Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Robert B. Herold
1920 - 2008
Robert B. Herold, 87, of Great Bend, a man remembered for his inquisitive mind, generous way with people and
dedication to his family, died June 15 in Hays. He was born Sept. 17, 1920, in Ellinwood, the son of Walter and
Caroline Herold. He was a graduate of Ellinwood High School and a longtime resident of Great Bend. He started
worked in the oil fields at the age of 14 and was still working in the oil fields at the time of his death. He was a farmer
east of Ellinwood for a time. Later in his career he worked as a pipe fitter and was a member of the Steamfitters and
Pipe Fitters Union Local 441. Robert retired in 1983 but continued as a partner and the president of Carrie Exploration
and Development, an oil-producing company he and his older son created.
On Oct. 13, 1944, he married Anna Marie (Nancy) Long in Brooklyn, N.Y. They were married for 52 years. He loved
her very much and they raised five children together. Robert Herold was a patriotic man, dedicated to serving his
country. He served in the United States Navy for 5 1/2 years during World War II, as a WT1. He was proud to have
served on one of the eight escort destroyers that accompanied the USS Hornet on the Doolittle Raid. During his time in
the Navy he served on several destroyers in both the Pacific and the Atlantic.
He served on the USS Fanning DD-385 and the USS Kendrick DD-612. He was a member of the Tin Can Sailors.
Robert loved Kansas and was a very skilled craftsman who enjoyed rebuilding player pianos for a hobby. In 1962,
Robert bought a small home, moved it to its present location and then enlarged it for his family, doing all stages of the
move and construction himself. He was especially proud of the brick-laying skills he learned as a young boy. He lived
in that home until the time of his death. The family states, Robert was a loving husband and great father. He was
friendly, kind, generous and a caring person with a great sense of humor. Robert loved to tell a good story or joke and
always seemed to come up with the right story at the right time. He always had time for children and was rarely found
without a smile. He was someone who truly loved his family and showed it in many ways. He always encouraged his
children to do the right thing and led by example. He was honest, fair and a man of his word.
Robert Herold was of the Christian faith.
Survivors include his five children, son Ronald Herold and wife Audrey, daughter Elizabeth (Penny) Healzer and
husband Byron, daughter Roberta Gail Blair-Patterson and husband Ivor, son Daniel Herold and wife Fay and daughter
Caroline Albina and husband Chuck; his 14 grandchildren, Valrie (Herold) Schupman, Robby and Shereen, Herold,
Deanna (Healzer) O’Brian, David, Sammy and Josh Healzer, Nicole Blair, Amy (Herold) Raymer, Angie (Herold)
Hart, Casey Herold, Travis, Jesica and Hanna Albina; his 10 great-grandchildren, Alex, Olivia and Abigail Healzer,
Jade Blair, Branden Schupman, Vincent Herold, Tanner Gillotti, Kadence Herold-Black, Tammy Kincaid and Kendra
Crabb. He was also loved and will be missed by many other family and friends. He was preceded in death by his
mother and father, three brothers and one sister, and his wife Nancy who died March 29, 1996.
Viewing and visitation are scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and an informal Remembrance Service from 7 to 8 p.m.
Friday at Charter Funerals, Great Bend. A celebration of Robert’s life is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at First
Assembly of God, 601 S. Patton, Great Bend. Officiating will be Pastor Dwight Dozier. There will be barbecue to
follow at the church. Memorials to be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Charter Funerals
2115 Washington
Great Bend, KS 67530
Clarence E. Lebbin
1915 - 2008
ELLINWOOD — Clarence E. Lebbin, 92, died June 17 at Ellinwood District Hospital. He was born Nov. 4, 1915, at
Ellinwood, the son of Will and Clara Panning Lebbin. He married Lucile Richardson on June 18, 1939, at Ellinwood.
She died Jan. 17, 1999. He was a lifetime resident of Ellinwood. He retired in 1977 as owner/operator of Lebbin Oil
Co. He was a school bus driver and served on the city council and the Ellinwood Fire Department.
Mr. Lebbin was a member of the Mike Herr Hunting Club, and of St. John Lutheran Church and Lions Club and a
Scouting volunteer, all of Ellinwood.
