Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
William S. Schmidt
William S. Schmidt, 84, of Goessel died Dec. 13, 2000, at Newton Medical Center in Newton.
He was born July 20, 1916, the son of Henry and Susanna (Schroeder) Schmidt at Goessel.
He married Lena Penner Dec. 10, 1939, at Inman. A retired farmer, he and his wife lived on farms in rural Goessel until moving to Goessel in 1978. She died Dec. 9, 2000.
He was a member of Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church in Goessel. He served in numerous church positions and was district secretary of the Mennonite Aid Union.
He was preceded in death by his wife and brother, Jacob S. Schmidt.
Survivors include son, Dennis Schmidt of Goessel; daughter, Evelyn Schmidt of Overland Park; and three grandchildren.
Services were held Dec. 16 at the Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church with Revs. James Dunn and Mark Wiens officiating. Burial was at the church cemetery.
A memorial has been established with Bethesda Home in Goessel.
Donald Krause
Donald Wayne Krause, 67, of Hillsboro died Dec. 11, 2000, at Hillsboro Community Medical Center in Hillsboro.
He was born April 28, 1933, in Hillsboro, the son of Frank and Minnie (Jost) Krause.
On July 28, 1980, he married Martha Petzer at the First Mennonite Church in Hillsboro.
He was a member of First Mennonite Church.
He was a salesman for plumbing supplies in Hutchinson for Baker Manufacturing.
Survivors include his wife Martha Krause of Hillsboro; sons, Scott Wayne Krause and Douglas Franklin Krause, both of Shawnee; step-sons, Brian Klassen of Wichita, Robert Klassen of Irving, Texas, and Daniel Klassen of Casper, Wyo.; step-daughters, LeNora Duerksen of rural Goessel, and Rebecca Morris of Hillsboro; brother Frank Krause Jr. of Lawrence; three grandchildren; and nine step-grandchildren.
Services were held Dec. 16 at First Mennonite Church with Pastor Ken Peterson officiating. Burial was at Haven of Rest Cemetery, rural Hillsboro.
A memorial fund has been established with First Mennonite Church.
Salome O. Roberts
Salome O. Roberts, 88, of Denver, Colo., died Jan. 4, 2001, at Porter's Hospital in Denver, Colo.
She was born on a farm in Marion County, the daughter of Abraham and Justina (Harms) Hiebert.
On Feb. 25, 1938, she married Paul H. Roberts. They lived in Denver, Colo., since 1956. He died in 1982.
Survivors include her daughter, Margaret M. and husband, George Congrave, of Denver, Colo.; her son, James and wife, Carol L. Roberts, of Medina, Ohio; her grandsons, Paul H. Roberts II of Akron, Ohio, and John E. and wife, Sarah Lauer Roberts of Medina, Ohio; her great-grandson, Braelyn E. Roberts of Medina, Ohio.
Wayne L. Steely
Wayne L. Steely, 91, of Burdick, a life long resident of the area, died of natural causes on Jan. 10, 2001, at the Herington Municipal Hospital.
Born July 1, 1909, on a farm near Lincolnville, he was the son of John P. and Ella May (Gilbert) Steely.
He retired from farming in 1978. He raised cattle and would sell them through commissioners firms in Kansas City and St. Joseph, Mo.
He married Goldie I. Hansen on April 12, 1941, at the First United Methodist Church in Wichita.
His hobbies included working with flowers and in the lawn, on shrubs and trees. He and his wife hosted an open yard featuring annual and perennial flowers. He submitted his flowers in the Kansas State Fair and received many blue ribbons. He also had a master gardener degree certificate from Kansas State University.
Steely was a member of the Burdick United Methodist Church. He was the oldest and longest member, joining the church in 1925. He served on the school board, the church board and was a member of the board of directors for the Tri-County Arts Council of Herington. He attended the West Slope Grade School and graduated from Diamond Valley High School of Burdick with the class of 1927. Following high school he attended Kansas State Teachers College at Emporia.
Survivors include wife Goldie of the home; son, Conrad Steely of Sherman Oaks, Calif.; brother, Glenn and wife Florence Steely of McPherson; sister-in-law, Lorene Steely of Sunland, Calif.; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Paul and Carol Hanson of Salina; and two granddaughters.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter-in-law, Susan Steely; brothers, John Steely, Lyle Steely and Grant Steely; and sister, Gertrude Christner.
Services were held Jan. 13 at the United Methodist Church in Burdick with Pastor Sandra Horsley officiating and assisted by Pastors Tony R. Horsley and David G. Bolz. Burial was at the church cemetery.
The family requests memorials be made to the Burdick United Methodist Church Building Fund, c/o Donahue funeral Home, 404 South Broadway, Herington, KS 67449-3038.
LaVern Lee Plenert
LaVern Lee Plenert, 79, of Hemet, Calif., died Jan. 2, 2001, of lung disease in his home.
He was born April 3, 1921, in Goessel.
He worked 35 years for the phone company, from a lineman in Wichita to management in Long Beach and Pomona, Calif. After retirement he moved to Phelan, Calif., where he had horses for his hobby. He lived in Hemet the past 12 years. He enjoyed gardening, fishing, crafts and painting.
He is survived by his wife, Verna; daughters, Donna and Tom Scott of Lake Havasu, Calif., Sandy Philabaum of Bothell, Wash., and Gayle and Bill Kohn of Mission Viejo, Calif.; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; brothers, Roland of McPherson, Abe of Montana, and John of Pennsylvania; and sister, Doris David of Hillsboro.
