The world said good bye to one of the last cowboys around, on December 21, 2017.

Bill Cole passed into the spirit world on December 21, 2017 surrounded by his family.

Bill was raised within a large immediate and extended family and was exposed to the Cowboy way of life by Gene Cole.

Bill had a colorful life and worked many trades, traveled many roads meeting friends along the way. Bill was a team roper, horse trainer and horse shoer. Bill trimmed his last set of horse feet when he was seventy-nine years old, for his grandsons Yancy, Kevin and Kenny Hawley and danced his last "soft shoe" with his daughter Crystal Cole at Jitterbugs in Box Elder, Montana.

He worked on various ranches and was a rough neck for Froman Drilling.

Bill is survived by six children Linda Cole Smith, Lubbock, Texas, Billy L. Cole, Dumas Texas, Kenneth (Cheryl), Sybil (Frank), Crystal (Mark) and Dianna. He is also survived by seventeen grandchildren; 30 great grandchildren; brothers, Andy (Sharleen), Donald "Curly", Ronald "Skunk" (Almeda), and Jim "Swede" (Leta); sister Lila "Susie" (Joe); and many close relatives.

Bill was preceded in death by parents Christine Capture Cole and Gene Cole; son Donald Cole; brothers Clifford, Ed, Duane Cole, Ed Filesteel; granddaughter Garilee Henderson; and other family members.

Special thanks to family, friends, relatives who visited with Bill at Northern Montana Care Center.

A visitation will be from 2:00 until 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 26, 2017, at Holland & Bonine Funeral Chapel. Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 27, 2017, at the Cole Family Cemetery outside of Hays. Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements. Please visit Billy's online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for his family at www.hollandbonine.com.