Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Inez Marie Jaco
1908 - 2008
PLAINVILLE — Inez Marie Jaco, 99, died Jan. 19 at Redbud Village in Plainville. She was born on March 8, 1908, in
Coffeyville, the daughter of of William Jefferson and Dora Bell (Dunigan) Brown. She married Harry M. Jaco May 21,
1927 Pawhuska, Okla. They moved to Plainville in 1938. He died in 1987.
Mrs. Jaco was a member of the First Christian Church and the Dorcas Club. She was an avid golfer and was active in
the Rooks County Ladies Golf Club.
Survivors include two sons, Gene of Plainville and John W. of Great Bend; four grandchildren; five great-
grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson. She was preceded in death by ten siblings.
Memorial service was held on Monday at Mosher-Kemp Funeral Home with Pastor Larry Lyles of the First Christian
Church of Plainville officiating. Interment was in the Plainville Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Plainville
Christian Church or Redbud Village of Plainville. Contributions may be left at the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Mosher/Kemp Funeral Home
320 SW 2nd
Plainville, KS 67663
Robert L. Deines
1943 - 2008
HOISINGTON — Robert L. Deines, 64, died Jan. 23 at Central Kansas Medical Center, Great Bend. Born April 9,
1943, in Boulder, Colo., he was the son of Herman F. Deines and Sara A. “Arter” Deines. He married Bernice Niedens
on April 16, 1967, in Hoisington. She survives. A lifetime resident of the Galatia-Hoisington area, he was formerly
involved in farming and dirt construction and also started Dartmouth Sand, of which he was a co-owner.
Mr. Deines was a member of the Concordia Lutheran Church in Hoisington.
Survivors include his wife, Bernice Deines of Hoisington; a son, Kirk and wife Sarah Deines of Hoisington; a daughter,
Renita and husband Dr. Tyler Schremmer of Hoisington; mother, Sara Deines of Otis; a brother, Jim Deines of
Wichita; three sisters, Kathryn Ahlvers of Great Bend, Marcia Brewer of Edwardsville, Ill., and Vickie Reidl of
Woodward, Okla.; and four grandchildren, Trent and Tricia Schremmer and Blake and Noah Deines. He was preceded
in death by his father, Herman F. Deines; a brother, Frank Deines; and a sister, Elizabeth Deines.
Prayer service will be at 7 p.m. today at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, Hoisington. Funeral service will be at 10:30
a.m. Saturday at the Concordia Lutheran Church in Hoisington with the Rev. Mark Lovett officiating. Burial will be at
the St. John Lutheran Cemetery near Susank. Friends may visit from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral
Home and from 9:30 a.m. to service time on Saturday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the
Concordia Lutheran Church in care of the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home
415 N. Main
P.O. Box 146
Hoisington, KS 67544
Gerald L. Durham
1935 – 2008
LYONS — Gerald L. Durham, 72 , died Jan. 25 at Hospice House in Hutchinson. He was born April 20, 1935, at
Penalosa, the son of Francis Marion and Carrie Louise Wilson Durham. He married Arlene Good on May 21, 1955, at
Fredrick. He graduated from Hutchinson Community College. A longtime Rice and Reno County resident, having lived
in Lyons, Sterling and Hutchinson, he was a retired electrician at American Salt Co. of Lyons and retired E-7 from the
U.S. Army after 22 years. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving during the Korean War.
Mr. Durham was a member of First Christian Church and a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, both of Lyons,
and the American Legion in Hutchinson.
Survivors include his wife, of the home; two sons, Jerry Durham, San Jose, Calif., and Frank Durham, Sterling; five
daughters, Peggy Peterson, Sterling, Shelly Bauer, Great Bend, Cindy Dupont, Red Lake Falls, Minn., Dorothy
Bussard, Sterling, and Carrie Wilder, Lyons; 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death
by three bothers and two sisters.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Birzer-Sillin Funeral Home in Lyons with Chaplain Mark Wiens
officiating. Burial will be in Lyons Municipal Cemetery, with full military honors conducted by the Fort Riley Honor
Guard. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with family present from 6 to 8 p.m. Memorial
donations to Hospice House of Hutchinson or the American Lung Association may be made in care of the funeral
home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Birzer-Sillin Funeral Homes
214 West Ave. South
P.O. Box 89
Lyons, KS 67554
Johnny Lynn Debes
1943 – 2008
LITTLETON, Colo. — Johnny Lynn Debes, 64, of Littleton, Colo., passed away peacefully on Jan. 24, after a long
battle with cancer. He was a lifelong resident of Great Bend before moving to Denver in 1996.
