Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Alvina Templeton
1920 - 2006
RUSSELL - Alvina Templeton died Jan. 9 at Wheatland Nursing Center, Russell, at the age of 85. The daughter of William and Lydia (Templing) Karst, she was born Jan. 21, 1920, near Milberger. She was baptized into the Lutheran faith. She attended country school in the Milberger area. She married
Homer Eurich in 1940. He died in 1942. She married
Calvin Templeton Oct. 24, 1945. She was a lifelong resident of Russell. She was a homemaker all her life. She was a lifelong member of St. John Lutheran Church and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary. Preceding her in death, were her parents, both husbands, and three brothers. Survivors include: four children: LoAnn Sechtem, Russell; Marj Reinhardt, Denver, Colo.; Diana Lynn Brown and her husband Jerry, Central City, Neb.; and Todd Alan Templeton, Russell, whom Alvina and Calvin adopted in 1963; a sister, Ruth Miller, Russell; a brother, Donald Karst, Russell; numerous nieces and nephews; six grandchildren; two great grandchildren. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at St. John Lutheran Church in Russell. Burial will be at St. John cemetery. Visitation is today, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., at Russell Funeral Home in Russell. The family will receive guests from 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials contributions may be made to St. John Lutheran Church and the Russell Senior Citizens Center, both of Russell. Funeral arrangements provided by Russell Funeral Home 610 North Elm St. / P.O. Box 566 Russell, KS 67665
Jose Angel Acosta
1963 - 2006
MACKSVILLE - Jose Angel Acosta, 42, died Jan. 7 at Pratt. He was born Aug. 2, 1963, at San Juan De Guadalupe Durango, Mexico, the son of Jesus and Irene (Balderas) Acosta. He married
Gabriela Padilla on Jan. 4, 1990. He was a farm laborer and a resident of Macksville for 16 years. Acosta was a member of the St. Bernard Catholic Church in Belpre. Survivors include his wife of the home; three children, Omar, Laura and Allen Acosta, all of the home; his parents; six brothers, Jesus, Hector, Enrique, Gerardo, Gustavo and Javier Acosta; and three sisters, Maria del Rosario, Maria de Jesus and Maria Guadalupe. Burial services will be held in La Escalera, Mexico, at a later date. Funeral arrangements provided by Minnis Chapel, Inc. 526 E. 4th St. John, KS 67576
Kevin Dale Doty
1959 - 2006
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Kevin Dale Doty, 46, died Jan. 8. He was born Oct. 26, 1959, in Great Bend, the son of John W. Doty Jr. and Joanne Thilie Doty. He was a Baptist. Survivors include two brothers, Steve Doty Sr. of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Doug Doty of Great Bend; and numerous nieces and nephews. Graveside service will be at 3 p.m. Friday at the Duncan cemetery in Corpus Christi, Texas. Visitation will be Thursday at the Sawyer-George Funeral Home in Corpus Christi.
Hazel Inez Grow
1914 - 2006
Hazel Inez Grow, 91, of Great Bend, died Jan. 7 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. She was born Aug. 29, 1914, in rural Ellinwood, the daughter of John Henry and Rose Magdalene Stoskopf Kimber. She married
Marion Asa Grow on Jan. 20, 1935, in Great Bend. She was a homemaker and helped her husband with farming and custom cutting. She was a lifetime resident of Stafford and Barton Counties. Survivors include her husband, of the home; two sons, Keith Grow and Gene Grow, both of Hudson; four daughters, Sharon Smiley of Texhoma, Okla., Marilyn Fulton of Junction City, Rita Jones of Wichita, and Linda Elliot of Wichita; one sister, Avis Rosin of Lynnwood, Wash.; 18 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren; and great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by three brothers, Floyd Kimber, Warren Kimber and Howard Kimber; three sisters, Donna Southern, Daisy Evers and Grace Fanshier, and four grandchildren. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Bryant Funeral Home in Great Bend with the Rev. Paul Clifton officiating. Burial will be at the Great Bend cemetery. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, with the family receiving friends from 7 to 8 p.m., at the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Bryant Funeral Home 1425 Patton Rd. Great Bend, KS 67530
Ellen A. Koci
1910 - 2006
LA CROSSE - Ellen Wilson Koci was a women born before her time. She was spirited, feisty and proud and stood up for equal rights for women long before most women ever thought of it. She was a shrewd businesswoman with a sterling set of ethics and high expectations for others. Heaven help anyone who tried in any way to short-change her or anyone else! She was fiercely proud of her Scottish heritage on the Wilson side of her family and often talked about the brothers who came from Scotland to escape poverty, worked in the mines in Pennsylvania and finally moved out West to find their fortune. She was equally proud of being a descendent of Denham and Ellen Stubbs, who helped found La Crosse and made the community prosper. Ellen attended college and thought of a career at a time when most women were thinking of a husband. She taught two years in a county school before Milo E. Koci came along and changed her plans. But Milo was poor, there was a depression across the land, and at that time, a married
