Colleen 'Connee' Haverty

Connee Haverty, 86, passed away on September 22, 2015, in her home in Story, Wyo. She was being cared for by Dell Haverty, her husband of 62 years and her eldest son Van Vannoy.

Connee was born in Worland, Wyo., on March 27, 1929, to Buster and Alice Hayes. She was the youngest of two daughters.

Connee grew up on the Hayes Ranch in the Thermopolis area, one of Wyoming's most well known ranches. She was a true cowgirl through and through. She could ride and handle horses with the best of them. From a little girl on she punched cows and ran mares with her sister Dede and her dad, Buster. She rode her pony 5 miles to a one-room country school for her first few grades. Later they bought a house in town to attend school in winter. It was there her social life was busy and full of fun. The family often attended dances and enjoyed music and singing. Connee, Dede and their cousin Eloise, often would entertain the crowds with their talented voices and gifted ability to harmonize. Among other things, Connee won rodeo queen contests for Billings and Thermopolis and the reining at the Denver Stock show on a real ranch horse.

In 1953 she married Dell Haverty, who is an Oklahoma City National Cowboy Hall of Fame inductee and 1951 World Champion All Around Cowboy from Benson, Ariz. They had a ranch in Arizona where the movie McClintock was filmed. She doubled Stephanie Powers' riding in that film. Later they moved to Las Vegas, Nev., where, in the days before you could buy accounting software, Connee wrote all the accounting software programs for Howard Hughes for the 5 major hotels he had just purchased. Connee and Dell lived in Vegas over 35 years until Dell retired. They then moved back to Wyoming a couple years ago to live out their years where her roots were.

Connee is survived by her husband, Dell Haverty; sons, Van Vannoy, Mike (Diane) Haverty; daughters Cathy (Jim) Ivory and Shannon Haverty; 11 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

Services will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at Kane Funeral Home, 689 Meridian, Sheridan, Wyo. at 2 p.m. A reception will immediately follow at the Sheridan Holiday Inn, 1809 Sugarland Drive, Sheridan.

Online condolences may be written at http://www.kanefuneral.com. Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.