Susan Maurine Yose was born June 12, 1951, in Salt Lake City Utah to Walter and Maurine Yose. She was raised on the family ranch, the Yose Cattle Company, along the Green River near LaBarge, Wyoming. At 12 years old, she was helping in the hayfield as much as the kitchen.

During her senior year at Big Piney High School, her family was involved in a head-on collision with a drunk driver near Round Mountain. Susan’s arm was nearly lost, as she required extensive medical attention. In those days “physical therapy” was driving a stick swather during haying season – her arm was saved and today she has full functional use of it. She graduated from BPHS in 1969 and then studied music at Brigham Young University for two years.

The romance of ranch life began when she met and married Steve Hoffman on Nov. 6, 1970, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. She made their home in a tiny little house on the Schwabacher place near Big Piney where Steve was working. In 1972 they welcomed their son, Darby. Around the same time, they returned to Yose Cattle Company, where they went to work for Susan’s father, Walter Yose.

In 1977 Susan delivered their son Dusty, with Toby coming almost exactly one year later.

Susan spent several years taking hot meals and clean sheets to cow camp and even more years chasing little boys full of adventure and mischief. She spent many busy years raising those boys, following them to 4-H activities, county fairs, team ropings and rodeos, keeping them all together in one piece.

In 1988 Steve and Susan bought into the partnership of Yose Cattle Company; two years later Steve and Susan bought Walter’s share as well. From there, Mosquito Creek Ranch was born.  

Susan has been secretary of the ranch since and has done a fine job keeping track of all expenses, horse and cow records, haying inventory, BLM permits, financial records and most importantly, Steve! She makes a delicious meal each spring for branding and in the fall for preg checking and preconditioning that feeds a crew, which usually becomes a family affair in order to help get the job done.

Despite keeping track of all these things and holding down a full-time job at the Surveyor Scherbel in town, Susan has never been too busy to reach out to a friend or neighbor who needed help or a kind ear to listen. She has played many leadership roles in her church callings and has always made time to keep her faith as a priority.

She is an amazing grandma who has never been too busy to have any of her nine grandkids underfoot while making these meals and now has a new generation of mischievous little boys to chase down and keep out of mischief. As grandparents, Susan and Steve enjoy following the grandchildren’s activities. She set a high standard for raising good men and if her grandkids turn out half as good as her boys did, I think we’ll all feel like we did a great job. She has created a strong legacy of family, faith and perseverance for all of us who love her.

Susan has been the heart of Mosquito Creek Ranch and her hard work, attention to detail and love of family have made it the operation it is today.

Susan’s story was written by her daughter-in-laws Katie and Tonia Hoffman with help from Steve.

It is with great pleasure, on behalf of the Green River Valley Cattlewomen/Cowbelles, that I, Sharlene Lozier, nominate the 2021 Lifetime Membership Award to Susan Hoffman.