Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
R. Price Cowan Sr.
READING -- R. Price Cowan Sr., 90, Reading, died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2000, at an Emporia nursing home.
Mr. Cowan was a farmer and stockman in the Reading and Arvonia communities for many years.
He was born Aug. 4, 1910, in Emporia, the son of David Pierce and Georgia Hadley Cowan. He attended Emporia schools and graduated from Emporia High School in 1931.
Mr. Cowan was a member of Reading United Methodist Church, where he taught Sunday school, and he was a founding member of the Reading Lions Club. He also served on the Reading School Board. He was past master and a 50-year member of Masonic Lodge No. 152 in Lebo, where he was district deputy grand Master. He was a member of the Scottish Rite of Topeka, the Arab Shrine Temple in Topeka and Orphah Chapter No. 140 of the Order of Eastern Star in Lebo.
He married Esther Johnson on March 18, 1936, in Emporia. She preceded him in death. He married Willdonna Bailey Shields on June 17, 1967, in Burlington. She survives.
Other survivors include a son, Ronald Price Cowan Jr., Topeka; a daughter, Lorna Elizabeth Cowan Stormont, Emporia; a stepdaughter, Judy Shields Hudson, Aztec, N.M.; a stepson, James Michael Shields, Thatra, New South Wales, Australia; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the United Methodist Church in Reading. Burial will be in the Reading Cemetery, where Lodge No. 1523 of Lebo will conduct Masonic graveside services. Mr. Cowan will lie in state from 2 to 6 p.m. today at Jones VanArsdale Funeral Home in Lebo.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Reading United Methodist Church, sent in care of the funeral home.
Robert Einfeldt
SALINA -- Robert Clyde "Slim" Einfeldt, 79, Salina, died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2001, at his home.
Mr. Einfeldt was an automobile salesman for Bacon-Clark Dodge and Quality Used Cars, both in Salina.
He was born June 2, 1921, in Salt Lake City. He moved to Salina 31 years ago.
Survivors include his wife, Harriet E. Einfeldt, at home; five sons, Mike Einfeldt, Revere, Mo., Steve Einfeldt, Salina, Bill Einfeldt, O'Fallon, Mo., Mark Einfeldt, St. Peters, Mo., and Jim Einfeldt, Hailey, Idaho; three daughters, Angela Andrewson, Salina, Pat Bailey, Fort Madison, Iowa, and Betty Teal, Marlette, Mich.; a stepsisters, Bobbie Phillips, Salt Lake City; 17 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Ryan Mortuary in Salina. Inurnment will be private.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Saline County Home Health Department, 1125 W. Elm, Salina, 67401.
D. Howard Elliott
WINCHESTER -- The Rev. Dr. D. Howard Elliott, 85, Winchester, died Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, at his home in Winchester.
The Rev. Elliott served as pastor to the Winchester Reformed Presbyterian Church in Winchester from 1940 to 1947. He then moved to Beaver Falls, Pa., and served as a pastor to the First Beaver Falls Reformed Presbyterian Church from 1947 to 1964. He then moved to Topeka and served as pastor to the Topeka Reformed Presbyterian Church from 1964 until his retirement in 1980. Rev. The Rev. Elliott moved to Winchester and served as manager of the Delaware Place Apartments from 1983 to 1995. He formerly served as a police chaplain in Topeka for 10 years.
He was born June 8, 1915, at Winchester, the son of the Rev. Delber Harvey and Emma Cubit Elliott. He was a 1933 graduate of Dormont High School, a 1937 graduate of Geneva College and a 1940 graduate of the Reformed Presbyterian Seminary, all in Pittsburgh. He received his honorary doctorate of divinity in 1958.
The Rev. Elliott served as editor of the Christian Statesman publication from 1986 to 1988. He served as clerk of the Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. He also served as an officer of the National Association of Evangelicals and served as a lobbyist for four congresses. He was the architect and builder of his own retirement home in Winchester. He served on the Geneva Board of Trustees for 20 years.
He married Winifred Coleman on Aug. 30, 1940, in Pittsburgh. She survives of the home in Winchester.
Other survivors include three daughters, Nancy Walton, Topeka, Kathy Stegall, Lawrence, and Meg Garber, Burke, W.Va.; one sister, Arnetta Cooper, Carnegie, Pa.; 18 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Esther Martin, on Nov. 16, 1995.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Winchester Reformed Presbyterian Church. Burial will be at the Reformed Presbyterian Cemetery in Winchester.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Winchester Reformed Presbyterian Church in Winchester.
Barnett Funeral Home in Oskaloosa is in charge of arrangements.
