Walter Patrick Haley, Jr was born October 7, 1941 in New Underwood, SD to Walter Patrick Haley Sr and Margaret Ruth Keller. He spent his childhood on the family ranch in Hereford, SD tending chickens and bringing in the cows. In between chores and “being in trouble most of the time,” Walter fondly remembered playing in the loft of the barn on the rope that ran from the pulley with his younger brother Clarence. Another favorite memory from his childhood was simply watching the cows and calves out in the pasture.
In 1955, Walter headed in to town for High School in Sturgis, SD with his fellow country boy and good friend Duane Reichert. Walter described himself as a bit of a “mover and a shaker” at that time in his life, which probably meant that he got himself into way more trouble than his parents were ever aware of. His favorite subject was agriculture and he would continue to follow that path in college at the University of Wyoming, where he spent the next 4.5 years in pursuit of higher education. A much-repeated story from that time was of learning how to “properly” use crutches from one of his fraternity brothers. Which ended up being a skill that served him well multiple times later in life. In between his studies, which apparently wasn’t enough according to the D in English found on a college report card that survived the years, he pursued his dream of taking home a buckle in Bull Riding. While never taking home that elusive buckle, rodeo continued to be a lifelong passion and he frequently could be heard stating that if his family would let him, he would have gotten on a bull even in his later years.
After college, he returned to the family ranch where he continued the tradition of raising cattle and sheep, even though he always stated that sheep were animals that actively looked for a place to die. His favorite activity on the ranch was watching the baby calves play in the spring and he always felt a great sense of accomplishment when those same calves were taken to market in the fall. Many an evening was spent out behind the barn in the rodeo arena with neighbors and friends tossing a loop on whatever steer they could get their hands on.
In 1975, Walter married Shari Barry after meeting her at a barbershop in town when he went in to get a trim. In 1979, Walter was widowed after a car accident took Shari’s life.
In 1980, a chance meeting in the old St. Onge Bar would lead to a love that would last the rest of his life. In 1982, Walter married Linda Appleby Smith and became a father for the first time with his step son Monty Smith. In 1985, he would become a father for the second time in the form of his daughter Bethany. Walter greatly enjoyed being a father and loved teaching his kids about animal husbandry, how to fix things, and reading to his young daughter. He made sure to instill in his kids the value of a hard day’s work and to the chagrin of their mother, the fine art of cursing while working cattle. One of his favorite memories was teaching Bethany to ride and was proud to watch her compete in sports and rodeo while in high school.
Walter was also very proud to be an American and showed his love for his country by spending 20+ years in the South Dakota National Guard where he retired in 1988 as a Chief Warrant Officer 03. He continued to support his country even after retiring from the National Guard by spending another 5 years in the United States Army Reserve.
Walter, 82, left this world to chase cows on the Lords range on August 2, 2024 at the Fort Meade Veterans Hospital after a brief battle with an infection that this old rancher couldn’t fix with a bottle of Vetericin, a dose of LA 200, and all that modern medicine could offer.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 42 years, Linda; daughter, Bethany Haley, Hereford, SD; step son, Monty (Kim) Smith, Sturgis, SD; grandsons, Bailey and Tanner Smith, Sturgis, SD; nephew, Patrick (Janeen) Haley, Spearfish, SD; niece, Stacie Haley, Belle Fourche, SD; and cousins and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Shari; brother, Clarence Haley; parents, Walter and Margaret; many good friends; his beloved dog, Jack and his roping horse, Jake.
Walter was always willing to sit down for a long talk, some words of wisdom, and to tell a few tall tales. It was up to you to decide if he was pulling your leg or not. His example of a life well lived doing what he loved and the value of putting a hard day of good work will continue on in those that knew and loved him.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Hereford Volunteer Fire Department and the Meade County 4-H association.