Survivors include two sons, Dennis W. Lebbin and wife Carol of Towanda and Kenneth A. Lebbin and wife Debbie of
Ellinwood; two daughters, Judy Jenisch and husband Richard of Sublette and Trisha Dove and husband Rob of Great
Bend; 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a brother, Milton, and a sister, Edith
Rusco.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. John Lutheran Church, Ellinwood, with the Rev. Jeff Frakes
officiating. Burial will be at Lakin-Comanche District Cemetery, Ellinwood. Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday
at Kimple Funeral Home, Ellinwood. Memorials are suggested to Ellinwood District Hospital Swing-Bed Wing or to
St. John Lutheran Church.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Kimple Funeral Home
113 North Main
Ellinwood, KS 67526
Bertha Mae Priesner
1921 - 2008
Bertha Mae Priesner, 86, of Great Bend, died June 17 at Great Bend Health & Rehabilitation Center. Born Nov. 22,
1921, at Great Bend, she was the daughter of Eric and Adeline Belcher Wells. She married Frank Priesner on Nov. 9,
1940, at Great Bend. He survives. She was a homemaker and a lifetime resident of Great Bend.
Mrs. Priesner was a member of the Prince of Peace Parish at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Altar Society and
Daughters of Isabella.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, of the home, include two sons, Richard Priesner and wife Patsy of Grand
Junction, Colo., and Roger Priesner and wife Loretta of Bryan, Texas; a daughter, Beverly Lawyer and husband Ronald
of Austin, Texas; three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in
death by a sister, Eulala Harris.
An Altar Society Rosary will be at 4 p.m. today, and a Vigil Service with D of I Rosary at 7 p.m. today, at Bryant
Funeral Home, Great Bend. Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Great
Bend, with Father Reginald A. Urban officiating. Interment will be at Great Bend Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9
a.m. to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Donations to a memorial fund for Prince of Peace Parish, or for the Holy
Family School Endowment Fund, may be made in care of the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Bryant Funeral Home
1425 Patton Road
Great Bend, KS 67530
Victor Joseph Zecha
1923 - 2008
LARNED — Victor Joseph Zecha, 84, died, June 19 at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital, Larned. He was born Aug. 18,
1923, in Barton County, the son of William B. and Frances Frenzl Zecha. An area resident since 1946, moving from
Odin, he was a farmer and a mechanic for Roth Equipment.
He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus, both of Larned. On May 20,
1946, he married Martha Ann Schneweis in Odin. She died July 11, 2005. Survivors include two sons, David and wife
Linda, Larned, and Dan and wife Linda, Yuma, Ariz.; a daughter, Shirley Lemay, Lawrenceburg, Tenn.; a brother,
Clarence, Odin; three sisters, Matilda Penka, Odin, Lucille Schneweis, Great Bend, and Doris Weiser, Hoisington; six
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by three brothers, Raymond, Robert and
Herman, and four sisters, Eleanor Johanning, Helen Straub, Agnes Penka and Kathleen Zecha; and a grandson, Dustin
Zecha.
Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Bernard Felix officiating.
Vigil Service will be at 7 p.m. Friday at the Beckwith Mortuary Chapel. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today
at the Beckwith Mortuary. Burial will be in the Larned Cemetery, Larned. Memorials may be sent to the Sacred Heart
Endowment Fund or the Larned EMS, both in care of the Beckwith Mortuary.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Beckwith Mortuary
916 Main/P.O. Box 477
Larned, KS 67550
Mark William “Sparky” Wagner
1959 - 2008
WASILLA, Alaska — Mark William “Sparky” Wagner, 49, of Wasilla, died June 14 in Wasilla. He was born June 14,
1959, at Great Bend, the son of Lloyd W. and Thelma (Stanley) Wagner. He married Rhonda A. Pierlot on May 31,
2002, in Las Vegas, Nev. She survives. He had lived in Alaska since 2004. He attended school in Phillipsburg and La
Crosse, and was a 1977 graduate of La Crosse High School. He was employed as a journeyman electrician in several
states.
