Good-Bye to Brody Beaver
Joseph Broderick "Brody" Beaver, 20, Huntsville, Texas, a 2009 National High School Rodeo Champion and the son of pro rodeo calf roper Joe Beaver, an eight-time World Champion, and barrel racer Jenna Beaver, died Wednesday, Aug. 24. Visitation took place Saturday, Aug. 27, and the memorial service was on Sunday, Aug. 28.
Beaver, who would have turned 21 on Nov. 20, had already earned about $70,000 as a cutting horse rider, according to National Cutting Horse Association records. At the time of his death, he ranked No. 10 in this year's NCHA Non-Pro any-age horse standings. Reports have stated Brody Beaver died following a gunshot wound.
At 18, Beaver won the Boys Cutting title at the 2009 National High School Finals Rodeo, which took place in Farmington, N.M. That effort earned him a trophy saddle and belt buckle and a rodeo scholarship to attend Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas.
In March, 2008, 17-year-old Beaver and the same 1995 gelding Lorrens I Lee (Docs Stylish Oak x Brinks Borreggo Lee x Doc Borrego) earned $5,222 and Brody's first cutting title, a $10,000 Amateur Championship at the Eastern Nationals in Jackson, Miss.
At the time, Beaver called that victory "my biggest win so far" and gave his frequent equine partner a great deal of the credit. "I love this horse," Beaver said.
Joe Beaver has never competed as a cutter, but he sometimes helped his son work with cutting horses. It didn't upset him that his son, who sometimes competed as a team roper, including a few jackpot events with his dad, preferred cutting to roping. He encouraged Brody to "be his own person," Joe Beaver said, soon after his son's first cutting win.
"He's getting a lot out of it," Joe Beaver added. "I'm proud of him for the way he competes and when he wins, it's just an extra bonus. For him to learn how to win and compete with a lot of people that have done it all their life, that really shows me he's dedicated and that he's trying."
Brody Beaver was born Nov. 20, 1990, in Conroe, Texas. His long list of accomplishments included starring in the movie "Grand Champion" in 2002, earning a Top Model award from the Modeling Association of America International, Inc., in 2005, finishing among the Top 15 in the National Cutting Horse Association Amateur division in 2008 and graduating from Texas Tech University in 2009.
Brody's survivors include his parents, Joe and Jenna Beaver, Huntsville, Texas; maternal grandparents J.J. and Willie Head, Huntsville; and paternal grandmother Bonnie Beaver, Victoria, Texas; his aunt, Jackie Peters and his cousin, J.C. Peters. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Walter Beaver, and his uncle, David Peters.
Anyone wishing to send condolence to the Beaver family may do so through e-mail at shmfh.com. Memorial donations may also be made to: Brody Beaver Scholarship Fund, First National Bank, P.O. Box 659, Huntsville, Texas, 77342.
