Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Eva C. Gerardy Shafer
1908 -2005
OVERLAND PARK - Eva C. Gerardy Shafer, 96, Overland Park, died March 23. She was born Nov. 4, 1908, the daughter of Fred and Martha Arnold Gerardy. Survivors include a daughter, Patricia Shafer Rapp, and two granddaughters. She was preceded in death by her husband, L.E. 'Gus' Shafer, who died in 1985. Graveside services were held at Johnson County Memorial Gardens in Overland Park. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Foundation For Hospice Care, c/o Grace Hospice, 9200 Ward Pkwy., Suite 410, Kansas City, MO 64114 or to the Gus and Eva Shafer Memorial, c/o Barton County Community College, 245 N.E. 30 Road, Great Bend, KS 67530. Funeral arrangements provided by Johnson County Chapel 11200 Metcalf Overland Park, KS 66210
Mary E. (Marie) Huslig
1913 - 2005
ODIN - Mary E. (Marie) Huslig, 91, died March 22 at Woodhaven Care Center in Ellinwood. She was born Nov. 21, 1913, in rural Ellinwood (St. Peter and Paul). She was the daughter of Henry and Mathilda (Knirsch) Schlochtermeier. She married
Otto L. Huslig on May 16, 1938, at St. Peter and Paul. He preceded her in death Aug. 27, 2000. She was a homemaker and had worked at El-Kan Manufacturing in Ellsworth. She was a lifetime resident of the Odin and rural Ellinwood area. Mrs. Huslig was a member of the Holy Family Catholic Church, St. Ann Altar Society and Odin EHU, all of Odin. Survivors include four daughters, Rose Meyeres, Kathy and Jay Mai, and Janice and Daryl Klepper, all of Great Bend, and Rita and Mike Goscha of McPherson; nine grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and three stepgreat-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by one son, Bill Huslig; two sons-in-law, Jim Meyeres and Gary Schneweis; one granddaughter, Kelly Meyeres Petry; and two brothers, Henry Schlochtermeier, Jr. and Ervin Schlochtermeier. Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 28, at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Odin with Father Pascal Klein officiating. Vigil service will be Sunday at 6:30 p.m. followed by an Altar Society rosary at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home in Hoisington. Burial will be at the Holy Family cemetery in Odin. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1-9 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to the Holy Family cemetery Fund or donor's choice in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home 415 N. Main St. / P.O. Box 146 Hoisington, KS 67544
Alice (Susie) Osborn
1947 - 2005
McPHERSON - Alice (Susie) Osborn, 57, died March 22 at Hutchinson Hospital. She was born Nov. 15, 1947, at Calico Rock, Ark., the daughter of James Herbert Carpenter and Mildred Sherwood. She married
Paul Osborn on Aug. 28, 1992, at Bartlesville, Okla. A McPherson resident for the past 13 years, coming from Great Bend and Ellinwood, she was a homemaker. Mrs. Osborn was a member of the King Highway Baptist Church in McPherson. Survivors include her husband, Paul, of the home; one son, Nicholas W. Koehne of McPherson; her mother, Mildred Carpenter of Ellinwood; three brothers, James Carpenter and Larry Carpenter, both of Ellinwood, and George Carpenter of Arkansas; two sisters, Merle Boepple of Monahans, Texas, and Molly Staudinger of Ellinwood; and three grandchildren. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Kimple Funeral Chapel in Ellinwood, with the Rev. Rick Standee officiating. Friends may call from 1-8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. until service time Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Lakin-Comanche District cemetery in Ellinwood. Memorials are suggested to the Alice Sue Osborn Memorial Fund. Funeral arrangements provided by Kimple Funeral Home 113 N. Main Ellinwood, KS 67526
Alvin G. 'Al' Holopirek
1922 - 2005
