Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Patricia Cook
Patricia Cook, 70, died Dec. 20, 2004, at her home, Hutchinson.
She was born Feb. 7, 1934, at Denver, the daughter of Violet Hicks. A resident of Hutchinson since 1996, she was a homemaker.
Survivors include: two sons, Calvin and Clayton, both of Colorado; two daughters, Colleen Pauly, Nickerson, and Carolyn Hartl, Florida; seven grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her mother; a son, Cameron; and a daughter, Claudia Cook.
Cremation has taken place. A private family service will be at a later date.
Memorials may be sent to the Patricia Cook Memorial Fund, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 North Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.
Earl A. Alexander
GENESEO - Earl A. Alexander, 86, died Dec. 21, 2004, at his home, Geneseo.
He was born Feb. 6, 1918, at Hepler, the son of Wesley and Mabel Hagler Alexander. A lifetime resident of Geneseo, he graduated from Geneseo High School in 1936 and was the former owner of Alexander Hardware and Earls Electric, both of Geneseo, and former custodian at Lyons District Hospital and the Hoisington Geneseo School systems.
He belonged to United Methodist Church, Geneseo Booster Club, American Legion and Lions Club, all of Geneseo. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II.
On Sept. 21, 1941, he married
Margaret E. Gray at Wichita. She died Nov. 7, 2004.
Other survivors include: a son, Michael, Geneseo; two daughters, Susan Stockstill, Geneseo, and Barbara Selby, Wichita; a sister Evelyn Sword, Glendale, Ariz.; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a grandson.
Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at United Methodist Church with the Rev. Lyndelle Linde presiding. There will be a private family burial in Geneseo Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Sillin Funeral Home, Lyons.
Memorials may be sent to United Methodist Church or Rice County EMS, both in care of the funeral home.
Anita A. Schultz
ELLSWORTH - Anita A. Schultz, 83, died Dec. 21, 2004, at Ellsworth County Medical Center.
She was born Jan. 10, 1921, in Ellsworth County, the daughter of Gustav and Christina Behrens Gerbitz. A lifetime resident of the Ellsworth area, she was a homemaker.
She belonged to St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Ladies Aide and Veteran of Foreign Wars Auxiliary.
On June 2, 1946, she married
Elmer Schultz in rural Ellsworth County. He died April 12, 1994.
Survivors include: a son, Delvin, Ellsworth; a daughter, Carol Joanis, Copperas Cove, Texas; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Marsha Homeier; a brother and a sister.
Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, rural Ellsworth, with Pastor Phillip Hoppe presiding. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Parsons Funeral Home, Ellsworth, and from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday at the church. Burial will be in St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery, rural Ellsworth County.
Memorials may be sent to the church or VFW Auxiliary, both in care of the funeral home.
Thelma M. Gaiser
ANTHONY - Thelma M. Gaiser, 100, died Dec. 20, 2004, at her home, Anthony.
She was born Sept. 30, 1904, at Lees Summit, Mo., the daughter of Eward and Jessie Keller. A resident of Anthony, she was a retired head clerk for the Saline County Motor Vehicle Department.
Survivors include: a daughter, Phyllis Wheaton, Anthony; six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Prairie Rose Funeral Home, Williams Chapel, Anthony, with Chaplain J. Tal Titsworth presiding. Interment will be at 3 p.m. Thursday in Gypsum Hill Cemetery, Salina.
Memorials may be sent to Anthony Ministerial Alliance in care of the funeral home, 602 East Main, Anthony, KS 67003.
Lydia W. Christlieb
HILLSBORO - Lydia W. Christlieb, 88, died Dec. 19, 2004, at Hillsboro.
She was born March 31, 1916, at Lehigh, the daughter of Alexander and Anna Margaret Shriner Wolf. She worked in electronics at Cessna Aircraft in Wichita.
She belonged to Zion Lutheran Church.
On March 5, 1955, she married
Archie Christlieb in Wichita. He died in 1995.
Survivors include: two daughters, Judith Harvey, Garfield, Ark., and Phyllis Hill, Haysville; two brothers, August A. Wolf, Wichita, and Reinhold Wolf, Newton; eight grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, with the Rev. Clark M. Davis presiding. Burial will be in Lehigh Cemetery, rural Lehigh. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Jost Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Hillsboro Community Medical Center or Zion Lutheran Church, both in care of the funeral home.
Barbara J. Bergen
RALSTON, Neb. - Barbara JoAnne Bergen, 60, of Ralston, Neb., formerly of Newton, died Dec. 20, 2004.
Survivors include: her husband of 41 years, Wayne; a son, Jeff and wife, Alicia Bergen, Omaha, Neb.; two daughters, Julie Bergen and Jill Faith and husband David, all of Omaha, Neb.; two brothers, Bob Schmidt, Kansas City, and Dean Schmidt, Newton; a sister, Pat Meade, McPherson; four grandchildren, Elisha Shahwan, Karlie, Jake and Brody Bergen; and many other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Jake and Hazel Schmidt; and a brother, Darrin Schmidt.
Memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Overland Hills Baptist Church, 707 Gruenther Road (half-mile North of Highway 370 on 90th Street), Papillion, Neb. There will be no visitations. A private internment will take place.
