Senator Frank Mickey
July 1, 1927 – November 22, 2025
1985 WPCA Top Race Committee Award – Ponoka Stampede Association
Back Row (L-R): Chuckwagon Driver Dallas Dorchester Presenting, Ponoka Stampede Directors Blair Vold & Errol MacMillan
Front Row (L-R): Ponoka Stampede President Frank Mickey, Vice President Dr. Gary Harbin, Director Barry Carter
The World Professional Chuckwagon Association is grieving the passing of longtime active supporter Senator Frank Mickey, who was lost to Father Time on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at the age of 98.
Frank’s remarkable 78-year affiliation with the Ponoka Stampede began in 1947, when he started volunteering for what was then a modest two-day event. By 1959 he had joined the Ponoka Stampede Association’s Board of Directors, where his influence and leadership would become foundational to the event’s future. Frank served two terms and a total of seven years as President of the Ponoka Stampede Association—from 1967 to 1971, and again from 1984 to 1985.
During his final term as President, Frank’s contributions were recognized nationally when he received the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association’s Committee Person of the Year Award in 1984. The following year, under his stewardship, the Ponoka Stampede won its first of what would become a record eight WPCA Top Race Committee Awards—all achievements in which Frank played a major role.
Across nine decades, Frank Mickey’s vision and tireless work helped transform the Ponoka Stampede from a small Alberta event into a world-class, seven-day rodeo and six-day chuckwagon showcase—today regarded as the richest and most prestigious stop on the WPCA Pro Tour. His leadership guided numerous major improvements to the Stampede grounds, including the 2004 racetrack rebuild that expanded the course from three wagons over a half-mile to four wagons over five-eighths of a mile. He also oversaw the replacement of the original wooden grandstand with three modern steel grandstands featuring corporate suites and upgraded hosting facilities, including the Longscore Saloon, Tommy Dorchester Paddock, Stagecoach Saloon, and the Showdown Dance Hall.
Frank was instrumental in developing the massive RV Park that welcomes tens of thousands of rodeo and chuckwagon fans each year. In 2007, on Frank’s 80th birthday, this beloved gathering place was officially renamed Frank Mickey Stampede Park in his honour.
For generations, Senator Frank Mickey was woven into the very fabric of the Ponoka Stampede—every bit as iconic as Canada Day itself, a date that also happened to be his birthday. His contributions were recognized with numerous accolades, including an Alberta Achievement Award (1989), induction onto the Ponoka Stampede Wall of Honour (1991), and his 2005 induction into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame as a Builder. He was named a Ponoka Stampede Senator, was a lifetime member of the Ponoka Stampede Association, and in 2017 received the Ponoka Stampede’s prestigious Bill Kehler Award.
Frank is lovingly remembered by his sister Lorraine (Bud) Venables, and by sons-in-law Gord DeLeeuw and Don (Dorothy) Hart. He took great pride in his grandchildren—Brandi Abt (Dustin), Bo (Jolene) DeLeeuw, Amanda (Roger) Hart, and Angela (Andrew) Clough—and he treasured watching the next generations grow. He leaves behind great-grandchildren Keenan, Ryan, Jenna, Riley (Lisa), Colton, Kylie, Ava, Brooklyn, Frederick, William, and Jacob, as well as great-great-grandchildren Ella and Clinton, each of whom brought him immense joy. Frank was predeceased by his beloved wife Marg, and by his cherished daughters Wendy and Jayne.
A Celebration of Frank’s Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1, 2025, at the Stagecoach Saloon, where family and friends are invited to gather, share stories, and honour a life richly lived.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Canadian Rodeo Historical Association, two causes close to Frank’s heart.
Senator Frank Mickey will be dearly missed by the WPCA, the entire chuckwagon community, and fans everywhere. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Mickey family during this difficult time.
Billy Melville
