Rodney Hieronymus
STILWELL, KS Rodney M. Hieronymus, 58, Stilwell, died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, in Kansas City, Mo. He had served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He had been very active in the construction industry in Kansas City area for many years, and most recently was a superintendent. He was a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe. Survivors include his wife, F. Earlene Hieronymus, of the home; a son, Joseph Hieronymus; a daughter, Stephanie L. Van Hollebeke, Las Vegas, Nev.; a stepson, Steven Prewitt, Lee's Summit, Mo.; a stepdaughter, Jennifer Carter, Lee's Summit, Mo.; a brother, Richard Hieronymus, Jersey City, N.J.; and two step-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today, with a prayer service beginning at 7 p.m., at the Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, Olathe. The mass of Christian burial will be 10 a.m. Friday at the Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Olathe. Burial will be at the El Dorado Springs Cemetery, El Dorado Springs, Mo.

Billy Higgins
Billy Higgins, 50, Olathe, died Wednesday, March 8, 2000, at the White River Medical Center in Batesville, Ark. He was born July 24, 1949, at Newport, Ark., the son of Arlen Higgins and Sallie Bates Higgins of Newnata, Ark. He was a Baptist, a former construction worker, and a resident of Olathe. He was preceded in death by a brother, Eugene Higgins; and two sisters, Linda Higgins and Elouise Higgins. Survivors include his wife, Sarah Gillette Higgins; five sons, David Thomas, Gardner, Mitchell Higgins, Kansas City, Kan., and Ben Higgins, James Higgins and Nicholas Higgins, all of Olathe; his mother, Sallie Bates Higgins, Newnata; a brother, Charles Higgins, Clinton, Ark.; a sister, Jetta Avey, Newnata; and a granddaughter. The funeral will be 10 a.m. today at the Roller-Coffman Chapel, Mountain View, Ark. Burial will be at Sandhill Cemetery, Newport, Ark.

Walter Hilderman
Walter E. Hilderman, 86, Herington, died Friday, June 22, 2000, at the Herington Municipal Hospital. He was born in Herington on July 31, 1913, the son of Jacob and Eva Whittman Hilderman. He was a retired Rock Island Railroad brakeman. He was a member of the Church of God in Herington, the Brother hood of Railway Trainmen. He was a former member of the Herington Kiwanis Club and the Herington Country Club. He married Ruth Longhofer on Aug. 19, 1932. She preceded him in death in 1990. Survivors include a son, Tracy Hilderman, Wichita; a daughter, Winona Chrisjohn, Olathe; four grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. Funeral services will be 2:30 p.m. today at the Church of God, Herington. Burial will be in Sunset Hill Cemetery, Herington. Brockmeier Funeral Chapel in Herington is in charge of arrangements. Memorials will be established later. Contributions may be sent to funeral home at P.O. Box 505, 112 S. Broadway, Herington, KS 67449.

Ernest Hiler Jr.
Ernest Edmund Hiler Jr., 58, of Kansas City, Mo., died Sunday, Feb. 25, 2001, at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City. He was born Sept. 16, 1942, in Jacksonville, Fla., and had lived in Kansas City for 11 years, coming from New Jersey. Survivors include his mother, Catherine E. Hiler, Olathe; a sister, Marjorie H. and husband, George Phillips Sr., Overland Park; a nephew, George E. Phillips, Jr., Olathe; a niece, Karen S. Welch, Olathe; and a great-niece. The visitation will be from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, at the Memorial Chapel Funeral Home of Olathe. Memorial services will be 4 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Cremation. The family requests contributions to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greater Kansas City, 406 W. 34th Street, Suite 506, Kansas City, MO 64111.

William Hill Jr.
William L. "Bill" Hill Jr., 69, died Friday, April 14, 2000, at St. Joseph Health Center. He was born Oct. 27, 1930, in Kildare, Okla. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He retired in 1994 as owner and chief executive officer of Trans-Mark Travel. He was a member of the Church of the Resurrection and a Kiwanis member. He was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years, Peggy Ann, in 1994. Survivors include a son, Brian William Hill, Overland Park; a daughter, Carolyn Ann Fladung, Olathe; and two sisters, Lennie Crooks and Jo Halbach, both of Mound City. Visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. today at Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, followed by the funeral mass at 11 a.m. Private inurnment will be at a later date at Oak Lawn Cemetery. The family requests no flowers, and suggests memorial contributions may be made to the Memorial Fund at Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Blvd., Leawood, KS 66224. Arrangements are by The Amos Family Funeral Home, Lenexa.

