Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Catherine M. Schremmer
1932 - 2008
MANHATTAN — Catherine M. Schremmer, 75, former longtime resident of Hays, died Tuesday morning, Jan. 8, at
the St. Joseph Village in Manhattan following an extended illness. She was born on March 10, 1932, in Odin, the
daughter of Alois and Regina Prosser. Mrs. Schremmer was united in marriage on Aug. 9, 1949, in Odin, to Edward A.
Schremmer. They made their home in Beaver, prior to moving to Hays in 1961. Prior to her retirement she was
employed by Fort Hays State University. She and her husband also formerly owned and operated the Tastee Freeze in
Hays. Mrs. Schremmer made her home at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Hays for the seven years prior to
moving to Manhattan in October of 2006, where she became a resident of St. Joseph Village. Her hobbies included
vegetable gardening, baking, singing and playing cards. She was an avid Royals baseball fan and enjoyed going to her
grandchildren’s sporting events and activities when she was able. She also was a former volunteer at the Community
Assistance Center in Hays.
Mrs. Schremmer was a former member of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Odin and a member of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary Parish in Hays for more than 40 years.
She is survived by her two daughters, Cheryl Miller of Manhattan and Nadine Herold and husband Sherman of Hays;
four grandchildren, Craig Miller and wife Heather of Wichita, Carrie Foster and husband Chris of Marysville, Aaron
Herold of Shawnee, and Chad Herold and wife Jessica of Kansas City, Kan.; five great-grandsons: Mackenzie, Curtis
and Braeden Miller of Wichita, Clayton Foster of Marysville and Jacob Herold of Kansas City, Kan.; two sisters, Helen
Kaiser of Hoisington and Mary Birzer of Hutchinson; and two brothers, Julius Prosser and Joe Prosser, both of
Hoisington. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1988 and by her son-in-law, Curtis Miller, also in 1988; her
sisters, Anne Steiner, Matilda Kramer, Jean Rome, Cecilia Tieperman and Eleanor Kingston; and her brothers,
Anthony, William, John, Louie and Leonard Prosser.
Mass of Christian burial will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Odin, with Father
Dwight Birket as celebrant. Interment will follow in the Holy Family Cemetery in Odin. The family will receive friends
during a visitation from 7 until 8 p.m. today at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home in Manhattan.
Additional visitation hours will be from 12:30 until 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Odin.
Memorials have been established for St. Joseph Village in Manhattan, Hays Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Hays or
the Holy Family Cemetery in Odin. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral
Home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home
1616 Poyntz Avenue
Manhattan, KS 66502
Darlene B. Adams
1921 - 2008
HOISINGTON — Darlene B. Adams, 86, died Jan. 8 at Stafford Leisure Homestead in Stafford. She was born Oct. 2,
1921, in Pawnee County, the daughter of Oscar Porter and Eulalia (Avery) McComas. She married Lester B. Adams,
Jr. on Aug. 1, 1942, in Macksville. He preceded her in death on Dec. 9, 1999. She was a homemaker, and a resident of
Hoisington for 37 years, coming from Belpre.
She was a member of First United Methodist Church, UMW, Cameo Club, Women’s Civic Club, and VFW Auxiliary,
all of Hoisington, the Great Bend Ambassador Club and the Research Club at Belpre.
Survivors include two sons, Larry L. Adams and wife Reba, of Belpre, and Jim R. Adams and his wife Gloria, of
Hoisington; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, John W. Adams, six
brothers, John, Bill, Wesley, Donald, Gerald and Leonard McComas, and three sisters, Florence Beachel, LaFawn
Razor and Dorothy DiLorito.
Funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church, Hoisington, with the Rev. Wayne Flanders
officiating. Burial will be at the Hoisington Cemetery. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday with the family
receiving friends from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, Saturday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. also at the
funeral home, and 12:30 to 2 p.m. Saturday at the church. Memorial fund donations for First United Methodist Church
or Southwind Hospice may be made in care of the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home*
415 North Main/P.O. Box 146
Hoisington, KS 67544
Paul H. Smitheran
1922 - 2008
GARNETT — Paul H. Smitheran, 85, of Garnett, died Tuesday, Jan. 8, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. Paul
was born July 31, 1922, in rural Centerville, the youngest son of Frank F. and Dena L. (Hill) Smitheran. He married
Rozena Campbell on May 5, 1945, at Garnett. This union was blessed with two children, Carl and Claudia. Paul
attended country school at Round Mound School and Parker High School. He farmed in the Centerville area until 1959,
and he worked in construction until 1966. They moved to Garnett in 1966, where Paul went to work for the City of
Garnett, working there until his retirement in 1987 as superintendent of services.
He was a member of ACARC (Anderson County Association of Retarded Citizens) and the Prairie Spirit Trail. Paul
was a past member of the Greater Kansas City Orchid Society and the Kansas Association of Garden Clubs and had
been superintendent of operations for the Anderson County Fair. He was also a member of the Centerville Community
Church and the Masonic Order No. 341 of Parker. After retirement, he was an avid gardener and bird watcher.
Survivors include his wife, Rozena, of the home; his son, Carl L. Smitheran and wife Patricia of Council Grove; his
daughter, Claudia Smitheran of Great Bend; his brother, Ray Smitheran and wife Ernestine of Garnett; three
grandchildren, Brent Smitheran and wife Tiffany of Olathe, and Kim Bachand and Tim Henderson of Great Bend, and
Julie Nelson and husband Cody of Andover; and three great-grandchildren, Skyler Smitheran, Brianna Henderson and
Kelsi Dalton. Paul was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Raymond G. Smitheran and Jennice B.
Smitheran.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, Garnett. Burial will follow at the
Garnett Cemetery. Visitation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. tonight at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made
to the Centerville Community Building Fund or to Tri-Ko Inc. of Osawatomie.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Feuerborn Family Funeral Service*
219 South Oak St./Box 408
Garnett, KS 66032
Edmund B. Keiter
1923 - 2008
LARNED — Edmund B. Keiter, 84, died Jan. 9 at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital, Larned. He was born July 8, 1923, in
Cheney, the son of Bernard and Josephine Konecny Keiter. A resident of Larned since 1974, from Towner, Colo., he
was a retired farmer and a greens superintendent for the Larned Country Club.
He belonged to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Larned Country
Club, all of Larned.
Survivors include his longtime companion, Pauline Atteberry, Larned; one son, Wayne Keiter, Dacono, Colo.; six
daughters, Patricia C. Peterson, Las Vegas, Nev., Jo Harris and husband Terry, Fountain, Colo., Janice M. Christenson,
Parker, Colo., Joyce A. Simon and husband Toby, Henderson, Nev., Sandy S. Krohne and Billy, Weston, Mo., and
Dena M. Kerr and Martin, Chesapeake, Va.; his companion’s children, Clarissia Lichliter, Casa Grande, Ariz., Michael
Tiry, Wichita, and Jerry McBride, Missouri; two brothers, Gilbert Keiter of Gardner and Vincent Keiter of Cheney;
four sisters, Juliana Landwehr, Thelma Traffas and Marjorie Blubagh, all of Wichita, and Bernatta Lebrick of Two
Rivers, Wis.; 22 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by one brother, Clement Keiter,
and one sister, Rosella Wolf.
A vigil service and Knights of Columbus Rosary will be at 7 p.m. today at Morell Funeral Home, Larned. Funeral Mass
will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Larned, with Father Bernard Felix presiding. Visitation
will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Larned Cemetery. Memorials may be sent
to the Ed Keiter Memorial Fund for the Franciscan Monastery Mission, in lieu of flowers, in care of the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Morell Funeral Home*
1021 Broadway/P.O. Box 124
Larned, KS 67550-0124
Eleanor Jean Rusco
1913 - 2008
ST. JOHN — Eleanor Jean Rusco, 94, died Jan. 10 at South Wind Hospice, Pratt. Born May 8, 1913, in Stafford
County, she was the daughter of Walter Jacob and Madora Effie Hahn. On Oct. 12, 1941, she married Milton Ralph
Rusco at St. John. He died May 19, 2002. A longtime resident of St. John, she was a former Stafford County clerk and
administrative assistant for the Farm Service Agency in St. John. She was a 1931 graduate of St. John High School and
attended the Wichita Business School.
