Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Paul E. "Paulie" McGehee
Paul “Paulie” Eugene McGehee, 64, of Manhattan, Kansas died on Saturday, November 8, 2014 at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka.
He was born on November 9, 1949 in Axtell, Kansas to John I. and Marie Josephine Offenburger McGehee. He attended Seneca Public School. He worked for Koelzer Lumber prior to moving in 1965 to Pomona, CA where he worked as a Security Guard and at Gas Stations/Car Washes.
He married
Nancy Joe Counter on June 24, 1977 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The couple celebrated 37 years of marriage.
Paul returned to Seneca in August of 1991, where he worked for Landalls, Country View Estates and McDonalds. In November of 2000, he moved to St. Joseph, MO. His last residence was Manhattan, KS, where he moved to August of 2011.
Paul took pleasure in taking his dog, Cassie, on long walks. He enjoyed “cop” shows and he loved to laugh.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy of Manhattan; children, Christina McGehee of St. Joseph, Desiree Barnett of St. Joseph, John McGehee of Manhattan, Candice Wardenburg of St. Joseph and Linda McGehee of St Joseph; and 13 grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his father on August 25, 1991; his mother on September 30, 1968; a brother, Joseph McGehee on March 17, 1997; an infant sister, Barbara McGehee; and sister, Mary Louise “Sissy” McGehee on September 24, 2003.
A rosary will be held at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 7PM. Family will meet with friends for one hour prior to the rosary and then after the rosary. He will lie in state at Lauer Funeral beginning at 8AM on Wednesday. A private burial will be held in Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery.
A memorial will be designated at a later date.
James E. McGinty
James E. McGinty, 85, Seneca, died suddenly Thursday evening, June 8, 2006, at his home.
He was born January 13, 1921, on a farm north of Seneca, the son of John and Catherine McQuaid McGinty. When he was 12 years old, the family moved into Seneca. He attended Blue Star School and Sts. Peter & Paul School He entered the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939 and worked at Seneca during the construction of the dam at Lake Nemaha. He also worked at Omaha and Marysville and completed his high school education while he was with the corps.
He volunteered for the U.S. Army and was inducted on June 20, 1942. He served with the 716th Antiaircraft Artillery Searchlight Battery in California, North Carolina, New York, Pearl Harbor, and Saipan. He was discharged on December 13, 1945, as a first sergeant. Following his discharge, he worked as an electrician and then joined the U.S. Postal Service as a rural carrier in 1949. Jim retired in 1976 after he was injured at work.
On October 14, 1950, he married
Helen A. Heintzelman at Sacred Heart Church in Leavenworth. She survives of the home.
He was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Church, the St. Joseph Society, and the Knights of Columbus. He was a lifetime member of the Earle W. Taylor Post #21 of the American Legion and served as the commander twice. He was also the service officer for the American Legion for more than 40 years. Jim was a member of the Seneca Memorial Post #7458 of the VFW, the 40 & 8, and Chapter #20 of the DAV at Marysville. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and previously had raised pheasants. Jim worked on the Seneca Centennial Committee. He enjoyed visiting with people and coffee at Harsh’s.
Survivors besides his wife are three sons, Daniel of St. George, KS, Thomas and his wife Waneta, of Spring, TX, and Steven and his wife Trish, of Casper, WY; and a daughter, Mary Sparling and her husband Gary, of Seneca; a brother, Leonard McGinty of Wichita; and five grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by three brothers, Emmett, John, and Clarence McGinty; and five sisters, Catherine Schoenberger, Teresa Winkler, Madelyn Winterscheidt, Rita Thompson, and Erma Cox.
Mass of Christian burial will be 10 AM Monday at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. Inurnment will be in the Sts. Peter & Paul Church cemetery, with military honors by the
American Legion and VFW. Rosaries will be prayed at the Lauer Funeral Home at 2 & 7 PM on Sunday.
Memorials may be given for the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, the new Seneca City Swimming Pool development, or the Sts. Peter & Paul Church cemetery, and sent in care of the family.
Albert B. McKee
Albert B. McKee, 97, of Topeka, formerly of Seneca, died on Monday, March 24, 2008 at Midland Hospice House in Topeka.
Albert was born on a farm near Havensville, KS, on July 28, 1910, the son of Perry Andrew and Ella Gertrude Jones McKee. He attended a two-room school in America City, and graduated from Havensville High School in 1928. After school, he worked for a short time in St. Joseph, MO.
On July 28, 1930, he married
Dorothy Channel in St. Joseph. They celebrated 70 years of marriage before Dorothy’s death in 2001. During the Great Depression when times were tough, Albert worked candling eggs and testing cream in the Havensville Grocery Store. He also farmed for a short time. When President Roosevelt implemented the WPA, Albert as hired in a rock quarry in Nemaha County, as well as working to keep roads passable during the winter months. Albert and his young family moved in 1937 to Silt, CO, where he worked for area farmers in addition to the Colorado Highway Department.
In the winter of 1937, the family moved to Seneca, where Albert opened a gas station. Then in August of 1942, he became a postal carrier for the U.S. Post Office, retiring in 1975. He also did side jobs laying carpet, tile, and linoleum, delivering furniture for Seneca Furniture, and part-time bookkeeping for Koelzer Lumber Yard. Albert was drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1943, and he served on Guadalcanal Island.
Albert lived in Seneca for 58 years, before moving to Topeka in 1997. He was a member of the United Methodist Church, the American Legion Post #21, and a charter member of the Veterans of Foreign War Post #7458, all in Seneca. He joined the volunteer Seneca Fire Department in 1949, serving on the dance committee and as secretary from 1957 to 1969. He retired from the fire department in January 1970. Albert and Dorothy were well known for the beautiful and unusual colored hybrid irises they grew. He also enjoyed a good card game.
