Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
LILLIAN K. KEATING
Lillian K. Keating 87, formerly of Shawnee, KS passed away Monday, October 8, 2007, at Mission Springs Assisted Living.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 12, 2007, at St. Joseph Catholic Church with burial at St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., Friday at the Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Padraic Tearse Divn % Joann Curry, 11 NE Evansdale Rd, Kansas City, MO 64196
Lillian was born in Rosedale, KS. She was a Registered Medical Lab Tech for Dr. M Donald McFarland. Lillian was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Ladies Guild, Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Padraic Tearse Divn #1 Kansas City, MO, Does Drove 74 (Elks) Kansas City, MO, St. Mary College Alumni, Keenagers of Shawnee.
Lillian is survived by 4 cousins, Mary Kay (Jim) Tompsett of Fremont, NE, Bob (Glenna) Curtin of Osawatomie, KS, Dorathy Lazio of Omaha, NE and Bette Curtin of Kansas City, KS. Also surviving are many nephews, nieces, and friends.
RAYMOND D. BIRDSALL
Raymond D. Birdsall, 74, of Shawnee, KS, passed away, Friday, October 12, 2007 at his home. Memorial services will be 6 p.m., Thursday, October 18, at the Amos Family Chapel of Shawnee. Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Mr. Birdsall was born in Kansas City, KS. He was an electrical engineer prior to his retirement. He is survived by his wife, JoAnn Birdsall of Houston, TX; his children, Raymond D. Birdsall, III, Diana Cook and Jennifer Birdsall; step-children, Roman Foss and Stephanie Alexander; a sister, Beverly Lamb, Shawnee, KS and six grandchildren. Online condolences may be expressed at www.amosfamily.com.
WILLIAM BYRD “BILL” PARKS
William Byrd “Bill” Parks, was welcomed to Heaven, October 10, 2007. God called him home. What jubilation for Bill! What a “temporary” loss for us!
Bill was born October 12, 1926 in Adair County, Stilwell, OK. He was joined in Holy matrimony to Wilma Dean Williams on January 28, 1947 in Tahlequah, OK in Cherokee County. We love and honor the strong Cherokee lineage Bill has brought to our family. Bill is waiting in Heaven to welcome his wife, Wilma Dean; his daughter, Betty Nevins and husband Kenneth; daughter, Brenda Smith and husband, Jesse; his sister, Carolyn Jamison; grandchildren, Cammie Emberlin and husband, John; Brad Thomas, Brandon Harris, Shelly Miera and husband, Carlos; five great grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. His son, William Dean “Billy” preceded him in death at the age of 19 on August 23, 1981.
Bill was a member of the First Assembly of God of Overland Park. Bill had been owner and co-owner of Jayhawk Window Cleaning for over 50 years. The Parks family thanks all the staff at SMMC for helping Bill and the compassion and prayers for his family.
Services will be 10 a.m., Monday at the Amos Family Chapel of Shawnee with burial in Maple Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be 5 – 7 p.m., Sunday at the chapel.
Condolences may be expressed at www.amosfamily.com.
Dorothy Marie Hartung
Dorothy Marie Hartung, 86, of Lakeview Village Retirement Community in Lenexa died Monday, October 8, at Shawnee Mission Medical Center after a brief illness. Dorothy was born Sept. 18, 1921 in Montrose, MO, to Aloysius and Victoria Arens and grew up in Glasgow, MO. She spent most of her life in Shawnee, KS, where she settled with Walter Henry Hartung after they married in 1940. They raised five children there and were active members of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Dorothy will be remembered for so many things. She was devoted to her family, and watched with joy as it grew to include grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was strong in her Catholic faith. She enjoyed traveling throughout the United States with family and friends, and to Germany and Austria in the 1980s. She loved a good polka or a game of canasta. She brought pleasure to many through her talent with sewing and crafts and was a memorable cook, handing down cherished recipes for her award-winning brisket and banana bread, among others. She kept scrapbooks for each family member and devoted a great deal of time to researching the family tree. She also had a ``ministry' of letter writing, keeping up a steady flow of letters to family and friends over decades. Her absence will be keenly felt by many. Dorothy was preceded in death by Walter, her husband of 60 years. She is survived by her children: son, Darryl Hartung and his wife, Ruth, of Marshall, MO; son, Dale Hartung and his wife, Deedra, Ballwin, MO; daughter, Sharon Anderson and her husband, Don, Newark, IL; daughter, Janis Pilcher, Bluffton, S.C.; daughter, Marsha Golladay and her husband, Charles, Lenexa. Grandchildren: Anne Hartung Spenner and her husband, Dan, Overland Park; John Hartung and his wife, Padget, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; James Hartung and his wife, Lisa, Irvine, CA; Nathan Hartung and his wife, Erin, St. Louis, MO; Jennifer Hartung, Kansas City, MO; David Hartung, Washington, D.C.; Daken Engmann and his wife, Nora, London, UK; Matthew Engmann and his wife, Corey, St. Louis, MO; Sean Drane, Plano, IL; Kelly Synek and her husband, Tim, Leawood, KS; Kevin Drane and his wife, Shanin, Oswego, IL; Mary Struve and her husband, Jerry, Aurora, IL; Rhonda and Doug Matlock, Yorkville, IL; Scott and Brooke Anderson, Davie, FL; Mitzi and Rich Gretenchord, Norway, IL; Paula Pilcher, Portland, OR; Laura Pilcher, N. Charleston, SC; Alyson, Caelin, Danielle, and Brooke Golladay, Lenexa, KS. She also had 22 great-grandchildren. Dorothy's sister: Esther Nolke of Glasgow, MO. The wake will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Amos Family Chapel of Shawnee, 10901 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, KS, with a rosary at 7 p.m. The funeral mass will be 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 11311 Johnson Dr. Burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery at 83rd St. and Quivira in Lenexa, and lunch will follow at the Parish Center at St. Joseph's. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Sisters Servants of Mary or Catholic Social Service Hospice.
