Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Dixie Lee Dodson
1939 - 2008
Dixie Lee Dodson, 68, of Great Bend, died Jan. 2 at Central Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend. She was born July
2, 1939, at Turon, the daughter of Harold and Edna Allen Pugh. She married Gordon Brewer in 1956 at Sylvia. He died
in 1962. On Feb. 2, 1972, she married Bob Dodson at Great Bend. He survives. A resident of Great Bend since 1962,
coming from Sylvia, she was a retired bank teller for American State Bank.
Mrs. Dodson was a member of the Church of Christ, American Legion, Eastern Star and Sweet Adelines, all of Great
Bend.
Survivors include her husband, of the home; three sons, Shannon Brewer and wife Barbara of Nashville, Ky., Darren
Brewer and wife April of Great Bend and James C. Dodson of Sterling; one stepson, Lynn Ray Dodson of Fort Scott;
one stepdaughter, Janie Dodson of Great Bend; one sister, Linda Gardner of Hutchinson; one grandson and one
step-granddaughter. She was preceded in death by her parents and her first husband.
There will be no visitation or services as cremation has taken place. Inurnment will be in the Sylvia Cemetery in Sylvia
at a later date. Memorials are suggested to the American Diabetes Association in care of the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by:
Bryant Funeral Home
1425 Patton Road
Great Bend, KS 67530
Fargie Kenneth McLean
1927 - 2008
SYLVIA — Fargie Kenneth McLean, 80, died Jan. 1 at the Stafford District Hospital. Born July 29, 1927, at Partridge,
he was the son of Fargie and Eva Marie Hirst McLean. On May 25, 1952, he married Dorothy Pendergrass at
Whiteside. She survives.
Mr. McLean was a veteran of the Korean War, serving with the U.S. Army. He was a Sylvia resident since 1957 and
had worked for the Santa Fe Railroad and the Sylvia Co-op, and he was a farmer. He was a past member of the Odd
Fellows Lodge of Partridge and had attended the Sylvia United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife, of the home; a daughter, Linda Copeland of Sylvia; two brothers, Fred McLean of Oregon
and Glenn McLean of Reed, Mo.; a sister, Naomi Reasen of Buhler; five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He
was preceded in death by two sons, Mark and Larry.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, at Minnis Chapel, Stafford, with the Rev. Harry Graves presiding. Friends
may call from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral chapel. Burial will be at the Partridge Cemetery. Memorials may be sent
to the Sylvia United Methodist Church in care of the funeral chapel.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Minnis Chapel
125 N. Main
Stafford, KS 67578
Paul J. Urban
1919 - 2008
Paul J. Urban, 88, of Great Bend, died Jan. 1 at Rush County Nursing Home, La Crosse. He was born Nov. 2, 1919, in
Ellis County, the son of John and Margaret Stecklein Urban. He was a resident of Great Bend since 1953, having
moved from Hays, where he taught at St. Joseph’s Military Academy for a number of years. He was a teacher at Great
Bend High School for 20 years, serving as president of the local education association and president of the Kansas
Association of Mathematics Teachers. He went into real estate in 1973, where he was elected as Realtor Associate of
the Year in 1978. He also taught a real estate course at Barton County Community College for a number of years and
retired in 1988.
He was a graduate of Fort Hays State University and a member of Pi Sigma Pi fraternity and received his master’s
degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1951. He was also a graduate of the Command and General Staff
College at Fort Leavenworth.
He was a member of St. Rose Catholic Church and was past president of the parish council, diocesan pastoral council,
diocesan school board and Catholic Social Service. He was a member and past grand knight of the Knights of
Columbus and a fourth-degree member of the Coronado Assembly.
As a veteran of World War II, he served in the active Army and Reserve for 33 years and retired as a colonel. He was a
member of ROA, TROA and AUSA. He was also a lifetime member and past commander of the American Legion,
named top service officer of the state of Kansas in 1977 and served as chairman of the annual Barton County
Government Day for many years.
He was a member of Kiwanis, vice chairman of the Commission on Aging for four years, a lifetime member of NEA, a
member and past president of the Barton County Retired Teachers Association and AARP.
Survivors include numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by six brothers, Benjamin, George, Isadore,
William, Eugene and Walter Urban; and two sisters, Ann Leiker and Sister Lillian Urban.
A vigil service will be at 7 p.m. today at Bryant Funeral Home, Great Bend, with the K of C Rosary. Funeral service
will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Prince of Peace Parish at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Great Bend, with Father Wesley
Schawe officiating. Interment will be at Great Bend Cemetery with military honors conducted by a Fort Riley Honor
Guard. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today at Bryant Funeral Home. Donations to a memorial fund for the
Holy Family School Endowment may be made in care of the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by:
Bryant Funeral Home
1425 Patton Road
Great Bend, KS 67530
Clarence Randall Ritchie
1936 - 2007
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Clarence Randall Ritchie, 71, formerly of Great Bend, died Dec. 30 at Bakersfield, Calif.
He was born Feb. 28, 1936, at Cle-veland, Okla., the son of Clarence Rector and Rosetta Allene Keeling Ritchie. He
married Judith Bailes on April 29, 1961, in Medicine Lodge. He had lived in Bakersfield for the past 25 years, and had
formerly lived in Great Bend, Winfield, Ellinwood, Wichita and Ponca City, Okla. He was an oilfield electrician.
He was a member of the Moose Lodge at Bakersfield, the National Electricians Union and the American Legion.
He served in the National Guard with Company L, 137th Infantry Regiment, Winfield.