Memorials may be sent to Heartland Family Services Safehaven (a shelter for women and children) 116 East Mission, Bellevue, NE 68005. Kahler-Dolce Mortuary, Papillion, Neb., is in charge of arrangements.
Merle L. Mohr
Merle L. Mohr, 89, died Dec. 20, 2004, at the Ralph Thorne Care Center, Wesley Towers, Hutchinson.
She was born on Nov. 30, 1915, at Gypsum, the daughter of George and Lula Striegel. A longtime resident of Hutchinson, she was a bindery worker for Hutch-Line, retiring in 1989 after 28 years.
She belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
She married
Howard Bennett Mohr. He died Jan. 25, 1966.
Survivors include: two sisters, Dorothy Estes, St. Joseph, Mo., and Evelyn Cosby, San Lorenzo, Calif.; a sister-in-law, Hazel Marks, Overland Park; and two grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a son, Jerry Mohr.
Graveside service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Penwell-Gabel's Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson. Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home and Crematory.
Memorials may be sent to Wesley Towers in care of the funeral home.
Keith L. Balding
CUNNINGHAM - Keith L. Balding, 80, died Dec. 20, 2004, at Kingman Hospital.
He was born May 17, 1924, at Medicine Lodge, the son of John I. and Carrie Springer Balding. He grew up in Medicine Lodge, graduating from Medicine Lodge High School in 1942 and from Fort Hays Kansas State College in 1950. He lived in Russell most of his life, teaching industrial arts at Russell High School for more than 42 years. For two consecutive years, he was named the Russell County National Education Association Teacher of the Year. In addition to coaching football in his early years as a teacher, he also was an active project leader in woodworking and raising rabbits in the Russell County 4-H Association. He moved to Harper in 2001 and resided at Hilltop Manor Care Center, Cunningham, for the past year.
He attended First Congregational Church and belonged to Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion, all of Russell. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War II, serving in the South Pacific area from Oct. 13, 1943 to Feb. 7, 1946.
On May 12, 1946, he married
Norma T. McEndree at Medicine Lodge. She died July 12, 2001.
Other survivors include: two sons, Larry, Houston, and John, Kingfisher, Okla.; three daughters, Linda Loffswold, Girard, Nita Lavielle, Oberlin, and Wendy Riley, Harper; two brothers, Jim, Manhattan, and Gary, Minneapolis, Minn.; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and one stepgranddaughter.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, infant Patrick, and Richard; and four sisters, Ruth Bower, Carol Cline, Cora Lou Templeton and Jean Balding.
Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Pohlman-Heise Memorial Chapel, Russell, with the Rev. Earl J. Haggard presiding. Burial will follow in Russell City Cemetery, with full military honors. Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from 8 a.m. until the service time at the mortuary.
Memorials may be sent to Russell County 4-H Fair Association, in care of the mortuary, 601 North Maple, Russell, KS 67665.
Helen M. Smith
Helen Marie Osenbaugh Smith, 84, went to be with her precious Lord Dec. 21, 2004, at Hospice House, Hutchinson.
She was born Oct. 24, 1920, at Arlington, the daughter of Clyde and Lena Massow Osenbaugh. A lifetime Reno County resident living in the Arlington, Turon and Hutchinson communities, she was a homemaker.
She was an avid gardener and lover of animals.
On June 25, 1940, she married
Claude E. Smith at Pratt. He died Oct. 18, 1977.
Survivors include: a son, Richard F., and daughter-in-law Julianne Smith, Hutchinson; a daughter-in-law, Sheryl Fritzmeier Fenstead, Anaheim, Calif.; a grandson, Shawn Smith, of the home; two granddaughters, Shelly Jones, Anaheim, Calif., and Shauna Blachly, Garden Grove, Calif.; a stepgranddaughter, Heather LacKamp, Olathe; six great-grandchildren; three stepgreat-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; her two cats, Tweetie and Callie; and her bird, Pretty Boy.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Gerald Osenbaugh.
A private burial will take place in Arlington Cemetery, Arlington.
Memorials may be sent to Hospice of Reno County in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 North Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.
Doris O. Steerman
JETMORE - Doris Opal Steerman, 88, died Dec. 20, 2004, at Manor of the Plains, Dodge City.
She was born April 7, 1916, at McCracken, the daughter of Stanley Mervin and Minnie Gertrude Charles Stoskoff. She was a homemaker and a school cook for 25 years.
She belonged to Christian-Methodist Church and Sew and Sew Club Senior Friend and held election days in her home in the country, all in Gove County.
On June 28, 1933, she married
Connie Rudzik. On Dec. 19, 1953, she married
MC Steerman. He died Oct. 4, 1975.
Survivors include: two sons, Don Rudzik, Jetmore, and Richard Rudzik, Ulysses; two daughters, JoAnn Rehmert, Dodge City, and Mary Lou Fagan, Canon City, Colo.; 15 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by one sister, Lois Witman.
Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at United Methodist Church, Jetmore, with the Rev. Mitch Reece and Larry Williams presiding. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at Beckwith Funeral Home, Jetmore. Burial will be in Fairmount Cemetery, Jetmore.
Memorials may be sent to Manor of the Plains, in care of the funeral home.