Ruth Garinger
HARVEYVILLE -- Ruth G. Garinger, 92, formerly of Harveyville, died Dec. 19, 2000, at a Redlands, Calif., hospital.
Mrs. Garinger had worked for the Harveyville Telephone Co., and the Harveyville Post Office. She and her husband also farmed near Harveyville for 54 years.
She was born March 23, 1908, in Ewen, Mich., the daughter of A.K. and Gertrude Ross Barnes. She was raised in the Harveyville and Alma communities, and graduated from Alma High School.
Mrs. Garinger was a member of the Harveyville United Methodist Church and the Happy Homemakers Club in Harveyville.
She married Norval G. Garinger on Aug. 20, 1930, in Harveyville. He died April 30, 1994.
Survivors include two daughters, JoAnn Pinault, Westlake Village, Calif., and Carol Mueller, Escondido, Calif.; a sister, Maude Ratliff, Redlands; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Harveyville United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Harveyville Cemetery.
Carey Funeral Home in Burlingame is in charge of arrangements.
Wauneta Houser
ALLEN -- Wauneta Catherine Houser, 87, formerly of Allen, died Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, at a Belton, Mo., nursing home.
She was born July 23, 1913, in Emporia, the daughter of Taylor and Irene Tucker Jackson.
She married Arthur J. Houser on Jan. 26, 1931, in Emporia. He died June 9, 1976.
Survivors include a son, Howard Houser, Belton; a sister, Ruby Vincent, Yreka, Calif.; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Chapel in Emporia. Burial will be in the Matfield Green Cemetery at Matfield Green.
Leonard Johnson
COUNCIL GROVE -- Leonard Martin Johnson, 83, Council Grove, died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2000, at a Council Grove hospital.
Mr. Johnson farmed and raised cattle near Wilsey for 50 years before he retired in 1996. He also had worked at Fort Riley from 1966 to 1982.
He was born Aug. 28, 1917, in Batson, Texas, the son of Martin and Hilda Gustafson Johnson. His father died while he was an infant, and he was raised in Marquette. He had lived with relatives until he graduated from Wilsey High School in 1935. He attended college in Emporia and began farming the Ray Henry farm when Mr. Henry died in the late 1930s. He moved to Council Grove from the farm in 1996.
Mr. Johnson was a member of the Wilsey Christian Church many years ago and had been a member of the Wilsey Methodist Church since 1940. He also was a member of the Wilsey Methodist Men's Club and the Wilsey Lions Club. He also was a 4-H leader for many years.
He married Harriett Stiver on Sept. 13, 1940, in Wilsey. She survives.
Other survivors include four sons, Lyle Johnson, Salina, Les Johnson, Apple Valley, Minn., Loren Johnson, Chester, Mont., and Lindley Johnson, Kingstowne, Va.; three daughters, Jeanette Bloness, Shetfield, Mass., Judeen Bachural, Council Grove, and Joette Payton, Abilene; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Mr. Johnson was preceded in death by a grandson, Luke Bachura.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Wilsey United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Wilsey Cemetery. Mr. Johnson will lie in state from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today at Kendall Funeral Chapel in Council Grove, where visitation will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wilsey United Methodist Church or to the American Heart Association, sent in care of the funeral chapel.
Rodney Smith
OSAGE CITY -- Rodney James Smith, 86, Osage City, died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2000, at his home.
Mr. Smith was a tariff supervisor for Atlantic Richfield, formerly Sinclair Oil, for 25 years. He also farmed.
He was born Jan. 13, 1914, on a farm west of Lyndon, the son of Hallam Rodney and Agnes Hanson Smith. He earned a degree in chemistry at the College of Emporia. He lived in Independence from 1946 until he moved back to the farm near Lyndon in 1975.
Mr. Smith was a member of First United Presbyterian Church in Lyndon.
He married Sara Jane Blaney on Nov. 26, 1937, at Emporia. She survives.
Other survivors include a son, Edwin Smith, Ottawa; two daughters, Martha Gordon, Fort Worth, Texas, and Elizabeth D. Moore, Hurst, Texas; a sister, Lugene Roehrman, Sun City, Ariz.; three grandchildren; and two stepgrandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Lyndon First United Presbyterian Church. Burial will be in the Osage City Cemetery. Mr. Smith will lie in state after 2 p.m. today at Feltner Funeral Chapel in Lyndon, where relatives and friends will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The casket will remain closed.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or to Emporia State University and sent in care of the funeral home.
Helen Stech
ATCHISON -- Helen Lucille Stech, 89, Atchison, died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2000, at an Atchison nursing home.