DOROTHY S. BLAKE
Dorothy S. Blake, 84, Olathe, Ks passed away Wednesday, October 10, 2007, at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. Visitation will be held 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, October 13, 2007, at the Amos Family Chapel of Shawnee. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Animal Haven.
Dorothy was born in Lexington, KY. She was the 1940-41 runner-up for the Miss America Contest and was the 1940-41 Miss Kentucky.
Dorothy was preceded in death by a son, Robert M. Blake. Survivors include a son, Michael and his wife Rebecca Blake of Overland Park; six grandchildren, Heather Myer, Michelle Kleiber, Cameon Blake, Joshua Blake, Lisa Szostak, and Christopher Shofner.
WINIFRED MAE PENDERGAST
Winifred Mae Pendergast passed away peacefully on September 27, 2007. Winnie was born in Akron, Ohio, on July 20, 1927, to Henry and Mary McCloskey. She grew up there and in Cumberland, Maryland before attending Potomac State College in Keyser, West Virginia. While later working as a medical technician in Washington, D.C., she met and married the love of her life, Charles W. Pendergast, who survives her. Through their 58 years of marriage, Charlie and Winnie were blessed with five children, Kathryn, William, Michael, Patrick and James, one daughter-in-law, Patricia, and one very special grandson, Will Pendergast.
During her 80 years on earth, Winnie was a faithful daughter, a loving wife, a nurturing mother and a reliable friend to all who knew her. Above all else, she was a tireless and effective advocate for the mentally retarded. Through her many years as a volunteer and later member and Chairman of the Johnson County Mental Retardation Board, Winnie worked hard to make sure that those with special challenges were given the tools, love and resources needed to reach their full potential. She also practiced her vision on a daily basis by molding four special needs children of her own into the productive, happy and contributing members of society they are today. Her magnificent spirit and life-affirming vision will live on in the dreams realized by all of those she touched.
A memorial service honoring Winnie will be held on October 12, 2007, at 6:00 p.m., at the Amos Family Chapel of Shawnee, 10901 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Johnson County Developmental Supports, 10501 Lackman Road, Lenexa, KS 66219-1223, or Good Shepherd Hospice, 7611 State Line Road, Suite 200, Kansas City, MO 64114.
VINCENT HENRY RIEKE
Vincent Henry Rieke left his loving family to join his parents, Henry and Alice (Earnshaw) Rieke, his sister Bess (Rieke) LeCluyse and the heavenly father on Oct 1, 2007. He entered his parents’ world in Shawnee, Ks on Oct 9, 1921, grew up on the family farm there, and attended Rockhurst, & Shawnee Mission High School. He served in WWII, after which he began Rieke Construction Company. His company built the first section of I-70 in Kansas, and many railroad beds, lakes and highways in the area are a tribute to his hard work.
One of Vince’s goals in life was to have a large family who enjoy and love each other. He leaves behind his wife of 65 years, Eileen Rieke, Children Joan (Rieke) Brady, Jean (Rieke) & Patrick Maguire, Lawrence & Dana Rieke, Barbara (Rieke) & Paul Hart, Steven, Donald, Jerry & Tamara Rieke, Janet (Rieke) &Alain Jablonowski, V. Lee & Jeannie Rieke. Grandchildren, Robin (Brady) & David Kreutzer, Robert & Amy Brady, Thomas and Angie Brady, Michael (Mitch) Brady, Matthew Maguire, Colby and Kristen Rieke, Michael and Sean Scott, Sami Jo, Bobby, Desirae, Kaitlyn Rieke, Danielle Jordan, Cole Rieke. Great Grandchildren, Dayne and Shaela Kreutzer, Blake, Hannah, Lexi, Paige and Jacob Brady; nieces and nephews and many, many good friends.
Dad, “You got the job done”!
The visitation is at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Shawnee, Thursday, October 4th, from 5-8pm, with the rosary being said at 7:30. Burial Mass will be at 10am, Oct 5th, at St Joseph Church, Shawnee, with burial following at St Joseph cemetery.
Vince was a great story teller, his escapades far reaching. Those fortunate enough to know him, will remember the great parties, the dancing and the laughter.
