Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Jean Matson
Jean L. Matson, 79, of Augusta, brother of Lonnie Matson of Valley Center, died Feb. 3, 2002. He was a Boeing machinist. Service was Feb. 6 at Hillside Funeral Home, Augusta.
Other survivors include his wife, Virginia; son, Ivan Matson of Tulsa, Okla.; daughter, Brenda Church of Beaumont, Texas; brother, Milton Matson of Gilford, Wash., and one grandchild.
A memorial has been established with Leon Senior Center Building Fund, 111 S. Main, Box 308, Leon, Kan. 67074.
Delores Teschke
Dated: February 15, 2002
Delores M. Teschke, 73, of Wichita, mother of Mick Teschke of Valley Center, died Feb. 10, 2002. She was a retired cosmetics salesperson. Rosary is at 7 tonight (Thursday) and service is at 11 a.m. Friday, both at Cochran Mortuary, Wichita.
Other survivors include her sons, Richard Teschke of Kansas City, Mo., Scott Teschke, Patrick Teschke, both of Wichita; daughters, Vickey Jarry of Derby, Tina Fought of Park City, Utah; brother, Jim Thibodeau of Sioux City, Iowa; sister, Kate of Long Beach, Calif.; 11 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Dorothy Boggs
Dated: February 15, 2002
Dorothy June Phillips Boggs, 80, of Wichita, mother of Lyndon Boggs of Valley Center, died Feb. 5, 2002. She was a retired Leon, Douglass, Salina and Wichita teacher and former Beech Aircraft Corp. employee. Service was Feb. 9 at Resthaven Mortuary.
Other survivors include her husband, Robert; sons and daughter-in-law, Richard Boggs, John and Kathleen Boggs, all of Wichita; stepdaughters and spouses, Beth and Marty Assink of Yakima, Wash., Janet and Tony Lopez of Winkelman, Ariz.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Donald and Ruth Phillips of Augusta, Roy and Shirley Phillips of El Dorado; sisters, Effie Swain, Helen Melton, both of Wichita; grandchildren, Christopher and Jennifer VanGaasbeek, Jamie Womack, Renee Shahan; stepgrandchildren, Tracy, Tommy, Jena and Paul; 11 great-grandchildren, and 10 stepgreat-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Women of Faith.
Frank Slinkard
Dated: February 15, 2002
Frank Scott Slinkard, 88, of Valley Center, died Feb. 12, 2002. He was a retired Ededo-Air aircraft parts inspector. Service is at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Baker Funeral Home Chapel, Valley Center. Burial will be in Hillside Cemetery.
He was born May 26, 1913, the son of Jake Slinkard and Frances E. Brown. He married Lucilla Holcomb in 1956 at Newton. She survives. He was a U.S. Army veteran and a 46-year Valley Center resident.
Survivors include his stepson, Mark J. Baker of Elsmore; 11 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
Fred Westerfield
Dated: February 15, 2002
Fred W. Westerfield, 74, of Wichita, brother of Jim Westerfield of Valley Center, died Feb. 8, 2002. He was a retired Price Truck Line driver. Service was Feb. 11 at Bethel Wesleyan Church.
Other survivors include his wife, Ena; sons, Fred, Robert Gerner, Rick Keeler, all of Wichita; daughters, Betty Boling of Springdale, Ark., Naomi Blair of Wichita, Chris Harrison of Ocean City, Calif., Nancy Powers of Birmingham, Ala., Phyllis Hite of Wichita, Theresa Martin of Colony; brother, Bill of Brighton, Colo., Charlie of Nacogdoches, Texas; sister, Jackie Hunt of Wichita; 18 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice. Culbertson-Smith Mortuary.
Harold Huebert
Dated: February 15, 2002
Harold Norman Huebert, 74, of Park City, retired electrician, died Feb. 11, 2002. Service is at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at Assembly of God Church.
Survivors include his sons, Steve Huebert of Valley Center, Mark Huebert of Park City; daughters, Kathy Ruddick of Tulsa, Okla., Connie Smith of Roseburg, Ore.; brothers, Dick Huebert of Park City, Dale Huebert of Tulsa, Red Huebert of Derby; sister, Marge Beed of Neleigh, Neb.; 11 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the church building program, 400 S. Abilene, Valley Center. Hillside Funeral Home East, Wichita, has charge.
