Obituary - Connie Sue (Howerton) McPherson
Connie was born on December 13, 1952 in La Junta, Colorado, the third daughter of Bobby & Elberta Howerton.
After graduating from Lamar High School in 1971, Connie went to work for the Lamar Daily News. She also worked alongside her parents at the Truck Plaza. In addition, she worked at the Main Cafe in Lamar.
Connie met Donald G. McPherson after high school and the couple married before the Justice of the Peace on December 2, 1973. From their marriage came two children, Donald W. and Bobbi M. Don and Connie divorced in February 1990, but they remained friends until her death.
In April of 1974, Connie began her career with the Kiowa County Press. In her 41 years with the Kiowa County Press, she has done every job from writing the articles to paste up, to printing the paper, to becoming the editor. She also saw the evolution of printing equipment from archaic IBM Select Typewriters to the modern color printers. She said she was able to remain at The Press for so long because she really liked her job and the people she saw daily.
Connie was a talented artist who loved bold colors...her favorite being purple. She loved to collect pigs and anyone who would visit her home, knew just how much. She loved to play card games with family and friends and was always up for a game of dominos at family reunions. She also loved to put together jigsaw puzzles. She had a quick wit and a great sense of humor, often joking with friends, family, and customers.
She liked her coffee hot and comfort food too. But if you wanted to make her really smile, authentic enchiladas was the way to go. Connie loved to cook and many of her items were Mexican dishes. She also loved pasta. Near the end, Connie relished Mexican and Italian dishes with milk shakes to wash them down.
Connie spent her entire life in southeastern Colorado where she lived in Lamar, May Valley, Eads, and a short time in Wiley and Brush. She never lived outside of southeastern Colorado until she moved in with her daughter in Kansas City to seek cancer treatments...though Las Vegas is where she really wanted to travel to.
Connie remained in southeastern Colorado all her life because she loved the land and people. She loved camping, but especially loved fishing. She said it was the best way to keep the kids quiet...because if you talked, the fish would swim away and we’d never catch any.
She said lastly about her life, “Doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s been fun!”
She is preceded in death by her mother, Elberta Howerton. She is survived by her ex-husband Don McPherson of Lamar, CO; her son Dony and his wife Ginger and girls Layla and Carmen McPherson of Eads, CO; her daughter Bobbi and her husband Josh and kids Jamion, Cliff, Kari, London, and Nate Scott of Independence, MO; her father, Bob Howerton of Eads, CO; sister Peggy (Andy) Wyatt of Lamar, CO; sister Donna Huddleston of Colorado Springs, CO; sister Tina (Scott) Miner of Perryton, TX, and countless other family.
Connie made the decision years ago to be cremated. She also requested that there be no memorial service. Per her request, New Salem Funeral Home of Independence, MO will perform her cremation and her ashes will be spread where she instructed.