Alma Hillman
Alma Jean Hillman, 73, Collyer, Kan., died May 16, 2001, at the Trego Lemke Memorial Hospital. She was born Oct. 18, 1927, in Wakeeney, Kan., the daughter of Burl Frazier and Sara Elizabeth McCauley. She graduated from Trego Community High School. She was a CNA, CMA and social worker. She married Lyle Hillman on Aug. 16, 1946, in Hays, Kan. She was a member of the Eastern Star, VFW, and its auxiliary. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and one grandson, Aaron Brack. Survivors include a son, Ed Hillman, Collyer, Kan.; four daughters, Neva Hardman, Olathe, Delora Herrman, Wakeeney, Thelma Norris, Wellsville, and Edna Conley, Holcomb; a sister, Edna Folkers, Wakeeney; 14 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. The visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday at Schmitt Funeral Home, Wakeeney. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Ogallah Christian Church, in Ogallah, Kan. Interment will be at Wakeeney Cemetery, Wakeeney. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Ogallah Christian Church.

Roma Hitt
Roma Nell Hitt, 91, Olathe, died Sunday, Jan. 30, 2000, at Villa St. Francis Nursing Center, Olathe. She was born Feb. 23, 1908, in Grandby, Mo., and had lived in Olathe since 1988. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Elmer Hitt, in 1980; two sons, Steven S. Hitt and Rodger C. Hitt; and a grandson, Danny Hitt. Survivors include four sons, William C. Hitt, Atlantic, Iowa, James A. Hitt, Jamual, Calif., Dennis E. Hitt, Olathe, and Elmer Hitt, Arlington, Texas; three daughters, Sadie L. Gaer, Arlington, Sharon K. Cremers, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Marsha E. Gregory, Murray, Utah; 15 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, at the Church of Christ, 515 W. Park, Olathe; the memorial service will follow at 10:30 a.m. at the church. Cremation. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Church of Christ, 515 W. Park, Olathe, KS 66061; or to Villa St. Francis Nursing Center, 16600 W. 126th St., Olathe, KS 66062. Memorial Chapel Funeral Home of Olathe is in charge of arrangements.

Kathryn Hodges
Kathryn E. Hodges, 91, Lenexa, formerly of Bonner Springs, died Thursday, Dec. 28, 2000, at Delmar Gardens of Lenexa. She was born Nov. 15, 1909, in Newton. She was an elementary school teacher from 1932 to 1975. She was a life member of the Basehor P.T.A., a charter member of the Monticello Community Historical Society, a member of the Monticello United Methodist Church and a member of the Clear Creek Grange. Her husband Harold Alvin Hodges preceded her in death in 1962. She is survived by three sons: Gerald A. Hodges of Pocatella, Idaho; Dan L. Hodges of Olathe; Larry P. Hodges of Shawnee; nine grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Monticello United Methodist Church. Funeral service will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2, at the church with burial at the Monticello Union Cemetery. Memorials may be sent to the Chapel Preservation Fund of Monticello U.M.C.