Hazel Blattner
Dated: February 15, 2002
Hazel A. Blattner, 91, of Glasco, aunt of Arlen Mitchell of Valley Center, died Feb. 9, 2002. She was a retired cosmetologist. Service was Feb. 13 at Memorial Park Cemetery, Glasco.
Other survivors include her nephews, Jim Mitchell of Wichita, Pat Mitchell of Grand Junction, Colo.
Elliott Mortuary, Hutchinson, had charge.
LeRoy McCarthy
Dated: February 15, 2002
LeRoy W. McCarthy, 63, of Park City, retailer, died Feb. 11, 2002. Service was Feb. 13 at Baker Funeral Home, Peabody, with Pastor Donald Booth of Wichita Heights Baptist Church officiating. Burial was in Prairie Lawn Cemetery, Peabody.
Other survivors include his wife, Patsy; sons, LeRoy McCarthy of Colorado Springs, Colo., Gary McCarthy of Bay St. Louis, Miss.; daughters, Orla Cox of Virginia Beach, Va., Shelly Julien of Indianapolis, Ind., Maria Boneski of Park City; sisters, Vivian Mericer of Dallas, Texas, Thelma Petrick of Sidney, Mont., Faye Fink of Phoenix, Ariz., Sandy Saul of Tampa, Fla.; 11 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the Veterans Administration Hospital of Wichita.
Mildred Gregory
Dated: February 15, 2002
Mildred Lois “Millie” Rogers Gregory, 78, of Wichita, mother and mother-in-law of Jim and Gina Gregory and grandmother of Christina Gregory, all of Valley Center, died Feb. 8, 2002. She was retired after 27 years as an art supplies buyer for Wichita State University. Service was Feb. 11 at Kechi Cemetery.
Other survivors include her brothers, Coy Rogers of Fresno, Calif., Adrian Rogers of Columbus, Miss.; sister, Mary Hall of Thayer, Mo., and one grandchild.
Baker Funeral Home had charge.
John Luther
Dated: February 22, 2002
John V. Luther, 81, retired modification worker at Boeing Aircraft, of Valley Center, retired modification employee at Boeing Aircraft, died Feb. 18, 2002. Services are at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at First United Methodist Church, Valley Center.
He was born June 9, 1920, in Oklahoma, the son of Orin Harmon Luther and Ethabell Farris. They preceded him in death, as did his sister, Inez Duty. He was a veteran of World War II. He married Janice May Broadsword in 1970 at Wichita. She survives of the home.
Other survivors include his daughters, Debora Ann Luther-Moore, Linda Ratcliff, Barbara Brungardt, Julie Ricke, all of Wichita; son, Gary Ferguson of Wichita; sister, Addie Shew of Sallisaw, Okla.; 12 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the church. Baker Funeral Home has charge.
Lloyd Forson
Dated: February 22, 2002
Lloyd W. Forson, 89, of Miami, Okla., father and father-in-law of Lois and John Fry of Valley Center, died Feb. 17, 2002. Service is at 10 a.m. today (Thursday) at First Assembly of God Church, Miami. Burial will be at Greenlawn Cemetery northwest of Treece, Kan.
He was born Sept. 25, 1912, in Melrose, Kan., the son of John Pearl Forson and Lucy Viola Conklin. He lived in the Miami area most of his life. He worked for B.F. Goodrich Tire and Rubber Co. for 30 years and was a member of the North Miami, Okla., Assembly of God Church. He married Emma Sarah Commons on Feb. 21, 1934, in Baxter Springs. She preceded him in death on March 24, 1999. He also was preceded in death by two brothers and six sisters.
Other survivors include his daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Kenneth Baldwin of Miami; brother, Avery Forson of Clayton, N.J.; sister, Alma Hunter of Sacramento, Calif.; grandchildren, Larry Fry, Vicki Larson, Cindy Colley, Melanie Harrison, Kimberly Bui, and nine great-grandchildren.
Myrtle Purkey
Dated: February 22, 2002
Myrtle Lee Robbins Purkey, 76, of Park City, homemaker, died Feb. 16, 2002. Service was Feb. 19 at Baker Funeral Home Chapel. Burial was at Hillside Cemetery, Sedgwick.
