Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
FRANCES OLIVER
Frances Isabelle Oliver, 86, of Burlington, formerly of Valley Center, died Oct. 9, 1997. She was a schoolteacher and housewife. Funeral services were Monday morning at First Baptist Church with Dr. Jimmy Reader officiating. Burial was in Towanda Cemetery, Towanda.
She was born Feb. 15, 1911, the daughter of Benjamin Harvey Gibson and Anna Mary Brent. She married Lee Otis Oliver. He survives.
Other survivors include her son, Kenneth Oliver of Burlington; brother, Willard Gibson of May, Texas; sisters, Lucille Gibson, Hazel Raymond, both of Wichita, and three grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with the church and Gideons International. Baker Funeral Home had charge.
WILLIAM TINKLER
William Auborn Tinkler, 82, of Augusta, brother of Wallace Tinkler of Valley Center, died Oct. 10, 1997. He was the owner of Bill's Ditching Service. Funeral services were Monday afternoon at First Christian Church of Augusta.
Other survivors include his wife, Lora; daughter, Beverley Jacob of Orange, Calif.; sister, Neva Houston of Liberal; five grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the church. Hillside Funeral Home of Augusta had charge.
LAURA DORSCH
Laura Dorsch, 89, of Wichita, mother of Mary Pritchard of Valley Center, died Oct. 10, 1997. She was a former Globe Union employee. Funeral services were Monday afternoon at Byrd-Hillside Funeral Home Midtown and Wednesday afternoon at Pine Lawn Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wis.
Other survivors include her sister, Florence Ziehm of Sun City, Calif.; five grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Wichita Community Hospice, 1650 Georgetown, Wichita 67218.
FRANCESCA ESPINOZA
Francesca Espinoza, 68, of Wichita, sister of Mary Benefield of Valley Center, died Oct. 8, 1997. She was a Wonder Bread sanitation worker. Funeral services were Monday morning at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, Wichita.
Other survivors include her sons, Felipe, Roberto, Jose Panfilo and David, all of Wichita; daughters, Anna Espinoza of Wichita, Virginia Graves of Mount Hope; brothers, Zirilo Acosta, George Acosta, both of Wichita, Celso Acosta of Chicago; sisters, Basilia Salazar of Wichita, Ramona Vasquez of Kissimmee, Fla.; 24 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Byrd-Hillside Funeral Home, Midtown, had charge.
JAMES FREDERICK LOOP
James Frederick Loop, 72, of Wichita, retired Sedgwick County Fire Department captain, died Oct. 12, 1997. Funeral services were Wednesday morning at Antioch Christian Church, Wichita.
Survivors include his wife, Jo Ann; son, Charles F. of Decatur, Ill.; daughters, Mary Ann Bullard of Grants Pass, Ore., Patsy Priebe of Appleton, Wis.; brothers, Charles A. of Derby, Ralph of Livermore, Calif.; sister, Mary Walker of Wichita and five grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with the church and the Kansas Aviation Museum. Byrd-Hillside Funeral Home Midtown, Wichita, had charge.
CARL EDWARD ELLISON
Carl Edward Ellison, 76, of Wichita, father of Gary Ellison of Kechi, died Sept. 29, 1997. He was a retired Coleman Company plant manager. Funeral services are at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Old Mission Mortuary, Wichita.
Other survivors include his wife, Wilma; sons, Bill of Wichita, Bob of Augusta; brother, Don of Wichita; sister, Phyllis Riddle of Omaha, Neb., and three grandchildren.
MERRY GALE BENEKE
Merry Gale Beneke, 75, of Mountain View, Mo., mother of John Beneke of Valley Center, died Sept. 29, 1997. She was a former U.S. Postal Service clerk and former Wichita resident. Funeral services are at 10 a.m. today (Thursday) at Yarber Mortuary, Mountain View.