Johnny was a shuttle driver for Wise Recycling in Aurora, Colo.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Naomi Dupree Debes; two daughters, Kimberly Lynn Hindman and husband
Tim of Littleton, and Kerrie Lynn Martinez and husband Damien of Round Rock, Texas; mother, Theda Debes, of
Great Bend; brother, Frederick D. Debes and wife Beverly of Derby, and three grandchildren, Alliee Hindman and
Christopher and Jacob Martinez.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Horan and McConaty Funeral Home in Lakewood, Colo. Family
request that memorials be made to Saint John's Hospice, 1320 Everett Ct., Lakewood, CO 80215.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Horan and McConaty Funeral Home
3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd.
Lakewood, CO 80227
Debora Lynn Newcomb
1945 - 2008
Debora Lynn Newcomb, 63, of Great Bend, died Jan. 26 at Central Kansas Medical Center, Great Bend. She was born
Jan. 13, 1945, at Great Bend, the daughter of Loraine and Frances Ladine Edwards Peterson. A resident of Great Bend,
moving from Tulsa, Okla., in 1995, she was a teacher and day-care operator.
She was a member of the United Methodist Church.
On September 13, 1996 in Arkansas, she married James “Russell” Newcomb. He survives.
Other survivors include her mother, Ladine, Ellinwood; two sons, Mark Daubert, Waco, Texas, and Todd Daubert,
Washington, D.C.; a stepdaughter, Chelsey Dildine, Muskogee, Okla.; a sister, Lark Peterson, Pawnee Rock; and three
grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.
Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Beckwith Mortuary Chapel, Larned, with Pastor Darryll Peterson presiding.
Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the mortuary. Burial will be in the
Larned Cemetery, Larned. Memorials may be sent to the Debora Newcomb Memorial Fund in care of the Mortuary.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Beckwith Mortuary, Inc.
P.O. Box 477
916 Main
Larned, KS 67550
Mary “Rubye” Long
1914 - 2008
Mary “Rubye” Long, 93, of Great Bend, passed away Jan. 27 at Great Bend Health and Rehabilitation Center. Rubye,
as she was known to her family and friends, was born April 3, 1914, in Nowata County, Okla., to Clarence and Pearl
Brannan Ross. Rubye graduated from Nowata High School in 1933. She married her high school sweetheart, Cleo
Everett Long, on April 7, 1937, in Nowata, Okla. During this 50-year union they lived in Oklahoma, Kansas, and
Wyoming, with Cleo’s job in the oilfields. Their last residence was in Ellinwood. Rubye was employed as a clerk in
various retail businesses and as a bookkeeper/secretary for several oil companies.
Her favorite pastimes were oil painting, knitting, sewing and all types of crafts. She loved to dance and loved country
music. She was an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and proud of her Indian heritage. But her greatest joy in
life was her family.
Rubye is survived by two daughters, Barbara Herbel of Lawrence and Sharon Bradford and husband James of Hill
City; eight grandchildren, Rick Long, Bob Long and wife Donna, Randy Long and wife Dian, all of Ellinwood, Rob
Long and wife Teresa of Great Bend, Lori Grimmett and husband Dave and Marci McAntee and husband Doug, all of
Emporia, Jaime Weller and husband Phil of Smithville, Mo., and Shari Miller and husband Bill of Hill City; 13 great-
grandchildren, six step-great-grandchildren, one great-great-granddaughter and seven nieces and nephews. Rubye was
preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Francis Ross of Nowata, Okla., her son, Francis Long of Ellinwood, and the
love of her life, Cleo.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday with family greeting friends from 6:30 to 8p.m. at Charter Funerals in
Great Bend. Funeral services for Rubye will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Charter Funerals. Burial will follow at the
Great Bend City Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Great Bend Health and Rehab Heartland Unit.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Charter Funerals
2115 Washington
Great Bend, KS 67530
Ralph Kueffer
1924 - 2008
PRATT — Ralph Kueffer was born Jan. 7, 1924, in Barton County, the son of Ralph Kueffer Sr. and Anna Elizabeth
Streck Bridenstein Kueffer, and died Jan. 25 at Pratt at the age of 84. Ralph spent many years at home taking care of his
mother, who passed away at the age of 96. After a long illness at home, Ralph was moved to Southwind Hospice House
in Pratt. The staff at Southwind was wonderful to him in his last days. Many people spent their time with him and
brightened many days for him.
Survivors include a son; two daughters; grandchildren; nieces; great-nieces and a great-nephew; and great-great-nieces.
He will be laid to rest in the spring. No date has been given at this time. Memorials are suggested to Southwind
Hospice Home in Pratt.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Ayers-Callbeck Mortuary
115 E. Fourth
Pratt, KS 67124