She was born April 9, 1925, in Valley Center, the daughter of Ernest Robbins and Lucy Josephine Ford. She married Max Purkey on Oct. 15, 1943, at Long Beach, Calif. He survives of the home. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Ralph Robbins and Ernest Robbins Jr., and three sisters, Opal Baker, Rogean Kerns and Birdie Harris.
Other survivors include her son, Martin Purkey of Wichita; daughters, Marcia Scott of Park City, Leslie Stewart of Wichita; brother, Phil Robbins of Wichita; sisters, Mildred Babb, Helen Hill, Phyllis Allen, all of Wichita, Ruth Kalp, Shirley Gibbens, both of Valley Center, Mary Belle Fowler of Independence; six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Hospice Care of Kansas of Newton. Baker Funeral Home had charge.
Ruth Benjamin
Dated: February 22, 2002
Ruth Aline Benjamin, 88, mother of Randy Benjamin of Valley Center, died Feb. 13, 2002. She was a homemaker. Service was Feb. 18 at Hatfield-Smith Funeral Home, Belle Plaine.
Other survivors include her sons, Ronald Benjamin of Burrton, Royce Benjamin of Williamsburg, Va.; daughters, Karen Roper of McPherson, Marsha Gay Peterson of Wichita; brother, Doyce Logsdon of San Antonio; 13 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
Memorials have been established with Hospice Care of Kansas and Halstead Health and Rehabilitation Center.
Wilma Fox
Dated: February 22, 2002
Wilma U. Fox, 79, of Valley Center, died Feb. 16, 2002. She was a retired Larned State Hospital administration secretary. Service is at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 23 at First Church of the Brethren, 1103 Jefferson, Wichita. Burial is at 3 p.m. at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Hwy. 19, Larned, located seven miles south of Larned or 12 miles north of Belpre. A reception will be held afterward at Grace Lutheran Church, 524 Carroll Ave., Larned.
She was born April 25, 1922, in Garden City, the daughter of Fred Ulrich and Minnie Mae Gump. She married Robert Fox on Aug. 24, 1941, at Garden City. He survives of the home. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Chester Ulrich and Wilbur Ulrich, and a sister, Anna Bel Shull.
Other survivors include her sons, Bob Fox Jr. of Helena, Mont., Mike Fox of Fort Collins, Colo., Gary Fox of Norwalk, Iowa; daughters, Judy Mohler of Warrensburg, Mo., Terri Torres of Buhler, and 11 grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with First Church of the Brethren, Wichita, and SCCS Health & Hospice of Derby.
Baker Funeral Home has charge.
Alan Branson
Alan Dale Branson, 46, of Keller, Texas, formerly of Valley Center, died Feb. 20, 2002. He was a manager of technical services for the Grapevine, Texas, police department. Service was Feb. 23 at First Baptist Church of Grapevine.
Survivors include his wife, Nancy, daughters, Kristen Fears, Katelyn Branson; mother, Inez Branson of Valley Center; brothers, Ronald Branson of Wichita, Kenneth Branson of Valley Center, Vernon Branson of Olathe, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorials have been established with Habitat for Humanity or the donor’s choice.
Carl Nicholson
Carl L. Nicholson, 54, of Aurora, Colo., brother of Connie Lee of Valley Center, died Feb. 15, 2002. He was a retired Boeing electrical engineer. Service was Feb. 22 at Riverside Cemetery, Denver, and a memorial service was Feb. 23 at First Congregational Church, Maize.
He was born Feb. 19, 1947, the son of Gene and Cecile Nicholson of Maize. He was a 1966 graduate of Maize High School and attended the University of Kansas and Wichita State University, where he graduated in 1973. His hobbies included sculpting, flowers, poetry, horseshoes and long-distance running. He ran in the Boston Marathon, enjoyed competing and still was actively running just prior to his death. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Marvin, formerly of Wichita, and Robert, formerly of Salina, and sisters, Glenda “Gee-Gee,” formerly of Maize, and Donna Frazier, formerly of Valley Center. He was a former resident of Salina, Wichita and Huntsville, Ala.
Other survivors include his wife, Lin of Aurora; daughters, Jennifer Nicholson of Nashville, Tenn., Brenda Mills of Shreveport, La., Heather Maynard of Meridianville, Ala., Amanda Nicholson of Huntsville, Ala.; brothers, Charles of Maize, John of Wichita; sisters, Freida Woodruff of Kansas City, Mo., Nancy Grover of Wichita, Jennie Baker of Kaw City, Okla., Linda Pennington of Sedgwick, and grandchildren, Brianna Mills, Mark Maynard.