woman was deemed unfit to teach children. Ellen knew that rules were meant to be broken. She married
Milo and kept it secret until they could get on their feet. Married life and getting started on their own farm was not easy. The Dust Bowl descended and Ellen had to cover the crib of her first-born daughter, Avanelle, with a wet sheet so she could keep breathing. Ellen scrubbed, fed farm hands and managed the business end of the farm while Milo applied his excellent skills to making the farmland grow good crops and increase in size. She figured out when to sell the wheat for the best price and pinched every penny until it screamed so that each piece of land and, eventually, what they called 'the home place' was paid for outright. She and Milo never bought anything on time, took out a loan or owed a credit card. By the time their other daughters Gaynelle and Lois were born, they had moved to a slightly better house. the linoleum on the kitchen floor only raised a couple of inches when cruel winds swept across the prairie. Their fierce belief in the value of education brought many benefits to the little one-room school on the hill a half-mile east of their farm. The teacher stayed in the best bedroom of their small farmhouse and Ellen kept the hectograph ready in the refrigerator for duplicating the next day's lessons. By 1948 Ellen and Milo could afford their own farm home and bought the property on Highway 183 where they lived for many years. They worked hard and paid their way no matter what: two of their children had expensive illnesses, polio, and all three of their children went to college. In 1987 when they moved into La Croose, Milo continued to farm their land for several years and Ellen continued to help those in need, furnish food for church functions, and had more time for playing bridge, one of her favorite pursuits until she was more than 90 years old. After Milo's death in 1989, Ellen continued to manage the farmland and kept what one accountant termed 'the best books in the country'. She never stoped fighting for the rights of women and fair treatment for all people. Her daughter Avanelle is married
to Michael Joynt of Naples, Florida, Gaynelle and her husband Oren Campbell live in Everett Washington, and Lois and Robert Kershner live in Brandon, Florida. Ellen will be missed by her children, five grandchildren, 10 great -grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren and hopefully, all of the women who profited by her sense of independence and men who learned from it. A graveside celebration of Ellen's life will be held at 10 a.m. today at the La Crosse City cemetery, Friends are invited to continue the discussion at the family home at 410 Fairview in La Crosse. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to South Wind Hospice, 410 N. Main, Russell or a charity of their choice given in Ellen's name. Funeral arrangements provided by Janousek Funeral Home 719 Pine / P.O. Box 550 La Crosse, KS 67548
Adolph Binder
1914 - 2006
HAYS - Adolph Binder, 91, died Jan. 6 at his home in rural Hays. He was born June 12, 1914, in Munjor, the son of Joseph and Margaret (Befort) Binder. He married
Eleanor Marie Pfannenstiel on May 9, 1938, in Hays. She died Dec. 12, 1997. He was a lifelong dairy farmer. Binder was a member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, the Ellis County Soil Conservation District, the American Milk Producers Inc., and the Kansas Western Horseman's Association. Survivors include one son, Don Binder of Montrose, Colo.; three daughters, Elaine Horne of Cortez, Colo., Kathleen Ward and Barb Elliott, both of Hays; two brothers, Paul Binder of Hays, and Julius Binder of Madris, Ore.; two sisters, Helen Gross of Hays and Bertha Drees of Hoisington; nine grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by three brother, Isidore Binder, Alois Binder and Adolf Binder; and one sister, Mary Lafferty. Funeral will be at 10 a.m. today at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Hays. Burial will be at the St. Joseph cemetery. Friends may call from 8:30 a.m. to service time at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home. Memorials are suggested to the Hospice of Hays Medical Center or to masses in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home 20th and Pine Hays, KS 67601
Bertha D. Keyes
1916 - 2006
Bertha D. Keyes, 89, died Jan. 7 at Cheyenne Meadows Living Center in Hoisington. She was born Dec. 10, 1916, at Hartford, Conn., the daughter of John and Anne Peteraites Dubiskas. She married
James J. Keyes on Oct. 31, 1942, at Bloomfield, Conn. He died April 9, 1998. A resident of Great Bend since 1969, coming from Maplewood, N.J., she was a book keeper and owner of Scranton Machine and Supply, Inc. Survivors include two daughters, Linda Schraeder of Great Bend, and Judy Svec of Westminster, Colo.; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two sons, John (infant) and Gary Keyes. There will be no visitation or services as cremation has taken place. Memorials are suggested to the Brit Spaugh Park and Zoo in care of Bryant Funeral Home. Funeral arrangements provided by Bryant Funeral Home 1425 Patton Road Great Bend, Ks 67530
