Fred Oldfield, the venerable painter of cowboy and western life, died Feb. 24 in Tacoma at the age of 98.

He had been ill recently.

From the time he became a full-time artist at age 60, Oldfield was a well-respected painter and passionate about teaching aspiring young artists. He taught art at the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage and Art Center, on the grounds of the Washington State Fair in Puyallup. The center includes a museum with artifacts from the old West, along with displays of paintings and art by Oldfield and other artists.

On Facebook, family members described him as “the most amazing daddy, grandfather, husband, friend, artist and gramps to hundreds of children.” The latter reference was to the art classes for youngsters at the art center that bears his name.

In an article in Senior Scene last October, Oldfield had a ready quip when he was asked if he ever considered retiring: “From what? I paint and I fish. What should I give up?”

Oldfield first dabbled in painting at the age of 17. Among other things, he painted a flower on a bunkhouse wall.

He was raised on an Indian reservation in Yakima, and worked on tribe-owned cattle ranches.

“I basically rode with the Indians herding cows during cattle rounds,” he said while chatting at his booth at the arts festival in Eatonville last August. “I started painting western art scenes from what was seen on the reservation and during the roundups.”

After serving with the Army in World War II, Oldfield attended art school in Seattle and began painting murals in Alaska, Canada and the Northwest. Since then, his paintings have been purchased by private collectors worldwide and displayed in art museums.

Oldfield, who would have turned 99 in March, was preceded in death by his wife. A memorial service will be held for him this spring at a date and location to be determined, according to his family.