William Wayne Madole

William W. (Bill) Madole, 76, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, December 8, 2023.  Bill was born on January 10, 1947 in Reno, Nevada, to Ennis (Buck) Madole and Eloise Madole.  The family returned to Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1951, where Bill lived the rest of his life. Bill graduated from Shawnee High School in 1965 and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science Degree from Panhandle College in Guymon, Oklahoma.  Bill married his late wife, Sally French, on May 28, 1997, in La Veta, Colorado.

Bill worked for Farmers Insurance for ten years, owned and operated Clearpond Sand and Trucking Company, eventually becoming a fireman for Shawnee Fire Department.  During this time, Bill enjoyed working in many art mediums as a hobby.  His focus shifted one day in 1987 when a friend asked him to repair a pair of spurs.  The friend was so pleased with the results he asked Bill to design a new pair which began his spur-making career.  When Bill married Sally in 1997 the two quickly became a team that worked full-time in their shop making Texas-style spurs and other western gear.  Madole Spurs was nationally renowned and over the years, Bill was fortunate enough to make spurs for several well-known celebrities as well as the hard-working cowboy.  In 2018 Bill was named Spurmaker of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists.  Bill eventually stopped taking custom orders but enjoyed passing on his trade.  In recent years he has shared his knowledge with his good friend John Jennings who has also made a name for himself in the western art world.

Bill had many talents and interests.  He enjoyed the outdoors and was at times a professional fisherman, a rodeo competitor, cattle rancher, and an outstanding skeet shooter.  He appreciated western heritage and the “Cowboy Way”.  He was a proud member of the Tejas Vaqueros since 2005.   Many of his fondest memories were thanks to the Vaqueros he would spend time with each year in “the canyon”. Although he was unable to attend their annual gathering in recent years, trail riding with his “friends for life’ was a true passion.

Bill’s pride and joy was his daughter Shannon, who he had with his first wife Vicki Grider. Bill is survived by daughter Shannon Madole and husband Rick Harper of Edmond, Oklahoma, daughter, Kam Belton of Stuart, Florida, grandchildren, Katelyn and Bradbury Belton of Fort Worth, Texas, son, Kourtney Lewis of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and sister, Penny James and husband Ralph of Plano, Texas; as well as many life-long friends and Vaquero brothers.

Friends and loved ones may pay their respects at Walker Funeral & Cremation Service on Tuesday, December 12th from 1-6pm and on Wednesday, December 13th from 8am-6pm. A funeral ceremony will be held on Thursday December 14, 2023 at 2:00 pm at the Walker Funeral Chapel. Following the ceremony, Bill will be laid to rest at Tecumseh Cemetery.