Survivors are his two daughters, Sandra Ward and her husband Alan Ward of Topeka and JoAnn Greene of Huntington Beach, CA; six grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandschild.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy, on June 29, 200; a daughter, Beverly J. Bohm on May 12, 1996; a brother, Raymond; and two sisters, Lottie McClain and Golda Diggs.
The funeral service will be at 2 pm on Saturday, March 29, at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca. Family will meet family and friends for one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in the Seneca City Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made for the Seneca Fire Department, the Seneca United Methodist Church, or the Midland Hospice House in Topeka, and sent in care of the family.
Dorothy G. McKee
Dorothy G. McKee, 88, of Topeka, Kansas, formerly of Seneca, Kansas, died Friday, June 29, 2001, at Midland Hospice House in Topeka.
She was born August 23, 1912, on a farm near America City, KS, the daughter of Hiram Arthur and Mary Bottom Channel. She grew up there and graduated from Havensville High School in 1929.
On July 28, 1930, She married
Albert B. McKee at St. Joseph, MO. He survives of the home in Topeka. Dorothy was a homemaker. They lived in Seneca until 1997 when they moved to Topeka. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2000 and would have been married
71 years this July.
She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Seneca, and the United Methodist Women and quilting group, both at the church.
Survivors besides her husband, Albert, are two daughters, Sandra Ward of Topeka and JoAnn Greene of Huntington Beach, CA; a brother, Frank Channel of Centralia, KS; six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Beverly J. Bohm, on May 12, 1996.
Funeral services will be Monday, July 2, at 11 A.M. at the Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca, KS. The burial will be in the Seneca Cemetery. There will be a visitation at the funeral home from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M. Sunday.
Memorial contributions may be given to the United Methodist Church, 706 Main St., Seneca, KS 66538; Midland Hospice Care, Inc., 200 W. Frazier, Topeka, KS; or the American Cancer Society
Francis A. Melcher
Francis A. Melcher, 90, of Seneca, died Monday, July 3, 2006, at Seneca.
He was born March 7, 1916, on a farm southeast of St. Benedict, the son of Frank and Lena Bergman Melcher. He attended St. Mary’s School at St. Benedict. Francis helped on the family farm until he entered the U.S. Army for service during WWII.
On May 11, 1944, he married
Mildred Rettele at St. Mary’s Church at St. Benedict. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1994 and have always been active, contributing members of the community.
Francis went to work for Standard Oil as a bulk agent following his military service. He sold gas and oil to many people in the area. On his route, he was known for good cheer and giving away bubble gum. Francis worked for Standard Oil until 1977.
His memberships include Sts. Peter & Paul Church, the St. Joseph Society, the Knights of Columbus, the Fourth Degree Ponce de Leon Assembly, and the American Legion Post #21.
Francis served on the Silver Hair Legislature for 3 terms and on the board of the Nemaha County Department of Aging for 19 years. He was very interested in electronics and enjoyed putting together radios. He also liked playing cards, bowling, and golf.
Survivors are his wife Mildred of the home; three daughters, June Bower of Atchison, Kay Kent of Carlsbad, CA, and Debbie Quilty of Granbury, TX; a brother, Elmer Melcher of Seneca; three sisters, Lucille Wichman and Evelyn Waters, both of Seneca, and Lavon Strathman of Juda, WI; 7 grandchildren; and 2 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Joyce Melcher, on December 30, 1967; his brother Vern, on March 11, 1976, and his sister Melita Haverkamp on July 2, 2004. He was also preceded in death by an infant sister in 1910, an infant twin brother and sister in 1914, and an infant brother in 1918.
Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 AM Wednesday, July 5, at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. An honor guard will be provided at all services by the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. The burial will be with military honors in the church cemetery. The rosary will be prayed at the Lauer Funeral Home at 3 PM on Tuesday, with a prayer service at 7 PM.
Memorials may be given for the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, and sent in care of the family.
Mildred Melcher
Mildred Melcher, 93, of Seneca, KS, died Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at Hickory Point care center in Oskaloosa, KS.
She had moved to Atchison, KS in 2006 to be near her daughter, June Bower. After three years in assisted living, she lived for a year in her daughter’s home. In 2010 she moved to the Hickory Point nursing home near Atchison.
She was born May 4, 1918, on a farm two miles north of Seneca, the daughter of Louis and Mary Engelken Rettele. She attended St. Mary’s School in St. Benedict, and graduated from college at Mount St. Scholastica Academy in Atchison in 1936.
Mildred married
Francis Melcher on May 11, 1944 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in St. Benedict. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1994 and have always been known as active, contributing members of the community.
From 1936 to 1944, Mildred taught in rural one-room school houses in Nemaha County. She also helped her husband Francis run their Standard Oil tanker truck business, while raising their four daughters.
She loved to draw and paint, garden, crochet, embroider, quilt and teach the game of bridge. She also enjoyed playing spades, pitch, dominoes, and sequence with her husband, family and friends.
Her memberships included the Hospital Guild Room, Sts. Peter & Paul funeral choir, TNC & DHS bridge clubs, American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, a bowling league, Worship and Spiritual Life Committee and the Mount St. Scholastica Alumni organization.
Mildred is survived by her daughters, June Bower of Atchison, Kay Kent of Carlsbad, CA, and Debbie Quilty of Granbury, TX and their husbands, and seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Francis on July 3, 2006, and their oldest daughter Joyce on December 30, 1967.
A rosary will be prayed at 2 PM Tuesday, April 10, at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11 AM Wednesday, April 11, at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Memorials may be given for the sisters of Mount Saint Scholastica in Atchison.