Mr. Wagner was a member of the United States Marines from 1977 to 1980.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include a son, Kacey Wagner of Excelsior Springs, Mo.; a daughter, Tommi Mae
Wagner of Meade; his father, Lloyd, and stepmother Mary Beth Wagner of Rush Center; his stepfather Duane Schwab
of Ellinwood; five brothers, Preston Wagner and his wife Maribeth and Tracy Wagner and his wife Sue, all of La
Crosse, Terry Wagner and his wife Julie of Rush Center, Ted Wagner and his wife Lisa of Pawnee Rock, and John
Schwab and his wife Amanda of Liberal; three sisters, Linda Redona and her husband Keleo of Honolulu, Hawaii,
Tammy Wagner of Bremerton, Wash., and Tanya Pierce and her husband Dean of La Crosse; uncles, aunts, many
nephews, nieces and cousins. He was preceded in death by his mother and a brother, Travis Wagner.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Hope Lutheran Church in Rush Center, with Vicar David Rosales
officiating. Interment will be in the La Crosse City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m. today at the Janousek
Funeral Home in La Crosse, with the family receiving friends from 6 to 7 p.m.; and from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. Saturday at
the church. Memorial donations may be made to the Hope Lutheran Church, Rush Center, or to the American Cancer
Society.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Janousek Funeral Home
719 Pine
La Crosse, KS 67548
Vernon A. Yarmer
1930 - 2008
GALATIA/RUSSELL — Vernon A. Yarmer, 78, died June 21 at his home in Russell County. He was born April 16,
1930, in rural Russell County, the son of Frank and Mary Demel Yarmer. He married Arlene C. Stoss on May 22,
1956, at Olmitz. A farmer/stockman, he was a lifetime resident of Russell County.
Mr. Yarmer was a member of St. Ann Catholic Church, and was a choir member for 62 years. He was also a member of
the Knights of Columbus Council No. 2100 – 3rd degree, and the Sunflower Polka Club. He loved playing cards and
never met a stranger.
Survivors include his wife, of Russell; two sons, Robert Yarmer and wife, Valerie, and Verlin Yarmer Jr. and wife
Susanne, all of Russell; three daughters, Rhonda Glassman and husband John, of Russell, Becky Cameron and husband
Allen of Grant City, Mo., and Rochelle Kuhn and husband Curtis of Victoria; a brother, Milton Yarmer, Olmitz; 13 1/2
grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Mello Yarmer; and an
infant sister, Mary Yarmer.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Ann Catholic Church in Olmitz, with Father Ultan Murphy
presiding. Wake service will be at 7 p.m. Monday at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, Hoisington. Burial will be at St.
Ann Cemetery, Olmitz. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested
to the St. Ann Church/Choir or American Cancer Society (Pancreas), both in care of the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home
P.O. Box 146 , 415 North Main
Hoisington, KS 67544
Vivian Estella Johnson Cronin
1913 - 2008
EDMOND, Okla. — Vivian Estella Johnson Cronin, 95, died June 21 at Bradford Village in Edmond, Okla. Born May
12, 1913, in Jesse, Okla., she was the daughter of George and Sarah Alice Moran Thompson. She married Russell
Johnson on Nov. 27, 1936, in Arkadelphia, Ark. He died on Aug. 17, 1987. She married Richard Cronin on May 31,
1990, in Great Bend. He died Feb. 23, 2004. A longtime resident of Great Bend, living in Edmond since 2005, she was
a housewife and retired educator.
Mrs. Cronin was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Great Bend Garden Club and several bridge groups, all in
Great Bend.
Survivors include a daughter, Alice Finney of Edmond, Okla.; two grandchildren, Shelby Finney and wife Mindy and
Jennifer Heinz and husband David; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law Don
Finney, two brothers, four sisters, and a granddaughter, Stephanie Finney.
Graveside service will be at 11 a.m. today at the Great Bend Cemetery with Dr. Dennis Scheibmeir officiating. Friends
may visit from 9 to 10:30 a.m. today at Bryant Funeral Home, Great Bend. Memorials are suggested to the First
Presbyterian Church or the Great Bend Garden Club, all in care of the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Bryant Funeral Home
1425 Patton Road
Great Bend, KS 67530