She was a member of First United Methodist Church, where she was past church treasurer, Mother’s Club, United
Methodist Women, a 4-H sponsor and a Sunflower Senior Citizens Center volunteer.
Survivors include five daughters, Jean, Leah, Angie, Anita and Katie; 17 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. She
was preceded in death by a son, Dan William Rusco, five brothers, Cecil, Elmer, Leslie, Gerald and George, six sisters,
Ethel, Fern, Helen, Stella, Marjorie and Dorothy, and a grandson, Saul Harrison.
Funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First United Methodist Church, St. John, with Pastors Robbie Fall and
W. Harlan Rittgers presiding. Burial will be in the Fairview Park Cemetery, St. John. Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m.
today at Minnis Chapel, St. John. Memorial donations for the South Wind Hospice may be made in care of Minnis
Chapel.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Minnis Chapel
526 East Fourth Ave.
St. John, KS 67576
Pauline Osborn
1918 - 2008
LYONS — Pauline Osborn, 89, died Jan. 10 at Good Samaritan Center in Lyons. She was born Nov. 10, 1918, at
Robinson, Ill., the daughter of Walter Darious Lankston and Addie Marie Reinohl. She married James Franklin Osborn
on March 28, 1938, at Fort Riley. She was a Rice County resident for more than 60 years. She was a 1936 graduate of
McPherson High School. She retired from a position as postal clerk at the Chase Post Office after 20 years’ service.
She was a member of the Southern Baptist Church in Chase.
Survivors include three sons, Bill Osborn, Collinsville, Okla., Floyd Osborn, Acworth, Ga., and Paul Osborn,
McPherson; and one daughter, Peggy Sheridan, Ellinwood; 10 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-
great-grandchild. She was preceded in death by a son, Bob, a brother, Emerson, and a sister, Geraldine.
Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Kimple Funeral Chapel in Ellinwood, with the Rev. Johnnie Hardie
officiating. Burial will be in the Lakin-Comanche District Cemetery in Ellinwood. Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m.
today at Kimple Funeral Home, Ellinwood. Memorial donations to the Good Samaritan Center may be made in care of
the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Kimple Funeral Home
113 North Main
Ellinwood, KS 67526
William J. “Joe” Hopkins, Jr.
1957 – 2008
HUNTER, Okla. — William J. “Joe” Hopkins, Jr., 50, of Hunter died Jan. 5 at Integris Bass Baptist Hospital, Enid,
Okla. He was born June 3, 1957, in Great Bend, to William J. Hopkins Sr. and Phyllis Rankin Hopkins. He attended
school in Great Bend, then joined the Army. He married Tina Purcell Nov. 30, 1984, in Great Bend. They moved to
Hunter, Okla., in 2001. He constructed golf courses with the last being the Branson Creek Golf Course, in Branson,
Mo. He later worked at Oakwood Golf Course in Enid, Okla., until retiring.
Mr. Hopkins attended the Nazarene Church.
Survivors are his wife, Tina, and daughters, Billie Jo Hopkins and Coriane Hopkins, of the home; daughters, Tessa
Barnes and Amber Walter, both of Enid, Okla.; his parents, of Walnut Grove, Mo.; one brother, Richie Hopkins of
Enid, Okla.; two sisters, Ulanda Hall of Walnut Grove, Mo., and Juanita Amador of Great Bend; and one grandson.
Services were held Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. Marvin Goodpasture
officiated. Burial was at Memorial Park Cemetery, Enid, Okla. Memorials may be made for funeral expenses through
the funeral home, Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home, 2800 N. Van Buren, Enid, OK 73703.