Bill Hoffman
Bill G. Hoffman, 70, Gardner, died Wednesday, July 19, 2000, at his home. He was born May 26, 1930, in Nortonville, Kan., the son of William M. and Hazel Marie (McCoy) Hoffman. He was a 1948 graduate of Nortonville High School. He worked on the family farm and hauled milk from dairy farmer to the condensory in Tonganoxie, and helped run the family farm after his father's death until 1955, when he was drafted into the U.S. Navy at the end of the Korean War. He married Annette C. Cosens on Aug. 5, 1961, in Yates Center, Kan. They moved to Gardner in 1964 from Toronto, Kan. He worked at the local telephone company, and for Contel and United Telephone, Gardner, where he was the Central Office equipment manager. He retired in 1989, after 36 years in telecommunications. He was a member of the United Methodist Church and the Grand Lodge of Kansas Masonic Lodge, both in Nortonville. He was preceded in death by a son, Randy Hoffman. Survivors include his wife, Annette Hoffman, of the home; two daughters, Alesia Martin, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Tracy Dobbels, Olathe; two brothers, Mac Hoffman, Effingham, Kan., and Jack Hoffman, Nortonville; two sisters, Jo Hagen, Luck, Wis., and Rosemary Cummings, West Des Moines, Iowa; six grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Bruce Funeral Home, Gardner. He will lie in state from 1 to 5 p.m. today at the funeral home. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Gardner Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Huntington's Disease Research, c/o Bruce Funeral Home, P.O. Box 192, Gardner, KS 66030.

Deanna Rae Holl
Deanna Rae Holl, 62, Olathe, died Saturday, Feb. 5, at Olathe Medical Center. She was born July 7, 1937, in Kansas City, Mo., and lived most of her life in Olathe. She graduated from Redemptorist High School in Kansas City, Mo. She served in the Marine Corps. Survivors include two sons, Mark Holl, Kansas City, Kan., and Patrick John Holl, Smith Center; three daughters, Debra J. Smethers, Phoenix, Kathleen Marie Holl, Olathe, and Karen L. Vinyard, Olathe; a sister, Robin J. Ballard, Turlock, Calif.; and four granddaughters. Memorial services will be 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, at the Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 143rd Street and Black Bob Road. Visitation will follow. Cremation. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, 316 Minnesota, Kansas City, Kan.

Harvey Holmes
Harvey Holmes, 87, Paola, died Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000, at the Meadowbrook Rehabilitation Hospital in Gardner. He was born July 1, 1913, in Olathe, to Lemuel Harris and Eliza Ann Klapmeyer Holmes. He married Edith L. Bucholtz in 1955. He attended schools in the Olathe area. He served in the Army during World War II. After the army he entered veterinarian school and graduated from Kansas State University in 1947. He owned and operated the Waldo Animal Clinic until he retired in 1981. He was licensed to practice in Illinois, Indiana and Kansas and was a member of the Veterinarian's Association and enjoyed working with his cattle and horses. Surviving are his wife, Edith, Overland Park; and a son, Loy Holmes, Paola; and two grandchildren. Graveside services will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2000, at the Mount Moriah Cemetery, Kansas City, Mo. Cremation. The family requests contributions to Paola FFA Chapter, care of Wilson & Sons Funeral Home.

Paula Hopson
Paula Hopson, 24, Olathe, formerly of Paola, died Tuesday, June 13, 2000, in Kansas City, Mo. She was born Dec. 28, 1975, in Kansas City, Kan., to Paul and Wynona (Lindsey) Hopson. She lived in Paola and attended grade school there, until her family moved to Olathe, where she attended Olathe North High School. She later graduated from Salina High School. She was studying to be a dental assistant at Brown Mackie College in Olathe. She was preceded in death by two grandparents, Lester and Thelma Lindsey. Survivors include her parents, Paul Hopson and Wynona Hopson, both of Olathe; four brothers, Nicholas Hopson, Conway, Ark., Jarion Hopson and William Adams Jr., both of Olathe, and Lexie Smith, El Reno, Okla.; five sisters, Shelby Ross, Dallas, and Chanda Hopson-Byers, Stephanie Hopson, Monica Burnett and Randa Everette, all of Olathe; two grandparents, Louise Henderson, Olathe, and Robert Hopson, Chicago. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at the Wilson & Son Funeral Home, Paola; the funeral will be 1 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Paola Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kansas Action for Children, c/o Wilson & Son Funeral Home, 305 N. Pearl St., Paola, KS 66071.

