April 24, 1943 – May 29, 2017

Bucky Hatfield, friend, fellow Farrier and Marine Veteran passed away Monday, Memorial Day around 9pm in Texas with his wife Carla and family by his side. Bucky suffered many years with cancer and other illnesses from the days he fought in the Vietnam war. A Service will be held this week in Livingston, Texas then travel to Crossville, Tennessee. On Wednesday, June 7, a service will be held at Harmony Baptist Church at 1pm, then laid to rest next to his mother at Crossville City Cemetery.

We saw Bucky last in fall of 2016 while he presented a former farrier student with the prestigious award of BWFA Hall of Fame. Even frail then, he was the same Bucky, joking and talking about the “ole school” days. He turned 74 this year on April 24, just two days after the 2017 Hall of Fame Induction that he was unable to attend. We filmed it for him.

Bucky, a farrier by trade, started his Tennessee State Horseshoeing School in the 80’s, where hundreds of young men and women got their start to go on and make a living for themselves and do him proud. He was tough in the forge room and nobody got by easy, it was hard. He was a friend and mentor.

He was a devoted BWFA member joining back in 1990, serving as the President of the Master Educator Division, a friend to all school owners in the U.S. He was one of the first to receive a Hall of Fame Award and gold ring in 1992. He was one of the Shakers and Movers of the association. He traveled out of the country several times to host certification clinics in South America. He made friends everywhere.

One of our best memories was back in 1994 at our Texarkana Convention. Bucky started an “Over the Hill” shoe making contest for age 50 (was old back then!) Not the kind of competition to see who is the greatest horseshoer in the world but for the Educators to challenge each other in a friendly and fun contest, and it was. They were sweating and laughing, it was quite a show. The whole story and many more can be found on www.bwfa.net in the newsletters and Hall of Fame sections. In the old days, he was on a land line phone every day talking to someone, somewhere about shoeing horses. Bucky retired too early due to rheumatoid arthritis but stayed in touch through face book. He would tell anyone, anytime that he truly “loved” being a farrier.

Hundreds of farriers owe their start to Bucky and all the BWFA members who met him along the way, wherever you are, we hope you will contact his wife Carla by phone, email or face book.

Bucky was a fighter and a Christian who has gone home to be with Jesus. We will miss him.

Submitted by Ginger Casey

Email: hatfieldcarla@yahoo.com

facebook: carlachapmanhatfield

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