LaVonne Eloise Moynihan

LaVonne Moynihan passed away on July 1, 2026, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the age of 102. She is survived by her son Terrance Michael Moynihan and his wife Marlene; her daughter Sandra Cousins and her husband Bill. She is also survived by four grandchildren: Craig (Christy) Cousins, Kelli Cousins, Ryan (Maria) Moynihan, and Brad (Wendy) Moynihan; and seven great-grandchildren: Emily Cousins (Matthew Newhouse), Charlotte Cousins, Samuel Cousins, Annabelle Moynihan, Joseph Moynihan, Caleb Moynihan, and Macklin Moynihan.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, T.L. "Terry" Moynihan; parents O.E. and Gladys Dickerhoof; siblings: Lorraine (Ken) Warren, Marjorie (Clarence) Galassini, George (Dorothy) Dickerhoof, and Bob (Pam) Dickerhoof, and numerous nieces and nephews.

LaVonne developed an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age. Her father was a barnstormer on weekends, and while he sold airplane rides for 50 ents, she helped her mother and sisters sell hamburgers and lemonade at the airfield in Chanute, Kansas, her hometown.

She grew up during a time when accomplished women were marginalized. One story occurred during World War II when her father ran a flying school for pilots at the Chanute Airfield. LaVonne learned to fly in a group of 40 men in the flight school, but when the group completed its training and received their wings, the men would not allow LaVonne in the picture of the graduating class. Instead, she took a graduation picture proudly by herself. She was 17 years old.

After graduation from Chanute High School, she went to Chicago to attend Vogue Art School. She also modeled for Marshall Fields, the major Chicago department store. After two years in Chicago, she returned to Kansas to attend Kansas State University with her sister Marjorie. The pair joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and she continued to attend alumnae events through the rest of her life.

On May 31, 1945, she married her childhood sweetheart Terry and the couple moved to Taos, New Mexico. They spent the next 45 years building a family and a thriving hospitality business. They owned the El Taseno motel, later renamed Terry's Motel and the Indian Hills Inn, until selling the business in 1978. In 1980, they bough the Taos Inn and restored the historic hotel, placing it on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1981 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

LaVonne continued to model for Taos designers Betty Roy and Martha of Taos. With her daughter Sandra and close friend Margo Grainger, all three appeared in an advertisement for New Mexico Tourism in National Geographic magazine in 1958.

When Terry became involved in local and state politics, LaVonne was a valuable asset. She hosted fun-raising parties of more than 100 people to aid in his state-wide campaign and that of Governor Jack Campbell when Terry was a member of the New Mexico Public Service Commission. LaVonne and Terry campaigned for John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election and were invited to his inaugural ball in Washington, D.C.

LaVonne and Terry sold the Taos Inn in 1989 and moved to Tucson, Arizona, where she became involved in Lions Club and Republican Women's organizations. Following Terry's death in 2003, she returned to Albuquerque and remained active in civic endeavors. She was a resident of the Tanoan East community before moving to Paloma Landing and Morada Quintessence retirement communities. She was an avid bridge player throughout her life, and she credited her longevity to a steady intake of red wine and Cheetos.

She lived an extremely full life, achieved tremendous success, impacted countless people, and continually brought such joy to those around her. She was loving, generous, feisty, elegant, poised, and so fun. She fiercely loved her family and was an exceptional wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a true blessing to this world. Her legacy of exceptional living will live on in the hearts of those closest to her. Lastly, and most importantly, she loved and followed Jesus wholeheartedly. As a result, Heave was, no doubt, overjoyed to welcome her home (she always did love a good party!).

A special thank you to Katrina and Lisa from Q Hospice for their exceptional love and care that they showed for LaVonne. A special thank you to the staff and directors of Morada Assisted Living for their caring and kind nature while LaVonne was there.