Dale
R. Hecock, 76, long time Shelby resident, a retired section supervisor with
the State of Montana Highway Department from Stanford, passed away Sunday at a
Shelby Care Center after a 3 year battle with cancer. Dale chose to be cremated
and his ashes scattered on a hill over looking his beloved ranch. A gathering of
family and friends will be held at Dale’s Quarter Horse Ranch south of Windham
on Saturday May 9th at 1:00 PM. Whitted Funeral Chapel is in charge
of arrangements.
Survivors include his daughter, Debra (Edward) Werry, and son, Ward (Mae Anne) Hecock, both of Shelby; sister, Beverly (Steve) Chester of Palm Desert, CA; brothers, Merlin (Sandy) Hecock of Butte and Clair (Bev) Hecock of Three Forks; grandchildren, Shanda (Werry) Gallagher of Lihue, Hawaii, Ryan Werry of Federal Way, WA, Jason (Lindsey) Hecock of Kalispell, Alicia (Trevor) Haymour of Kalispell; and great-grandson, Alex Doolittle of Lihue, Hawaii.
He is preceded in death by his parents, infant brother, Ronald Hecock and a brother Floyd Hecock.
Dale was born March 8, 1933 on the family farm in DeSart, ND, to Roland & Pearl (Stafford) Hecock where he grew up and was educated, before moving with his family to Montana as a teenager. He worked in Conrad where he met and married Connie Guffin in March of 1952. In 1953 their daughter Debra was born. They moved to Shelby and their son Ward was born in 1955.
Dale worked for the State of Montana Highway Department for 37 years, retiring as a section supervisor at Big Sandy in 1992. He then moved to his ranch near Stanford where he raised Quarter Horses for the past 17 years. He and Connie divorced in 1999.
Due to ill health he moved to Shelby to be close to his family.