Eleanor R. Hamilton
1919 - 2006
Eleanor R. Hamilton, 86, of Great Bend, died Jan. 7 at Central Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend. She was born Oct. 16, 1919, at Galatia, the daughter of Charles Arthur and Hattie Mabel Gustin Myers. She married
Charles Sanford Hamilton on Jan. 21, 1947, in Great Bend. He died Aug. 14, 1995. A lifetime area resident, she was a homemaker. Mrs. Hamilton was a member of First United Methodist Church in Great Bend. Survivors include numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Clarence Myers and Alfred Myers; and three sisters, Lucile Durheim, Frances Durheim and Yula Jean Hertel. Funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bryant Funeral Home in Great Bend with the Rev. Gary Brooks officiating. Burial will be at the Great Bend cemetery. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today, with the family receiving friends from 7 to 8 p.m., and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to service time, all at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to the American Diabetes Association or Commission on Aging / Mini Bus, all in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Bryant Funeral Home 1425 Patton Road Great Bend, Ks 67530
Nadine Avis Alexander
1926 - 2006
BUSHTON - Nadine Avis Alexander, 79, died Jan. 6 in Wichita. She was born Nadine Avis Wire on Aug. 19, 1926 in rural Russell County. She married
Donald S. Alexander on Feb. 27, 1947. She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald and son Craig. Nadine was a homemaker and member of the Bushton Methodist Church. Survivors include a daughter, Lois Gitchell and husband Raymond of Cedar Falls, Iowa; two sons, Gary Alexander and wife TeCoa of Wichita, and Gregory Alexander and wife Angi of Lorraine; two brothers, Robert Wire of Smith Center and Theodore Wire of Geneseo, Ill.; two sisters, Fern Steinle of Dorrance, and Erma Cikanek of Beloit; five grandchildren, Erin and Jessica Gitchell, Traci Alexander-Mans, Hunter Alexander, Sr., and Brock Alexander; and three great-grandchildren, Kraig Mans, Paige Mans, and Hunter Alexander, Jr. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. today at Hays Memorial Chapel, 1906 Pine St., Hays. Burial will be at Mount Allen cemetery, in Hays. Visitation with family will be one hour before the service. Memorials are suggested to the Bushton Methodist Church or Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, 313 S. Market, Wichita, KS 67202. Funeral arrangements provided by Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home 20th and Pine Hays, KS 67601
James Donald 'Bud' Hill
1923 - 2006
BUSHTON - James Donald 'Bud' Hill, 82, died Jan. 6 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. He was born July 25, 1923, at McPherson, the son of Gerald R. and Maude Esther (Knudson) Hill. He attended the Good Hope Country School and graduated from Galva High School in 1942. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas. He married
Charlene Jayne Novotny on July 17, 1949, in Bushton. A resident of Bushton since 1949, coming from McPherson, he signed during his senior year as a professional baseball player in the Cardinals Organization. After serving in the U.S. Army, he began working for Conoco Oil Company as a Welders Helper. In 1949 he began working for Northern Natural Gas Company in Bushton and became District Measurement Technician. He retired after 38 1/2 years in 1987. Hill was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2715, and member of the American Legion Post 24, both of McPherson, and former member of the Bushton Lions Club. He was a member of the United Methodist Church and United Methodist Men in Bushton, and served on the Church Board. He was a volunteer with the Bushton Boys Scout Troop and helped with the local youth baseball program. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a Tech 4. He served at Normandy, Ardennes, Rhineland, Central Europe and received the World War II Victory Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, American Theater Ribbon, EAME Theater Ribbon with four bronze service stars and one bronze arrowhead, Distinguished unit badge GO 26 HQ 1st U.S. Army 44. Survivors include his wife of the home; one son, Jeffrey Hill of Overland Park; one daughter, Jennifer Hill of Wichita; and one brother, Lawrence 'Larry' Hill of McPherson. Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the church, with the Rev. David Trott and Sarah Salazar officiating. Graveside services will be conducted by the Rev. Cyrus Wedel at 3 p.m. at the McPherson cemetery with Military Graveside Honors presented by members of the VFW. In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to the church in care of Glidden-Ediger Funeral Home. Funeral arrangements provided by Glidden-Edigar Funeral Home 222 W. Euclid St. McPherson, KS 67460
