BARR, VONNIE MAE (COTANT) AND DALE

by Vonnie Cotant Barr

Entry F15 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Dale Barr Family July 4, 1987 R-l Roger(14), Dale,
Vonnie, Rodney(17), Randal(15)

Vonnie Mae Cotant was born 1941,
to Harvey and Elva (Willis) Cotant on the
Willis Ranch, 8 miles northwest of Mullen,
Nebraska where her parents resided. Her
grandparents were Steve and Sarah (Herbig)
Willis and Olive (Cotant) Knutson who all
had homesteaded in Cherry County. She is
the fifth child of eight children. Her brothers
and sisters are Harold, Willis, Garry, Doug-
las, Dennis (Mick), Shirley Shears and Mary
Jane Younkin.

Vonnie attended Kindergarten at the
Reigle School in Cherry County. In 1947, the
family moved to a home on the west edge of
Mullen. The rest of her school years were
spent in the Mullen Schools, graduating in
May, 1959. Her brothers and sisters all
graduated from Mullen High School.

After graduation, she worked on a ranch
north of Mullen until Sept. At this time she
started working for Good-All Electric at
Alliance, Nebr. She worked there till Septem-
ber, 1960, when she entered the Grand Island
Business School at Grand Island, Nebraska,
in a secretarial course. In June, 1961, she
graduated. She worked two years at Greg's
Drug in Aurora, Nebraska. Employment was
began at the City Treasurers Office in Grand
Island, Nebraska, in November, 1963, as a
clerk-typist. Due to a cutback in help after
working 5 years at City Hall, she went to work
at the Cornhusker Ordinance Plant west of
Grand Saline Island. She worked as a clerk-
typist in the Purchasing Department until
her marriage.

Vonnie married Dale LeRoy Barr in June
of 1969 at Grand Island and moved to a farm
he owned south of Wolbach, Nebraska, where
they still reside. Dale has been involved in
farming all his life. They raise grain, hogs,
stock cattle and have a Grade B Dairy. Three
sons were born to this union - Rodney Dale
in 1970, Randall LeRoy in 1972, and Roger
Arthur in 1973. They all attend the Wolbach
Public Schools.