HUTCHINSON - Alvin G. 'Al' Holopirek, 82, died March 22, 2005, at Hutchinson Hospital, Hutch-inson. He was born Aug. 22, 1922, at Timken, the son of Jean and Anna Smreka Holopirek. A lifelong Timken area resident, he was a graduate of Bison High School and was a farmer/stockman and owner of Al's Place (The Hill). He was a life-member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and of the American Legion, a member of the Eagles and the Sunflower Polka Club. He was a U.S. Army Sergeant of World War II serving in the D-Day invasion and European Theatre. On Aug. 24, 1947, he married
Irene Marie Gleissner at Pikes Peak, Colo. She survives. Other survivors include two sons, Perry and wife, Karla, of Otis, Terry and Alice of Timken; a daughter, Linda Beyer and husband, Jim, of Hutchinson; seven grandchildren, Jamie, Matthew, Jodi, Jeanette and Diana Holopirek, Leslie Beyer, and Patricia Teufel; one great-granddaughter, Katy Teufel; two brothers, Ernie and Eugene, both of Timken; and one sister, Roberta Terry of Quincy, Ill. He was preceded in death by one brother, Daniel; and one sister, Marge Smith. Cremation has taken place. Memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Timken, with Father Charles Mazouch presiding. Prayer Service will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Inurnment will follow at Holy Trinity cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Otis EMTs in care of Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home and Crematory. Funeral arrangements provided by Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home & Crematory 300 E. 30th Ave. Hutchinson, KS 67502
Cheryl A. Berg
1949 - 2005
Cheryl A. Berg, MSN, RN, 55, nursing instructor, went home to heaven on March 19, after a year-long fight against stomach cancer. She was born July 31, 1949, at Junction City, the oldest child of Bruce and Betty Eastering. She married
Galen Brent of Osborne on Feb. 24, 1979. They lived in rural Great Bend and had two sons, Gabriel and Charles, who survive them both. Galen went home to heaven on Oct. 26, 1989, when Gabriel was 9 and Charles was 7. Cheryl married
Mark Berg from Great Bend on Aug. 8, 1992. Both he and their daughter, Michelle, age 10, survive her. Other survivors include her sister Mary Eastering, of St. Paul, Minn., and her brother Bob Eastering of Fredericksburg, Va. Cheryl was involved in nursing from the time she was 14 years old. She graduated from Osborne High School and earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Roberts Wesleyan in New York. She worked as a nurse and supervisor at the Topeka VA Hospital and at CKMC in Great Bend. Cheryl took time out from her career to raise her three children. She became the director of nursing at Larned State Hospital while earning her master of science degree in both Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing and Maternal Child Health Nursing from Wichita State University. Next she was a nursing instructor at Barton County Community College, and later returned as the director of nursing education. She was noted for: strong academics, as BCCC has consistently had high nursing pass rates; a passion for helping her students stay in school; starting the Christian Nurses Fellowship; sponsoring the Nursing Club; being a board member of KSNA district 7; and being actively involved in guiding, directing, and promoting nursing education in the state of Kansas. The Kansas Council of Associate Degree Nursing Educators has renamed a faculty education scholarship in her honor. Cheryl was a member of First Baptist Church in Ellinwood. She believed that Jesus paid the penalty for her sins on the cross, that he rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures, and that she would see him in heaven when she died. It was her desire that God make her a blessing to those around her and in this she was a great success. She will be greatly missed. Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. today at First Baptist Church, located five miles south of Ellinwood at the intersection of SE 50 Rd. and SE 110 Ave. See www.ellinwoodfbc.org for directions. A meal will be served afterward and all are invited. Those interested in assisting are invited to share a dessert they most hope will be in heaven. Y'all Come! Suggested memorials are the BCCC Christian Nurses Fellowship and an education fund for her daughter, Michelle. Funeral arrangements provided by Kimple Funeral Home, Inc. 113 N. Main St. Ellinwood, KS 67526