Mrs. Stech had worked in Seattle at a boarding house operated by her aunt, and later was a nurse in hospitals in Sacramento, Calif.; San Francisco; Miami, Fla.; and Boston.
She was born Aug. 23, 1911, in Raritan, Ill., the daughter of George D. and Ethel Van Arsdale Browning. She attended school in Lucas County, Iowa, in North Dakota and in Minnesota. She graduated from high school in Eddyville, Iowa, and received nurses training in Seattle. She had lived in Williamson, Iowa, until she moved to Atchison.
She married Don E. Warner, who preceded her in death. She married Robert G. Stech on Jan. 31, 1957. He died in 1994.
Survivors include a daughter, Susan Warner Chapman, Cameron, Mo.; a son, Don M. Warner, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Stech was cremated. Memorial services will be at a later date in Williamson.
Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home in Atchison is in charge of arrangements.
Lorene Sweet
EMPORIA -- Lorene W. Sweet, 88, Emporia, died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2000, at a Kansas City, Mo., hospital.
Mrs. Sweet and her husband farmed for many years.
She was born Dec. 30, 1912, in Emporia, the daughter of William Arthur and Irene Kurzen Hoch.
Mrs. Sweet was a charter member of the RFD Mixers and an honorary member of Rosean Social Circle Club in Emporia.
She married W. Russell Sweet on April 10, 1935, in Emporia. He died Dec. 15, 1993.
Survivors include two sons, William Eugene Sweet, Wichita, and Gerald Russell Sweet, Emporia; a daughter, Sylvia Ilene Bechtold, Kansas City, Mo.; nine grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Chapel in Emporia. Burial will be in Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Emporia.
Memorial contributions may be made to Beta Sigma Phi Heart Fund and sent in care of the funeral home.
Margaret Vondemkamp
SENECA -- Margaret E. Vondemkamp, 94, Seneca, died Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, at a Seneca nursing home.
Mrs. Vondemkamp and her husband farmed south of Seneca until 1989. She also had taught school for two years in the 1920s -- one year at Pine School east of Corning and one year at Social Hill School north of Corning.
She was born June 26, 1906, on a farm northwest of Corning, the daughter of Henry and Agnes Ross Eisenbarth. She was raised on a farm east of Corning, and she graduated from Corning High School in 1924. She earned a teaching certificate at Emporia Teachers College. She moved from the farm to Corning in 1989.
Mrs. Vondemkamp was a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Seneca, and St. Ann's Altar Society at the church. She was a former member of St. Bede's Church at Kelly.
She married Frank Vondemkamp on Oct. 19, 1927, at Kelly. He died Nov. 21, 1993.
Survivors include a son, Robert Vondemkamp, Seneca; a brother, Lou Eisenbarth, Topeka; a sister, Dorothy "Dode" Henry, Goff, four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca. Burial will be in the church cemetery. A vigil prayer service will be at 2 p.m. today and a rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. today, both at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca.
Memorial contributions may be made to Sts. Peter and Paul Church and sent in care of the family.
Ethel Wood
WHEATON -- Ethel E. Wood, 87, Wheaton, died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2000, at a Ruidoso, N.M., hospital. She had been spending Christmas with her sister in New Mexico.
Mrs. Wood worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. in Topeka from 1931 to 1947. She later owned and operated with her husband a women's apparel retail store in Madison, Wis., for 27 years until their retirement in 1981.
She was born May 16, 1913, in Sitka, the daughter of Lawson and Emma Mayberry Smith. She moved with the family to Wheaton in the 1920s and graduated from Wheaton High School in 1931. She returned to Wheaton from Wisconsin in 1981.
Mrs. Wood was a member of the Wheaton Senior Citizens organization.
She married Curtis R. Wood on Dec. 19, 1947, at Minneapolis, Minn. He died June 11, 1990. She also was preceded in death by a grandson, Allen C. Wood, on Aug. 24, 1999.
Survivors include a stepdaughter, Patricia Pugh, Houston; a son, Bruce C. Wood, Wheaton; a stepson, Robert Wood, Radisson,Wis.; three sisters, Mary Jo Van Deerlin, San Diego, Elizabeth Ruth Perry, Capitan, N.M., and Grace I. Perry, Dragoon, Ariz.; a brother, Dale R. Smith, Topeka; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Kufahl Funeral Home, Wheaton. Burial will be in the Wheaton Congregational Cemetery. Mrs. Woods will lie in state from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, Wheaton, where the family will greet friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday.
The family suggests memorials to the Ethel Wood Memorial Fund, to be designated later.
