Here is a photo of Dick and Lynne from 1962
He is a classic Wyoming cowboy type.
My Grandparents homesteaded in the area of Wind River and helped found the town of Riverton. In addition my Grandfather was the BIA agent on the Wind River Reservation for many years (along with lots of other places) but he always got in trouble because he always took the sides of the indians over the government.
I have many relatives who stayed there when the rest of the family moved on to other postings or returned there later in life. My three uncles who lived there for many years are exactly like Cheney in this way except, as you point out, when looking at family. It's really touching.
To give you an idea of what caliber of man we're talking about, I lost the eldest of these three uncles a few years ago. He was in his late 80s. He was killed while riding his motorcycle, which he'd ridden most of his life. He loved riding bikes only a little less than riding horses, but he couldn't climb up on his horses anymore and he refused to use anything like stairs or a platform to mount from, so the motorcycle had to do. Hell of a guy. Dryest damn sense of humor I've ever run across. He'd pull something on you, or tell you a total BS story and it would take forever to realize that he was laughing the whole time. It was in the eyes.
I think they all get it from the indians. Learn about "Choctaw chucklers" sometime. The word "laconic" was invented for these kinds of people. It's a shame we don't see many such people anymore. It's all "show your feelings all the time." Phaw!
My Dad and my late Mother got to take several salmon fishing trips with Dick Cheney and, the times my Mom went along, Lynn Cheney. Having close connections to Wyoming and having both spent many years there they immediately became quite friendly. They had nothing but praise for both the VP and his wife.
Here is a photo of Dick and Lynne from 1962