Other survivors include her husband, Emil; brother, Bill Polk of Mountain View; sisters, Dorothy Simpson of Mountain View, Edith Armstrong of Wichita, and two grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the Alzheimer's Association.
STELLA E. PARKE
Stella E. Parke, 90, of Newton, sister of Marguerite Falk of Valley Center, died Sept. 26, 1997. She was a homemaker. Funeral services were Sunday afternoon at Furley United Methodist Church, Furley.
Other survivors include her brother, Lloyd Patterson of Benton, and sister, Marie Leap of Iola.
Memorials have been established with the church, Hospice Inc. and First United Methodist Church, Newton. Bob Lamb Funeral Home, Whitewater, had charge.
ETHEL McVICKER
Ethel McVicker, 89, of Valley Center, homemaker, died Sept. 25, 1997. Funeral services were Monday afternoon at Zeiner Funeral Home, Marion.
Survivors include her daughters, Betty Sklenar of Mulvane, Jean Redburn of Afton, Okla.; sisters, Evelyn Werries of Valley Center, Irma Roberts of Cedar Point; eight grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Elmdale Methodist Church.
WILLIAM McCOLLUM
William H. "Bill" McCollum, 62, of Hays, stepfather of Shirley Orr of Valley Center, died Sept. 28, 1997. He was a retired telephone communications employee. Funeral services were Wednesday morning at Brock's North Hill Chapel, and are at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, Fort Scott.
Other survivors include his wife, Dorothy; daughter, Karla Jo Farmer of Fort Scott; stepsons, Robert Petrik of Victoria, Randy Petrik of Colorado Springs, Charles Petrik of Manhattan; stepdaughter, Julie Bash of Wichita; sisters, Ruth Downey of Wilmington, N.C., Echo Handy of Mesa, Ariz., Clara Schmidt of Inverness, Fla.; three grandchildren and 11 stepgrandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Ellis County Career Council. Brock's North Hill Chapel had charge.
LUCILE BARNARD
Lucile Barnard, 84, of Wichita, mother of Quincy Barnard III of Valley Center, died Oct. 4, 1997. She was a homemaker. Funeral services were Wednesday morning at Church of the Savior, Wichita.
Other survivors include her husband, Quincy Jr.; son, Dan of Wichita; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Hospice Inc. Hillside Funeral Home East had charge.
ELIZABETH ANNE ERB
Elizabeth Anne Erb, infant daughter of Bill and Linda Erb of Valley Center, died Oct. 5, 1997. Private services.
Other survivors include her sister, Emily of the home; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Busch of Milan, Frances Erb of Timklen.
A memorial has been established with Church of the Resurrection Building Fund and Rainbows United. Downing & Lahey Mortuary has charge.
DORIS "DEE" SUTPHIN
Doris "Dee" Sutphin, 71, of Valley Center, former NationsBank employee, died Oct. 5, 1997. Funeral services were Wednesday afternoon at First United Methodist Church, and at Empire Cemetery, Galva.
She was born Sept. 25, 1926, in Canton, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alva Fortner.
Survivors include her son, Kim of Mulvane; sister-in-law, Elda Fortner of Canton; and four grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the church. Downing & Lahey Mortuary had charge.
RACHEL R. McMINNVILLE
Rachel R. Davison McMinnville, 83, of Wichita, retired elementary school teacher, died Oct. 5, 1997. Funeral services were Wednesday afternoon at Cochran Mortuary.
She was a 1932 graduate of Valley Center High School and taught in the Valley Center and Park City area during the '30s and '40s.
Survivors include her son, Roy of Mayfield; daughter, Nancy Daugherty, sister, Ruth Henricks, both of Wichita; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
BETTY JACOB DYER
Betty Jacob Dyer, 78, of Tulsa, Okla., a former Valley Center area resident, died Sept. 21, 1997. Memorial services were held Sept. 24 at University Methodist Church in Tulsa.