Edgar Hormel
Edgar Ward Hormel, 94, died Friday, June 15, 2001, at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Olathe. He was born May 5, 1907, in Concordia, to Edgar Gaines and Cora Ellen Hormel. He attended schools there and graduated from Concordia High School in 1926. He married Wilmetta Riley in 1930. Shortly after he graduated, he began working at the Cloud County Bank, starting as a clerk and retiring 50 years later as the executive vice-president. He continued to serve on the bank's board of directors for five more years. In 1987, they moved to Seattle to be near their son, and ten years later, returned to Kansas City to live with their daughter. He spent the last year of his life residing in the nursing home. He was a member of the Concordia Presbyterian Church and served as the exalted ruler of the B.P.O.E. for several years. After his retirement, he helped his wife run Riley's Nursery, and enjoyed working with the plants and vegetables they grew and sold. Survivors include a son, Edward Hormel, Sammamish, Wash.; a daughter, Phyllis Krehbiel, Kansas City, Kan.; eight grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Concordia Presbyterian Church.

Ronald Horvatic Sr.
Ronald Eugene Horvatic Sr., 51, died Friday, April 6, 2001, at his home in Gardner. He was born Jan. 18, 1950, in Kansas City, Kan. He attended Washington High School in Kansas City, Kan., and lived in Kansas City until he moved to Spring Hill 12 years ago. He moved to Gardner two years ago. He worked as a welder for the former Stelco Co. of Lenexa several years ago. He was Catholic. He served in the Army and was assigned to the Corps of Engineers during the Vietnam War. He loved racing and built stock cars. He was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew J. and Mildred A. Payur Horvatic. Survivors include three sons, Ryan Horvatic of Lee's Summit, Mo., Shawn Horvatic of Gardner, and Ronald Eugene Horvatic Jr. of Olathe; two daughters, Christy Horvatic of Phoenix, Ariz., and Amy Horvatic of Olathe, one brother, Richard Horvatic of Independence, Mo.; four sisters, Cathleen Williams of Spring Hill, Dolores Howard of Olathe, Marilyn Harrington of Chicago, and Karen Stark of Kansas City, Mo.; and one grandson. Private family graveside service will be held at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City, Kan. Visitation will be 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at Bruce Funeral Home in Spring Hill. Memorial contributions may be made to the Ronald Horvatic, Sr. Memorial Fund, care of Bruce Funeral Home, P.O. Box 7, Spring Hill, KS 66083.

Rita Horwitz
Rita Tenner Horwitz, 81, Mission, died Thursday, Aug. 17, 2000, at her home. At her request, there will be no funeral services in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Burial will be at Wilmington, Del. Arrangements are by W.L. Frye and Son Funeral Home, Olathe.

Lois Hougland
Lois A. Hougland, 92, died Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, at the Royal Terrace Care Center in Olathe. She was a lifelong resident of Olathe. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church, Olathe. She was preceded in death by her husband, Howard F. Hougland, in 1983; and a son, Robert, in 1996. Survivors include three sons, Donald Hougland and wife, Dorothy, Leawood, Gerald Hougland and wife, Evelyn, Olathe, and David Hougland and wife, Patricia, Portland, Ore.; three sisters, Ruth Hughes, Olathe, Pearl Thorpe, Prairie Village, and Marguerite Gaarder, St. Joseph, Mo.; 12 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Visitation will be at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, and services will follow at 10 a.m. at W.L. Frye and Son Funeral Home, Olathe.