Eleanor Mary Bortz
1910 - 2005
RUSH CENTER - Eleanor Mary Bortz, 94, died March 20 at Rush County Memorial Hospital Long Term Care in La Crosse. She was born Aug. 29, 1910, in Great Bend, the daughter of Samuel Dorfshaffer and Blanche Penney Dorfshaffer. A homemaker, Mrs. Bortz was a Rush Center resident since 1934. After her graduation from Great Bend High School, she worked for Leshesky's Department Store in Great Bend. After her marriage to Harold William Bortz on Feb. 3, 1934, in Great Bend, Mrs. Bortz worked in the Rush Center Post Office in Rush Center, where Harold was Postmaster. Mrs. Bortz was a member of First Christian Church, taught Sunday School for many years, and was a life member of the Order of the Easter Star and a 60 Plus Club member, all of La Crosse, and was involved with the 4-H Youth. Mrs. Bortz was well known for her beautiful stitchery in all her handmade quilts. She completed her goal of making a quilt for each of her grandchildren's high school graduations before she began to lose her eyesight. Survivors include two sons, Dean Bortz and his wife Joyce of Rush Center and Larry Bortz and his wife Thelma of Ulysses; two daughters, Jolene Turner and her husband Robert of Great Bend, and Marlene Albers and her husband William of Bison; one brother-in-law, Lester Bortz and his wife Helen of Fort Collins, Colo.; three sisters-in-law, Marjorie Evans and her husband Loren, Maureta Walker and her husband Charles, both of Wichita, and Ulanda Pugh of Great Bend; 17 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Samuel and Blanche Penney Dorfshaffer; her husband, Harold William Bortz (May 21, 1974); one infant son, Aaron Dee Bortz; two brothers, William Dorfshaffer and Samuel Dorfshaffer; and two sisters, Grace Wells and Harriet Armstrong. Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 24, at the First Christian Church in La Crosse, with Pastor Troy Schroeder officiating. Burial will be at Locust Hill cemetery in Rush Center. Visitation will be Wednesday, March 23, from 1 to 8 p.m. at the Janousek Funeral Home in La Crosse. Memorials may be made to First Christian Church in La Crosse, Rush Center Senior Citizens Center in Rush Center, or the donor's choice. Funeral arrangements provided by Janousek Funeral Home 719 Pine La Crosse, KS 67548
Dave Miller
1913 - 2005
RUSSELL - Dave Miller, 91, died March 20 at the Russell Regional Hospital in Russell. He was born Sept. 13, 1913, in Russell County, where he also attended College Hill Rural School. After receiving his education, he began working on the family farm. On Nov. 16, 1939, he was united in marriage to Ruth Ida Cook at the Lutheran Church parsonage in Dorrance. They shared over 49 years of married
life together before the death of Mrs. Miller on March 31, 1989. Dave was a farmer and stockman for all of his lifetime on the family farm near Dorrance. He loved the farm and especially enjoyed his cows. In earlier years he also enjoyed fishing and hunting. He was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Russell, and a former member of the Russell County Farm Bureau Association and the Coop Association. He is survived by three sons, Gene V. Miller and his wife Joan of Russell; Gerald Miller of Great Bend, and his former spouse, Ruth Lanterman; and Gaylon Miller and his wife Brenda of Hutchinson; five grandchildren, Scott Miller, Jennifer Williams, Lisa Baker, Kala Miller and Sara Miller; and two great-grandchildren, Breanna Baker and Makenna Baker. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; two brothers, Godfred and Laborious Miller; and six sisters, Marie Miller, Lydia Ehrlich, Amelia Popp, Pauline Bitter and Alvina Roesler. Funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 23, at St. John Lutheran Church in Russell, with the Rev. Henry J. Hartman officiating. Interment will follow in the Dubuque cemetery, south of Bunker Hill in Russell County. Visitation will be held from 1 to 9 p.m. today at the Pohlman-Heise Mortuary in Russell, where the family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John Lutheran Church or the Dubuque Lutheran cemetery, and may be sent in care of the mortuary. Funeral arrangements provided by Pohlman-Heise Mortuary 610 N. Maple St. Russell, KS 67665
