Violet Coon

Violet Mae (Huckins) Coon, 94, made her heavenly journey on August 8th, 2024, after a long and fulfilling life. She was born June 15th, 1930, to Gina (Swanson) and Joseph Hial Huckins on a farm located in Dawes County, near Hay Springs, NE.

 At the age of two, her family moved to a farm three miles east of Rushville, NE. They lived a short distance from the railroad tracks, and it was a common occurrence to see her mother feeding her cold oatmeal to those who were hungry. This experience surely had a role in developing Vi into the caring and compassionate person she was.

During grade school, Vi walked with three of her brothers across stubble corn fields to Sunny Side School (Dist. 44), which she attended for eight years. She later graduated from Rushville High School, class of 1948.

After high school, Vi spent two years at home caring for her ailing mother. Then in 1950, she married her high school sweetheart, Dick Coon, at the Methodist Church in Gordon, NE. To this union the couple was blessed with four children: Diana, Judy, Dan, and Rodney.

In 1953, they moved from Gordon, NE to Martin, SD, where they owned and operated the Coon Chevrolet-Buick dealership for 39 years. In 1991, they moved to Gordon, NE, where they owned and operated Coon’s Motor Company until Dick’s death in 2005. In Vi’s later years, she resided at Holiday Hills Estate, and then Clarkson Health Care, both in Rapid City, SD.

Although Vi worked part-time in their dealership offices, her greatest love was raising her family. She would call each family member on their birthday and sing the entire birthday song to them. Her last song was sung to her great-great granddaughter just 6 days prior to her passing. In a note she made she wrote, “My family has been my life.”

Vi was a very social person and made friends everywhere she went. She was involved in many community activities, and various groups throughout her life. She was a member of the Methodist Church in Gordon, NE. She was a woman of strong faith, who openly shared her love for Jesus with those around her and did not hesitate to offer prayer to those in need. She loved gospel music, country music, and Elvis. She enjoyed dancing, so much so, that her mother once commented she would rather dance than eat. Vi’s love for music was instilled in her children. She always had a radio playing in the kitchen, and often while dinner was cooking, she would grab one of them and dance around the floor. She was an avid golfer well into her 80’s, and many times while watching golf on TV, it was common to hear her say she had golfed on that course. She loved to travel. She and her special niece Janice would often take trips to visit her siblings. She loved her lunches with the “girls” at the Italian Inn and would spend hours visiting with them. For as long back as the family can remember, Vi would get her hair done on a regular basis. “Hair Day” was very important, and as the years went on, it became a cherished “Grandma Day” with granddaughter Melody. Even in the last weeks of her life she continued with this routine, calmly stating she wanted her hair done, “so my hair will be fixed when I die.”

Vi is survived by: daughters, Diana Cano and Judy Soderlin; son, Dan (Diane) Coon; daughter in-law, Cindy Coon; grandchildren, Jeremiah (Deb) Cano, Melody (Scott) Sime, Matt (Amy) Soderlin, Mikel Soderlin, Cory (Kari) Trapp, and Kristine (David) Green; great-grandchildren, Joey and Jordon Cano, Julianna, Joellen and Jaxon Cano, Keenan, Titan, and Caysen Soderlin, Chloe and Emilee Sime, Cody Soderlin, Joshua and Hannah Trapp, Kaelyn (Kaleb) Langhan, Austin Trapp, and Christian Green; great-great grandchildren Harmony Cano and Asher, Alayna, Brinley, and Marcus Cano; and numerous other relatives.

Vi was proceeded in death by: husband, Dick Coon; son, Rodney Coon; grandsons, Justin Cano, and Caleb Green; parents, Joseph and Gina Huckins; brothers, John, Ruben, William, Earl, Joe, Robert, and Franklin Huckins; and sister, Goldie Smith.