Memorial services were held Jan. 5 at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Hemet, Calif.
Geneva M. German
Geneva M. German, 78, of Canton, died Jan. 13, 2001, at Shiloh Manor Nursing Home in Canton.
Born Oct. 13, 1922, in McPherson, she was the daughter of Wilber and Elva (Waln) Greenwood.
She married Harvey German June 8, 1940, at McPherson. He died Jan. 19, 1992. She was a homemaker and retired bookkeeper. She was a member of Canton United Methodist Church, Order of Eastern Star in Valley Center, Beta Sigma Pi, and Canton Senior Center.
She was preceded in death by her husband and a son, Harvey Maynard German.
Survivors include son, Wilber H. German of Hillsboro; daughter, Darcy German Mausolf of Canton; sister, Juanita Blaylock of McPherson; and two grandchildren.
Services were held Jan. 17 at Canton United Methodist Church with Rev. Sandy DesPlas presiding. Burial was at Canton Township Cemetery.
Memorials have been established at Canton Senior Center or Shiloh Manor Nursing Home.
Norma Jean Britt
Norma Jean Britt, 69, of Wichita, died Aug. 23, 2000, at Via Christi Medical Center in Wichita.
She was the daughter of Bob and Rachel Lais, who were former Hillsboro residents.
She was a former Boeing employee in Washington before moving to Wichita.
Survivors include her mother, Rachel Lais of Wichita; and brother, Bob Lais of Wichita; and two stepsons, Joe and Charlie.
Services were held Aug. 30 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Wichita.
Memorials have been suggested to the Emmanuel Lutheran Church or the American Heart Association.
Lucinda Goossen
Lucinda Juanita Goossen, 19, of rural Hillsboro died Jan. 5, 2001, of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle accident north of Goessel.
Born June 30, 1981, in Newton, she was the daughter of Ervin and Maria Belia (Trevino) Goossen.
She was a member of Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, Goessel 4-H and FFA, Student Organization of Rotary International, American Dairy Association, Dairy Science Club and the Pre-Vet Club. She was a multi-cultural ambassador. She graduated from Goessel High School and was a sophomore at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
Survivors include her parents of rural Hillsboro; brother, Alexander of rural Hillsboro; sister, Carmelita, of rural Hillsboro; and grandmother, Agnes Goossen of Goessel.
The funeral services were held Jan. 10 at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church near Goessel with Rev. James Dunn and Rev. Mark Wiens officiating. Burial will be at Alexanderwohl Cemetery.
A Lucinda Goossen Memorial Fund has been established in care of the church.
Max E. Spoon
Max E. Spoon, 70, Newton, formerly of Hillsboro and Oxford, died Dec. 29, 2000 at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Joseph Campus in Wichita.
He was born July 23, 1930 on the family farm near Cherokee, Okla., the son of Elmer and Ethel Esthel Spoon. He attended schools in Oxford.
He married Eva Marie Cheuvront on July 23, 1948 in Oxford. She died Jan. 7, 1987. He later married Maxine Wilson Martin on Aug. 19, 1995 in Oxford.
He farmed with Joe Groene for a period then worked at the Oxford Dehy Elevator and Parity Mills Elevator. For nearly 25 years, he worked and farmed with Chuck Tallman in the Oxford area and spent over 10 years before his retirement at the Oxford School District as maintenance supervisor.
He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife, one sister, Edna Mae Pittman and two infant siblings, Harold and Elizabeth.
Survivors include his wife Maxine of the home in Newton; son Robert Spoon of Oxford; stepson Al Siebel of Rock Springs, Wyo.; daughters, Janet Donley of Oxford, and Linda Johnson of Winfield; stepdaughters, Sue Hicks of Stewartville, Minn., Lola "Bambi" Buck of Pueblo West, Colo., Sarah Ferris of Lamar, Colo., Jane Prine of Newton, and Jean Chavez of Omaha, Neb.; stepmother Lillian Spoon of Ponca City, Okla.; six grandchildren; 14 step-grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and five step-great-grandchildren.
Services were held Jan. 3, 2001 at the Oliver-Hawks Funeral Home in Oxford with Pastor Wayne Handle officiating. Burial was at the Oxford Cemetery.
Memorials have been established with the Oxford High School and the American Diabetes Association.
Bernice Spears
Bernice Ruth (Delk) Spears, 74, of Panama City, Fla., formerly of Wichita, died Dec. 28, 2000. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Old Mission Mortuary, 3424 E. 21st Street in Wichita.
Edna Thye Vogt Forrest
Edna Thye Vogt Forrest, 89, of Jackson, Calif., died Dec. 27, 2000, in Jackson, Calif..
Born March 6, 1911, in Marion County, she was the daughter of George and Marie Mochlman Thye.
She married Arnold F. Vogt July 24, 1931, in Hillsboro; he died in 1961. She married Loren Forrest March 10, 1975, in California; he died in 1993.
She was a homemaker and member of Reedley Mennonite Brethren Church.
Survivors include sons, Jack Vogt of Tampa and Gary Vogt of San Diego, Calif.; daughter, Lynda Klassen of Fresno, Calif.; brothers, George Thye of McPherson and Harry Thye of Hillsboro; sisters, Martha Schroeder of Hillsboro and Jeanette Keezer of Marion.; nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 3 at Hillsboro Memorial Chapel with Pastor Bruce Porter officiating. Burial will be at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Cemetery.
A memorial fund has been established with Main Street Ministries in Hillsboro.