Charlene Ann Reiser
1933 - 2006
MCPHERSON - Charlene Ann Reiser, 72, died Jan. 8 at Cedars Health Care Center in McPherson. She was born June 17, 1933, at Sterling, the daughter of Charles and Zella Ann (Blades) Lyon. She attended the Sterling elementary schools and graduated from sterling High School in 1951. She married
Norman Glen Reiser on May 22, 1955, at Sterling. A resident of McPherson since 1970, coming from Ellinwood, she was a homemaker. Mrs. Reiser was a Girl Scout Troop Leader in Ellinwood and a Den Mother for Troop 133 Cub Scouts in McPherson. Survivors include her husband of the home; one son, Dennis Reiser of Hutchinson; two daughters, Barbara McNichols of Inman and Brenda Shober of McPherson; 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Patricia Lynn 'Patty' Schartz. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at First Christian Church in McPherson with the Rev. Phil Radatz officiating. Burial will be the McPherson cemetery. Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. today with the family receiving friends from 6 to 8 p.m. at Glidden-Edigar Chapel in McPherson. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Alzheimers Association or the Cedars Health Care Center both in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Glidden-Edigar Funeral Home 222 W. Euclid St. McPherson, KS 67460
Alice Taff Dobbs
AUGUSTA, Ga. - passed away peacefully on Monday, January 1st, 2006 surrounded by her children, Mrs. Alice Eugenia Taff Dobbs. A memorial service was held on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006 at 4 pm in the Chapel of Thomas Poteet and Son with the Rev. Wade Trimmer officiating. The family will receive friends following the service until 6 p.m. The daughter of John P. and Mary Russell Taff, Alice was born in 1924 in Omaha, Neb. She was raised in Great Bend where during World War II she worked at the local airfield and met her husband, a B-29 pilot. After the war, she lived briefly in Mississippi before relocating to Thomasville, Ga., where her children were raised. Alice loved music and art, singing with the Island Singers in Hilton Head, S.C. as well as the Augusta Choral Society. She was also a volunteer with the Women's Board of University Hospital, and was known for her beauty, quick wit and wonderful sense of humor. She was a member of Grace Fellowship Church. She will be missed by all who knew her. Survived by former husband, Guy Talmage Dobbs Jr. of Thomasville, Ga.; three children: Dana Dobbs Sherrard (Tom) of Nashville, Tenn.; Linda Dobbs Wier (Marion) of Augusta, Ga.; and John Howard Dobbs (Ginger) of Grovetown, Ga. Six grandchildren: Katherine Randall Sherrard (NYC); Mary Elizabeth Sherrard (Washington, D.C.); Thomas Johnson Sherrard III (Nashville, Tenn.); Marion Alexander Wier, Jr. (Courtney) and Charles Patrick Wier (both of Augusta); John David Wier (Charleston, S.C.); and John Howard Dobbs, Jr. and Matthew Guy Dobbs (both of Grovetown). Two great-grandchildren: Macie Edens Wier and Herbert Parker Wier. She is also survived by a sister, Mary Lou Fryberger (Bill) of Great Bend, Kan. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grace Fellowship's Building Fund, 1725 Sibley Rd., Augusta, Ga. 30909. Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, Ga. 30907
Dema Griffin
WICHITA - Dema Griffin, 89, died Jan. 5, 2006. Visitation 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Culbertson-Smith Mortuary; graveside service 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9 at Hillside cemetery, Sedgwick. Dema was preceded in death by her parents, Rueben and Ora (Hendry) Delaney; husband, Floyd Griffin; brother, Damon Delaney; grandson, Michael Reser. Survivors include daughters and sons-in-law, Anita Marlene and Frank Kuntz, Mary L. and Donald Reser, Carol Diane and Richard Harding, and Barbara Lynn Griffin; six grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; brother, Oren Delaney; sister, Goldie Lee Sissom. Memorial with Kansas Humane Society. Funeral arrangements provided by Culbertson-Smith Mortuary 115 S. Seneca Wichita, KS 67213
Lonita R. Holland
1953 - 2006
HUTCHINSON - Lonita Holland, 52, died Jan. 6 at Reno County Hospice House, Hutchinson. born May 2, 1953 at St. John to Norman Eugene and Avilla V. (Dome) Nelson. She was a past resident of St. John where she attended the First Missionary Baptist Church. A graduate of Satanta High School in 1971. Most recently, she was a housekeeper and resident of Hutchinson for 15 years. Survivors include, companion Dennis Cunningham, Hutchinson, brother, Carl Nelson and wife Lorelei of St. John, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gary Holland, and brother, Larry Nelson. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Fairview Park cemetery, St. John with Pastor Wade Russell presiding. Family will receive friends on Monday from 1 p.m. until service time at Minnis Chapel, St. John. Memorials to Reno County Hospice House in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Minnis Chapel, Inc. 526 E 4th Ave St. John, KS 67576