A memorial has been established with track and field scholarship fund, in care of Boeing Wichita Credit Union, 2900 S. Oliver, Wichita 67210.
Gary Page
Dated: March 01, 2002
Gary B. Page, 57, of Solomon, brother of Bill Page of Valley Center, died Feb. 20, 2002. He was the owner and operator of Page Trucking Co. Service was Feb. 24 at Solomon United Methodist Church.
Other survivors include his wife, Beverly; sons, Erwin, Gary Jr., both of Owen, Wis.; daughter, Kendra Anderson of Ashland, Wis.; stepsons, Rick Wilson of Salina, Jeff Wilson of Haysville; stepdaughter, Sue Nelson of Solomon; sisters, Lois Lange of Grandview, Wis., Marge Brumbly of Ashland, Wis., and 14 grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the church. Carlson-Becker Funeral Home had charge.
Howard McMillan Jr.
Dated: March 01, 2002
Howard L. “Mac” McMillan Jr., 67, of rural Peck, formerly of Valley Center and Wichita, died Feb. 23, 2002. Service was Feb. 26 at Webb Mortuary Chapel in Clearwater with Pastor Mike McAbee of First Assembly of God of Mulvane officiating. Rick Unruh was an honorary spokesman. Burial was in Waco Cemetery near Waco.
He was born Jan. 2, 1935, in rural Wichita, the son of Howard Luther McMillan Sr. and Elizabeth “Elsie” Miller. He graduated from Wichita North High School in 1952. He went to work at Boeing Aircraft Company in 1952. When he retired in the early 1990s, he had been a supervisor in plastics and composites for many years. He married Carolyn H. Shaw on Sept. 20, 1957, in Valley Center. She survives of the home. He served active duty in the U.S. Army from Nov. 6, 1957 to Nov. 5, 1959. He also began farming in the early 1970s. They moved from Valley Center to their farm in rural Peck in 1987, and operated Mac’s orchard from 1987 to 1995. He enjoyed the outdoors, hunting and fishing. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Patricia McMillan.
Other survivors include his daughter, Jan McMillan of Peck; son and daughter-in-law, Vance and Ann McMillan of Shawnee, and three grandsons, Brandon and Corbin McMillan of Peck, Blake McMillan of Shawnee.
A memorial has been established with the American Lung Association, 4300 S.W. Drury Lane, Topeka, Kan. 66604-2419.
Mary Jones
Mary Tippin Jones, 87, of Wichita, mother of Karen E. Kraus of Valley Center, died Feb. 19, 2002. She was a homemaker. Service is at 10 a.m. Friday at Resthaven Mortuary, Wichita.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William Arthur Jones, and a son, Col. Charles Edward Jones.
Other survivors include her sons, Arthur E. Jones of Burke, Va., Christopher Jones of Hutchinson; daughters, Sue Held of Dayton, Ohio; brother, Ernest E. Tippin Jr., M.D., of Estes Park, Colo.; five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with SCCS Home Health and Hospice PA, 1410 N. Woodlawn, Derby 67037.
Melvin Dorrah
Melvin E. Dorrah, 85, of Wichita, grandfather of Kristi Smith of Kechi, died Feb. 23, 2002. He was a retired Boeing electrician. Service was Feb. 26 at Resthaven Mortuary, Wichita.
Other survivors include his daughters, Donna R. Dennis of Bethany, Okla., Shirley K. Comes of Wichita; grandchildren, Craig Wohlschlegel of Shawnee, Okla., Jeffrey Wohlschlegel of Copan, Okla., Roger A. Staley of Towanda, Todd Staley, Tracy Burress, both of Wichita; 13 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
Michael March
Michael A. “Mike” March, 41, of Valley Center, Boeing Wichita maintenance employee, died Feb. 20, 2002. Service was Feb. 23 at Resthaven Mortuary, Wichita.
Survivors include his wife, Diane; son, Christopher of Topeka; daughters, Christina March of El Dorado, Carly March of the home; mother, Bernie March of Haysville; brothers, David March, Ronald March, both of Park City, Frank March of Ponca City, Okla., and sister, Rhonda Rongey of Wichita.
A memorial will be established at a later date.