She was the daughter of Arthur and Nellie Jacob, longtime Valley Center residents. She had lived in Tulsa since 1949. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, and a son, John.
Survivors include her daughter, Martha Feltus of Lyndonville, Vt.; grandchildren, Meredith and Kurt Feltus of Vermont, and Johnnie, Philip, Chris and Shelley Dyer of Houston, Texas; great-grandson, Jacob Dyer of Houston, and sisters, Mary Jane Brown of Arkansas City, Rachel Wedman of Corvallis, Ore., Ruth Price of Reading and Nellora Walker of San Diego.
BEULAH MAY LORENSON
Beulah May Lorenson, 82, of Plano, Texas, mother of Steve Lorenson of Valley Center, died July 9, 1997.
She was a former Valley Center and Wichita resident, and was a homemaker. Funeral services have been held.
Other survivors include her son, Stan of Maple Valley, Wash.; daughters, Lois Ford of Plano, Texas, Leona Zehr of Seattle; brother, John Magley of Bird City; sister, Cora Lee McNall of Leoti; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Vancouver Funeral Chapel, Vancouver, Wash., had charge.
JOSEPH B. KENNEDY
Joseph B. Kennedy, 72, Valley Center, retired Joe Kennedy & Sons finisher and carpenter, died July 14, 1997. Services are at 1:30 p.m. today (Thursday) at First United Methodist Church, Valley Center.
Survivors include his wife, Louise; sons, Bill of Linden, Va., David of Valley Center and Joe of Wichita; brother, Robert of Valley Center; sisters, Helen Gresham of Sedgwick, Phyllis Severs of McPherson, Gladys Ropp of Pacific Grove, Calif.; and two grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the First United Methodist Church Multipurpose Center.
Hillside Funeral Home West has charge.
BEVERLY JOAN PERKINS
Beverly Joan Perkins, 66, sister of Paul Guldner of Valley Center, died July 13, 1997. Services were Wednesday at Harvest Community Church for the Wichita homemaker.
Other survivors include her husband, Vernon Jr.; son, Vernon III of Wichita; daughters, Jan Whorton of Goddard, Cory Roths of Cheney; mother, Enza Guldner of Wichita; brother, Ralph Guldner of Wichita; sisters, Delores Carpenter of South Fork, Colo., Nola Davis of Kingman and Eva Riley of Wichita; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A memorial has been established with the American Heart Association. Hillside Funeral Home West had charge.
RAYMOND E. SANBORN
Raymond E. Sanborn, 77, of Valley Center, Boeing Wichita machinist, died July 2, 1997. Services were Monday at Baker Funeral Home, Valley Center, and Tuesday at Fairview Cemetery, Owasso, Okla.
Survivors include his brothers, Donald of Valley Center, and Robert of Broken Arrow, Okla.
ALLEN WARRIOR
Allen Warrior, 58, of Wichita, Economy Motors car salesman, died July 3, 1997. Funeral services were Monday afternoon at Hillside Funeral Home West.
He taught and coached at Valley Center High School from 1964 through 1966.
Survivors include his wife, Marjorie; son, Robert of Los Angeles; stepdaughters, Kelley Snyder, Michelle Shaw, half-brother, Doug Triplett, all of Wichita, and two grandchildren.
RAYMOND E. GRESHAM
Raymond E. Gresham, 81, of Wichita, father of Larry Gresham of Valley Center, died July 7, 1997. He was a former Halstead resident and retired Coleman Co. receiving clerk. Services are at 10:30 a.m. today (Thursday) at Kaufman Funeral Home, Halstead.
Other survivors include his son, Russell of Wichita; sister, Vesta of Wichita; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
BERNARD ROBERTSON
Bernard Dale Robertson, 72, of Wichita, brother of Bill Robertson and Dan Robertson, both of Valley Center, died July 8, 1997. He was self-employed and owner of DRC Manufacturing Inc. Funeral services are at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Old Mission Mortuary.
