Coy Lane Hepper

On June 4, 2021, God called Coy Lane Hepper home to His arena. Coy was born on September 1, 2006 in Bismarck, ND to Jeff and Eva (Joens) Hepper, 20 seconds before his twin sister, Kari.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at the Rough Rider Event Center in Watford City, ND with Father Brian Gross officiating. Coy will be interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Mobridge beside his partner, Grandpa Adolph Hepper, on Thursday, June 10 at 1:00 p.m. MT with lunch to follow at Rick’s Café at Mobridge.

Fulkerson-Stevenson Funeral Home of Watford City is in charge of arrangements.

Coy lived on the Hepper Family Ranch in Keene, ND, helping raise cattle and performance horses.

Small but mighty, Coy learned from a competitive and accomplished family of athletes. Coy was a standout in multiple sports and rodeo events, learning his dad’s motto quickly, “There’s no cryin’ if no bones are sticking out.”

Sitting horseback by the time he could walk, Coy tried every event in rodeo. He got his start in the big arena in 2017, just 10 years old, when uncle Tom Hepper dropped off bucking ponies at the ranch. In classic Coy style, he put on his bareback riggin’ and rode buckin’ ponies at the Badlands Circuit Finals in Minot, the PRCA rodeo in Bismarck, and at Cheyenne Frontier Days. The limelight of the big rodeos propelled Coy to three qualifications for the Junior NFR in Las Vegas, where he made ND and SD proud with his gritty style and no-quit attitude. As a member of the NDJHRD, Coy competed in every event offered at least once, and on both sides of the arena, including all three roughstock events – bull riding, bareback and saddle bronc.

In the 2020-21 season, Coy’s 8th grade year, he settled into bull riding, bareback, chute dogging, team roping, breakaway roping, and rifle shooting, chasing the All Around title. He was crowned the State Champion in Bullriding and Bareback. Coy had big plans to cover every animal under him at the Junior High National Finals in Des Moines, IA, where he was set to compete with his friends and sister, Kari, in June.

Not to be outdone by his brother Jade, Coy was a rising star in wrestling. Often competing above his own weight class, Coy was determined to learn the lessons he needed to improve. He had multiple undefeated seasons under his belt and won championships at every level, including Junior High State Champ and USA Wrestling State Champ in folkstyle and freestyle. One of his proudest wins was the championship at the competitive Montana Open. Coy cracked the varsity lineup at Watford City High School a time or two, wrestling at 106 pounds, while weighing 86 pounds – after a gallon of Gatorade.

To understand Coy’s competitiveness, you need only listen to his Mom, Eva, who recalls Coy heading to the showers with a second place trophy, then emerging from the locker room empty handed. Eva asked where the trophy was. Coy had thrown it in the trash. His bedroom at the ranch is crowded with trophies, medals and buckles from his countless achievements. If you care to see his runner-up hardware, you’ll have to dig, or look in the dumpster.

Claiming to be all of five foot tall (with his best boots on), Coy also found a spot on the basketball team. Being a head shorter than his opponents didn’t matter to Coy. He just mastered the three-point line, finding a way to keep pushing his limits.

Coy is preceded in death by grandpa Adolph Hepper; grandma Gertie Joens; aunt Carol Hepper; uncle Allen Maier; cousin Casey Hepper and special friends “grandpa” Ray Gilstad, and Levi Wisness.

Coy is survived by a large and close family: parents Jeff and Eva; brother Jade; sisters Abby and Kari; grandma Lavern Hepper; grandpa Fred Joens; uncles and aunts: Terry Hepper; Laury Sejen; Butch and Sandy Hepper; Curt and Marcie Hepper; Gail and Jeff Bonn; Monty and Tammy Hepper; Tom and Nancy Hepper; Earl and Alice Maier; Dale and Dency Maier; Lila and Cody Briggs; Adam Joens; Casey Joens; numerous cousins; and his Godparents, Trudy and Ryan Riehl. Coy is also survived by special “grandma” Linda Gilstad and a world of friends gained in the NDHSRA, NDJHRD, RRA, WCHS and countless other places.