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Dolly Hedderman left this world on Feb. 11, 2020, after a long and wonderful life. She was born in Cody on March 11, 1930, to Shannon and Josie Armstrong. They ran the Cody Laundry and Dolly grew up in downtown Cody. She graduated from Cody High School in 1949.
That year she met and married Dick Hedderman, who was riding bulls at the Cody Rodeo. They were married in the old Catholic church next to the courthouse.
Dick was employed as a lineman for the Bureau of Reclamation, and Dolly worked for Schlumberger, and later for John Bereman at Engineering Associates.
Whatever adventures Dick took up, Dolly was there by his side: camping, elk hunting, skiing, bowling, golfing and mountain climbing. She was brave and able to take in one of Wyoming’s most spectacular views from the summit of the Grand Teton.
It was their skiing prowess that came to define them in Cody. They started the first ski school at Sleeping Giant, Happy Jack in Laramie, and taught at Red Lodge Mountain.
Dick decided after finishing his GED that he needed some additional education to advance in life. They took the big gamble and moved the family to Laramie in the fall of 1962, to get a college degree. After the first year Dolly decided “if you are going to be college educated, then so am I.” They both completed teaching degrees and moved back to Cody in 1967 where they taught school for a few years.
Always adventurous, they accepted teaching positions on the North Slope of Alaska where they taught native children for many years and served as unofficial hosts to scientists and explorers who came through. They bought a bush plane to get around Alaska, with Dick piloting and Dolly serving as navigator.
For exercise they were dedicated runners but with the severe cold they had to do the laps in the school gym. On their summer breaks, Dolly entered 5K and 10K races, and often won. She even ran the Pike’s Peak Marathon — 26 miles. A time share ocean front condo on Maui was where they came to thaw the frost out of their bones in May and June each year.
They built their retirement home in Fountain Hills, Arizona. For many years, they wintered there while enjoying Cody in the summer. Warmer climes let them pursue their favorite athletic passion — golf. For a few years, they golfed nearly every day. Dolly was active in the Arizona Women’s Golf Association serving on their executive committee. Dick and Dolly celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with the whole family and lots of friends, in 1999, in Arizona.
Dolly stayed in Fountain Hills for a few more years after Dick’s passing. She played a very capable hand of bridge and loved to bowl. She really enjoyed traveling and saw much of the world including Europe, the Far East, Africa, and India. More recently she was able to take her grandkids to Hawaii and Alaska. In later years, she lived near daughter Terry in Yorktown, Virginia, then back to Cody, and more recently at Canyon Creek senior living facility in Billings. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Dick, and granddaughter Adriana.
She is survived by her son, Larry Hedderman (Gloria) of Powell; their daughters, Josie Hedderman, of Cody, and Anne (Alberto) Hedderman, of Laramie; daughter, Terry Hanson (Craig) of Yorktown, Virginia; their children, Alexandra Hanson of Norway and Cody (Meghan) Hanson of Texas. She became a great-grandmother with Nora Munoz-Hedderman in 2019 and Turner Hanson in 2021.
One can confidently say that hers was a life well lived! Services will be held at a future date.