Other survivors include his wife, Delores; sons, Dean of Derby, Dick, Robin, both of Wichita; daughters, Cathy Holden of Weir, Laura Rojas of Columbia, S.C., Bobbie Jolly of Augusta; sisters, Bessie Papon of Fredonia, Letha Haworth of Wichita; 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
THOMAS EDWARD COLLINS
Thomas Edward Collins, 75, retired painter for the Wichita school district and father of Diane Ward of Valley Center, died June 2, 1997. Services are at 1 p.m. today (Thursday) at Old Mission Mortuary.
Other survivors include his wife, Ruth; sons, Richard and Thomas Jr. of Wichita; daughters, Patricia Pierce and Judy Herrob of Wichita; brothers, Walter and Robert of Wichita; sisters, Faye Fegel of Wichita, Dorothy Kennedy of British Columbia, Canada; eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
LEO T. WENTZ
Leo T. Wentz, 83, of Valley Center, died May 28, 1997. He was retired from the state of South Dakota Highway Department. Visitation was May 30 at Baker Funeral Home.
He was born April 26, 1914, at Winner, S.D., the son of Harry Wentz and Dora Schweigert. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.
Survivors include his care provider, Brenda Grindstaff, daughter, Betty Lou Minson, both of Valley Center; two grandchildren, Randy Foss of Valley Center and Jeff Foss of Topeka, and three great-grandchildren, Matt Foss of Columbus, Ohio, and Amy and Aubrey Foss of Valley Center.
A memorial has been established with the American Diabetes Association. Mason's Funeral Home, Winner, had charge.
PAUL E. DAHL
Paul E. Dahl, 89, of Valley Center, retired salesman, died May 29, 1997. Funeral services were Saturday afternoon at Valley Center Assembly of God.
Survivors include his wife, Geraldine; son, David of Howard; daughters, Gwen Dahl of Wichita, Judith Sherman of Tacoma, Wash.; 13 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren and two great-great-granchildren.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established with Union Rescue Mission. Hillside Funeral Home East, Wichita, had charge.
CAROL "C.J." KLAMM
Carol "C.J." Klamm, 41, of Kechi, formerly of Junction City, died May 27, 1997. She was a former St. Francis Hospital ICU burn unit and Veterans Administration Medical Center trauma and surgical unit registered nurse and former emergency medical technician. Funeral services were Saturday morning at Johnson Funeral Chapel, Junction City.
Survivors include her husband, David; sons, Chris, Josh, both at home; mother, Ruth Colbert of Clay Center, and a brother, Richard Colbert of Troy, Ala.
A memorial has been established with St. Francis Burn Center Survivors Children Camp, Wichita.
LELA MAE COOK
Lela Mae Cook, 70, of North Little Rock, Ark., sister of Norma Findley of Valley Center, died May 29, 1997. She was a retired aircraft worker and former Wichita resident. Funeral services were Saturday afternoon at Culbertson-Smith Mortuary, Wichita.
Other survivors include her daughter, Gaytha Hansard of North Little Rock; brother, Donal of Augusta; sisters, Bertalee Miller, Leota Keeler, Lena Smith, all of Wichita, Leona Wells of Viola; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Alzheimer's Association of Central Arkansas, 10002 W. Markham, Suite 5B, Little Rock, Ark. 72205.
ROBERT V. MOLLOHAN
Robert V. Mollohan, 63, of Denison, Texas, brother of Myron Mollohan of Valley Center and Dorothy Biggs of Park City, died May 10, 1997. He was a former El Dorado resident and was a mobile home park owner and operator. Funeral services were Wednesday morning at Homestead Cemetery in Chase County.
Other survivors include his son, Joel of Hays; daughter, Susan Ross of Edmond, Okla.; brothers, James, Dean, both of El Dorado; sisters, Fern Giltner of Polson, Mont., June Trombla of El Dorado, and two grandchildren.
Carlson Funeral Home had charge.
