's Delight, Dance The Night
Away, Gold Fever, An Irish Sensation, Generator's Rock &
Roll, A Beam Come True, and Magic's Pride & Joy, who
herself won 26 world championship titles and was the
first ever Celebration Super Horse, both in 1990 & 1991.
In 1989 after living in the United States for 28 years,
Diane obtained her U.S. Citizenship. She was so proud to
become a citizen, and for months afterwards, shared her
experience with her friends and clients. At Thanksgiving
Dinner that year, she sang "Proud To Be An American"
(written by Lee Greenwood) for the family with great
emotion and feeling. As an American, Diane believed that
everyone who was willing to work should be afforded the
chance to succeed. Young girls in particular were drawn
to the stables, and Diane would put them to work earning
their riding lessons. She provided the transportation,
boarding, riding clothing, and the opportunity to ride a
horse in the show ring to anyone that was willing to
work hard and earn their way. She demanded perfection
from her barn girls and in return they developed self
esteem, confidence, and poise. She taught them to value
their worth as women, to be strong and graceful, and she
provided a stable environment for young people to learn
and grow in. Some of them have gone on to become horse
trainers themselves, others have gone on to be house
wives, and still others are tackling the business world.
She was the ultimate teacher and she has inspired
generations of her students to work
hard, be confident, and to succeed.
While Diane's passion was for her horses she also had a
great love of Jack Russell Terriers. As a young boy, her
son received a Jack Russell puppy from a family friend.
The puppy became very attached to Diane, and she to the
puppy. Over the years, Diane owned many Jack Russell's,
each one having a special place in her heart. She raised
several litters of puppies and carefully selected homes
for each puppy to ensure the dog would have a good home.
She also amassed quite a collection of Jack Russell
statuettes, blankets, stuffed animals and anything which
had a picture of a JR would be lovingly procured for
her.
 She
also had a special horse. A Beam
Come True, also known as Trudy, was Diane's dream horse.
An unbreakable bond developed
between horse and rider which Diane had felt with no
other horse. When Diane was diagnosed with Breast Cancer
in 1991, Trudy helped by giving her a reason to carry on
with the difficult treatments. She and Trudy
orchestrated a beautiful "Horse Dancing" routine, an
intricate combination of riding and tricks set to music,
which she and Trudy performed to the delight of many
crowded arenas around the Pacific Northwest and
California. In the final years of her life, Diane raised
thousands of dollars to fund research for a cure to
Breast Cancer, even representing Wrangler Pro Rodeo's
"Tough Enough to Wear
Pink" Campaign at the Grand National Rodeo in the Spring
of 2008.
In 2005, Diane was inducted into the Northwest
Saddlebred Hall of Fame for her work with that breed and
in 2008, she was inducted into the Tennessee Walking
Horse National Celebration Hall of Fame. In 2008, she
was further honored by the State of Tennessee for all
she has done for the Tennessee Walking Horse Breed.
Other achievements include winning the Northwest Walking
Horse Trainers Association's 'Trainer of the Year' award
twice, and in 2006 she achieved the High Point Trainer
award for the Pacific Northwest region. Diane also
judged the equitation and trail classes at the Tennessee
Walking Horse National Celebration in 1991, has produced
seven training videos, and given training seminars both
in the United States and abroad.
Diane was an inspiration to her children, her family,
her friends, her fellow horse trainers, her clients, and
to her students. She will be greatly missed by many.
|
|
|
|
Monument Survey |
| Monument Material:
|
Granite monument and
base on concrete apron |
|
Auxiliary Stones: |
None |
| Monument Problems:
|
None |
| Engraving:
|
Mint condition |
|
Illustrations: |
Cheveaux Training
Stables insignia, horse, and photo |
|
Flower
Containers: |
One container with cup |
|
Other Remarks: |
Flowering tree planted
nearby |
Inscriptions
|
Diane
Elizabeth Clare Gueck
23 April
1941 - 11 November 2008
She came to America with
two suitcases and a couple
hundred dollars and lived her American Dream
by building
Cheveaux Training Stables and training
Tennessee Walking Horses |
|
| Date Surveyed:
5-01-09 |
Surveyor:
C. Lehan |
|