Wilma Andrews
1911 - 2005
SUPERIOR, Neb. - Wilma Andrews, 93, died March 17 at the Good Samaritan Center in Superior, Neb. She was born March 18, 1911, at Mankato, the daughter of Earl and Emma (Thompson) Smith. She attended grade school and high school at Mankato. She married
William 'Bill' Andrews on Sept. 23, 1929, at Beloit. She was a homemaker. Survivors include two daughters, Mary Jane Mohler of Superior, Neb., and Alicia Fricke of Great Bend; one sister, Elizabeth Reece of Mankato; one brother, Jack Smith of Salina; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and 12 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, William, one sister, Dorothy McCulloch, two sons, Billy and Marvin, and one grandson, Arlen Mohler. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. today at Mergrue-Price Funeral Home Chapel in Superior, Neb., with the Rev. Wendell Mohler and the Rev. Leslie Warner officiating. Burial will be at Mt. Hope cemetery at Mankato. Memorials are suggested to the family. Funeral arrangements provided by Megrue-Price Funeral Home P.O. Box 282 Superior, NE 68978
Lawrence J. Habiger
1910 - 2005
BUSHTON - Lawrence J. Habiger, 94, died March 18 at Woodhaven Care Center in Ellinwood. He was born Aug. 13, 1910, in rural Bushton, the son of Otto and Anna Robl Habiger. He married
Kathryn Orth on Feb. 12, 1945, in Bushton. She survives. He was a near-lifetime resident of Bushton, having lived the past eight years in Ellinwood. He was a retired farmer. Habiger was a member of Holy Name Catholic Church, Holy Name Men's Society, Lions Club, Bushton; Knights of Columbus Council #1187, Ellinwood, and a Eureka Township trustee for more than 30 years. Survivors include his wife, Kathryn of the home; three daughters, Marguerite Feist of Ellinwood, Zoe Miner of Lyons and Bridget Habiger of Denver; and one sister, Beatrice Bissing of Denver. He was preceded in death by one brother, Paul Habiger, one sister, Madalyn Van Buren, and two infant sisters. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Holy Name Catholic Church in Bushton, with the Rev. Steven Scheier and the Rev. James Roth officiating. Burial will be at Holy Name Catholic Church cemetery in Bushton. Visitation will be from 2-5 p.m. today at Sillin Funeral Home in Lyons, and after 6 p.m. at Holy Name Catholic Church in Bushton with the Parish Rosary at 7 p.m. followed by a Knights of Columbus Rosary. Memorials are suggested to Holy Name cemetery Fund or Bushton EMT or Ellinwood EMT in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Sillin Funeral Home 214 West Ave. South Lyons, KS 67554
Vurn E. (Shorty) Walter
1927 - 2005
LARNED - Vurn E. (Shorty) Walter, 77, died March 18 at Via Christi Regional Medical Center, St. Francis Campus, in Wichita. He was born May 11, 1927, at Kearney, Neb., the son of Elmer F. and Cynthia A. Day Walter. He married
Gwen I. Alexander in Kearney, Neb., on April 4, 1954. She survives. A Larned resident since 1971, moving from Lyons, he was a freight agent. Walter was a U.S. Navy veteran. He was a volunteer at the Larned Healthcare Center. Survivors include four sons, Robert of McPherson and Bruce, Lewis and Thomas, all of Larned; one daughter, Connie Walter Servin of San Antonio, Texas; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by three brothers, Loren, Glen and Paul; and one sister, Dorothy. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the Beckwith Mortuary Chapel in Larned with the Rev. Dan Lundgren officiating. Burial will be at Larned cemetery. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the mortuary. Memorials are suggested to the Larned Healthcare Center in care of the mortuary. Funeral arrangements provided by Beckwith Mortuary P.O. Box 477 Larned, KS 67550
