The Story of LaVoy Finicum | Part 5: Beyond a Quiet Dream into Destiny
Their peace and comfort didn't last the afternoon. The phone rang, and Ryan Bundy was on the other end, asking if LaVoy was ready to head up north toward Oregon with him and Shawna Cox and some others.
The Spring of 2014 was a turning point. When the dust finally settled at Bunkerville, LaVoy loaded up his horse and rode back home to northern Arizona.
He had stood his ground riding with the rest of the cowboys and other proud Americans, done what he felt was right, and now it was time to get back to the dirt he owned.
By then, the days of running cattle on his parents' place were over. The dream had taken root back in 2008 when he bought the ranch in Cane Beds, followed by the house a year later.
This wasn’t some hobby or a side interest; it was a man finally living the exact life he wanted for himself—running his own irons on his own stock.
That grit didn’t pause for holidays. On Christmas Eve, instead of sitting by a living room hearth, LaVoy and Jeanette were deep in the rugged cuts of Tuckup Canyon.
They had spent the daylight hours in the biting cold, rounding up strays and pressing hot irons into hides. When night fell, the temperature plummeted.
LaVoy went to work setting up a canvas tent, a cot, and a small heater, doing everything he could to keep Jeanette comfortable against the freezing desert air.
That night was so bitter cold, they had to scoop up a litter of small ranch pups and tuck them into their bedrolls to keep them from freezing before dawn. They made it back to the home place on New Year’s Day, sore and wind-burned but satisfied.
Their peace and comfort didn't last the afternoon. The phone rang, and Ryan Bundy was on the other end, asking if LaVoy was ready to head up north toward Oregon with him and Shawna Cox and some others.
LaVoy didn't hesitate. He had just bought himself a new truck, and if his friends needed a driver to head up into the cold for another stand, he was ready to roll.
There was no hesitation in the man, no second-guessing when a friend called for backing.
That truck was going to see a lot of miles, and that road to Oregon would lead him straight out of his quiet dream and right back into the eye of the storm where his destiny awaited.
— Jeanette Finicum with Vincent Easley II and Ron Miller on June 4, 2026, from her home in Cane Beds, Arizona.
Note: This article is the fifth installment of an ongoing, multi-part series drawn from an intensive conversation with Jeanette Finicum. The discussion will be released in sequential pieces over the coming weeks as we preserve and share the full account of her story.
The Bundy Ranch Protest & Malheur Refuge Occupation - R Gene Miller, Author
LaVoy is my hero! onecowboystandforfreedom.com
The Story of LaVoy Finicum | Part 1: A House Full of Kids https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Cr8RunAYo/
The Story of LaVoy Finicum | Part 2: A Content, Everyday Life Faces Changes https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J8pESnX2z
The LaVoy Finicum Story | Part 3: The Drive to Bunkerville https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JZxek1FpR
The LaVoy Finicum Story | Part 4: Liberty Rising https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BroDj1hbP
— Vincent Easley II https://reallibertymedia.com/author/https-reallibertymedia-com-author-vine