Marjorie Houston
Marjorie Irene Houston, 75, Pomona, died Monday, May 8, 2000, at Ransom Memorial Hospital, Ottawa. She was born Oct. 24, 1924, in Blue Rapids, the daughter of Edward Marion Moore and Lillian (Vail) Homan. She was reared near Sedalia, Mo., and was a 1942 graduate of Sedalia High School. She married Frank E. Houston Oct. 20, 1950, at Kansas City, Mo., to which she moved after her marriage. In 1954, she and her husband moved to DeSoto. In 1960, they moved to Monticello, near Olathe; after retiring in 1987, they moved to Pomona. She was a homemaker and a waitress in the late 1940s at Dagwood's Diner in Kansas City, Mo., and in the early 1960s at the Heart of America Truck Plaza, Olathe. In the late 1960s and early '70s, she owned and operated a residential cleaning service; and was a nurse aide, from 1970 to her retirement in 1976, at Indian Creek Nursing Center, Overland Park. She was a member of Ridgeview Baptist Church, Olathe, and was a former member of Faith Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo., and Monticello Methodist Church, near DeSoto. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Houston, March 11, 1991; four sons, John R. Houston in 1997, Charles Krone and Melvin Empt in 1990, and Billy Jo Houston in 1976; a brother, Melvin Moore, in 1989; and two grandsons, Billy Michael Houston in 1997 and Walter Edwin Houston in 1992. Survivors include her mother and stepfather, Lillian and Bill Homan, Hoyt, Kan.; two sons, Russell E. "Mike" Houston, Olathe, and Darrell L. Schirlls, Jacksonville, Fla.; two daughters, Rena "Tina" Rea, Pomona, and Linda Mitchell, LaCygne; a sister, Doris Ann Rosenberger, Baldwin City; 19 grandchildren; and 26 great-grandchildren. The funeral will be 10 a.m. today at the Dengel & Son Mortuary, Ottawa, and the graveside service will be 3 p.m. today at the Monticello Union Cemetery, Shawnee. Burial will be at the cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Ridgeview Baptist Church of Olathe, c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, 235 S. Hickory St., Ottawa, KS 66067.

Keith Howk
Keith Wesley Howk, 81, of rural Ottumwa, Iowa, died Sunday, Nov. 5, 2000, at his home. He was born Sept. 17, 1919, in Wapello County, Iowa, the son of James and Emma Proctor Howk. He married Cobie Vander Horst on March 21, 1943. She preceded him in death on Nov. 20, 1994. He served with the Army during World War II where he was in the Battle of the Bulge. He farmed near Blakesburg, Iowa, for more than 50 years. He was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene where he had served on the church board, served as missionary president, served as head usher; and taught Sunday school for many years. Survivors include three daughters, Karen Bedwell, Minot, N.D., Kay Stepp, Bethel Park, Pa.,and Marsha Hull, Olathe; a son, Bruce Howk, Olathe; a sister, Pauline Best, Shreveport, La.; and 10 grandchildren. He also was preceded in death by a sister, Doris Howk, and a brother, Lowell Howk. Visitation will be 9 a.m. today at the Reece Funeral Home, Ottumwa, Iowa. The family will be at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. today. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the First Church of the Nazarene with the Rev. Fred Borger officiating. Burial will be in Shaul Cemetery. Military service will be conducted by Walter B. Schafer Post No. 775 Veterans of Foreign Wars and O.B. Nelson Post No. 3 American Legion. Memorials may be made to the First Church of the Nazarene, Hospice, Inc., or Blakesburg Community Center for Senior Citizens.

Edith Hrabe
Edith Nell Hrabe, 80, Wellsville, died Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2000, at the Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Merriam. She was born March 1, 1919, in Goodland, the daughter of Persvil and Annie (Kolacny) Murray. She married August Hrabe on March 22, 1936, in Goodland. The couple lived and farmed in Goodland from 1936 to 1947, when they bought a farm in Douglas County, northeast of Wellsville; they moved to town in 1951. She had worked in Ottawa at the Parmalee plant during the 1960s and early 1970s. She retired from Western Electric after working there 10 years. She was a member of the Wellsville Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Janice; a son, Harold; four brothers, Jerry, Bob, Glenn Virgil, and Ed Murray; and a sister, Annabelle. Survivors include her husband, August, of the home; three sons, Donald Hrabe, Wellsville, Teryl 'Tex' Hrabe, Baldwin, and Jeffery Hrabe, Olathe; three stepdaughters, Janet Reeves, El Dorado, Kan., and Julie Coffey and Teresa Oshel, both of Wellsville; a brother, Carl Murray, Goodland; three sisters, Helen Emig and Vida Young, both of Goodland, and Gladys Bohl, Lakin, Kan.; 16 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. today at the Wilson and Son Chapel, Wellsville. The funeral will be 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at the chapel. Burial will be in Wellsville Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Wellsville City Library or the Franklin County Diabetes Association, in care of Wilson and Son Chapel, Box 486, Wellsville, KS 66092.