Survivors include a son, Randall Joe Ritchie of Great Bend; a daughter, Nancy Winkelman of Ellinwood; two brothers,
Leon Ritchie of Winfield and Lynn David Ritchie of Ardmore, Okla.; two sisters, JoRita Davis of Winfield and Rena
Mae Bennett of Wichita; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Ellinwood, with the Rev. Jeff Frakes
officiating. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at Kimple Funeral Home, Ellinwood, and from 12:30 to 1:30
p.m. at the church. Burial will be at the Lakin-Comanche District Cemetery, Ellinwood. A memorial has been
established for the Moose Lodge.
Funeral arrangements provided by:
Kimple Funeral Home
113 North Main
Ellinwood, KS 67526
Joyce Dangerfield Longsdorf
1942 - 2007
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Joyce Longsdorf passed away in Sacramento, Calif., on Dec. 29 after a courageous battle
with cancer. Born on Dec. 23, 1942, to Major and Virginia Dangerfield in Topeka, she married Theodore Longsdorf on
Oct. 27, 1962.
She is survived by her daughters, Laura Askins of Sacramento and Monica Longsdorf of Astoria, N.Y.; a sister, Carol
Scheuerman, and niece, Diana Scheuerman, both of Great Bend; and two grandchildren, Kristopher Askins and Kara
Askins of Sacramento. She was preceded in death by her husband, her son Karl, her brother Major Dangerfield, and her
parents.
She was a devoted wife, following her husband wherever the Air Force sent them throughout his career. After his death
in 1985 in Rawlins, Wyo., she relocated her family to Tucson, Ariz., and worked for Sun West Services as the Food
Service director of the Mirana School District for several years. After working for Sun West Services for many years in
Tucson and Santa Barbara, Calif., she relocated to Dodge City, to be nearer to her family. Joyce had a long career as a
food service director, most recently serving as the food service director of Manor of the Plains Retirement Center in
Dodge City until her illness in late 2005. She then retired and moved to Sacramento to spend time with her family.
A memorial Web site has been set up in her honor at http://www.joyce-longsdorf.memory-of.com/. Contributions in
lieu of flowers can be made in Joyce’s memory to the National Brain Tumor Foundation or Vitas Hospice Charitable
Fund. Arrangements were made by Simple Traditions Cremation Services in Sacramento, Calif. A private family
gathering will be held in her memory.
Stanley G. A. Hudspith
1911 - 2008
WORTHING, SUSSEX, England — Stanley G. A. Hudspith, 96, died Jan. 2 at Worthing, Sussex, England, after a long
and eventful life. Born Nov. 13, 1911, in London, Stan was the oldest of four children born to Herbert and Victoria
Hudspith.
Stan spent many years as an accountant in the oil business until his retirement from ESSO followed by a 10-year stint
with the British Government’s Printing Department. Retiring to Worthing, Sussex, Stan was a member of the local
Church of England to which he walked to services every Sunday. He was an active philatelist (stamp collector), a
family tradition. During World War II, Stan and his brother Herbert enlisted in the same British Army unit. Later Stan
was injured during the invasion of North Africa. In 1936 he married Sybil Markham, who pre-deceased him.
Survivors include his daughter, Angela and husband Gerald Atkins of the Isle of Wight, England; two grandsons, one
granddaughter and 10 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Winifred Rouse, of Lancing, England, and Marjorie Harrington
of Great Bend; three nieces, Laurie Sandercock and Vickie Ward of Sussex, England, Brenda Kelley of Grand
Junction, Colo., and Rosalind Neeland of Great Bend; and a nephew, Peter McCallum of Wichita. Preceding him in
death were a brother, Herbert, and a son, John.
He will be greatly missed.
Services for Stan are pending following cremation.
Clifford McCaslin
1945 - 2007
KEARNEY, Neb. — Clifford McCaslin, 62, died Dec. 30 at Hays Medical Center. Born Nov. 26, 1945, near Broken
Bow, Neb., he was the son of James Wesley (Wes) and Evelyn Clay McCaslin. He attended school in Broken Bow and
Merna, Neb. He graduated from Gothenburg High School in 1964. He married Donna Goodner on Oct. 4, 1964. They
lived in Overton, Neb., Cozad, Neb., and Kimball, Neb., while he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad until he retired
in 1980. They then moved to Anselmo, Neb., where he was a carpenter. On Sept. 15, 1990, he married Jessie Lindstrom
in Holdrege, Neb. They lived in Merna. On May 6, 2005, he married Karolyn Bitter-Mason in Kearney, Neb., where
they resided until his death.
Survivors include his wife, of the home; two sons, Jerry, of Kearney, and James of Broken Bow; a daughter, Rebecca
Smith of Louisville, Neb.; stepchildren, Brenda Bitter of Victoria, Brian Bitter and Bruce Bitter, both of Hoisington,
Brent Bitter of Holyrood, Doug Lindstrom, Jim Lindstrom and Scott Lindstrom, all of Columbus, Neb., and Susan Sall
of Iowa City, Iowa; three brothers, Dan McCaslin of Broken Bow, Wesley Curtis McCaslin of Hershey, Neb., and
Daryl McCaslin of North Platte, Neb.; five sisters, Audrey Jones of Thedford, Neb., Ardis Goodner of Broken Bow,
Cleo Purdum of Reedpoint, Mont., Beverly Goehring of Cheyenne, Wyo., and Leata Krejci of Eustis, Neb.; eight
grandchildren, one great-granddaughter and 10 step-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a brother, Edward
McCaslin, and a sister, Mary Neben.
Funeral services were Wednesday at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Broken Bow, with the Rev. Kathy Salts and the
Rev. Kathy LaRocque officiating. Burial was at the Broken Bow Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Our Savior
Lutheran Church Building Fund.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Govier Brothers Mortuary
542 S. 9th Ave.
Broken Bow, NE 68822
