Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Betty R. Wallace
1926-2004
Betty R. Wallace, 78, of McPherson, died Sept. 22 at The Cedars of McPherson. She was born Aug. 30, 1926, at Bartlesville, Okla., the daughter of John Henry and Ruth Armelda Paggert Hill. She graduated from Business College in Denver, Colo. She married
Robert G. Wallace Feb. 14, 1948, at Raton, N.M. He died April 28, 1987. A resident of McPherson since 1996, coming from Great Bend, she was a secretary for Central Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend. She was a member of King Memorial United Methodist Church and Golden Belt Gem and Mineral Society, both of Great Bend. Survivors include two sons, Jim Wallace of Topeka and Stuart Wallace of Bloomington, Minn.; one sister, Ethel Dallke of Allen; and two grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two infant daughters. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Charter Funerals Chapel in Great Bend, with the Rev. Phil Smith officiating. Burial will be at Great Bend cemetery. Friends may call from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral chapel, with family receiving friends from 6-8 p.m. Memorials are suggested to ElderCare of Great Bend, in care of the funeral chapel. Funeral arrangements provided by Charter Funerals 2115 Washington Great Bend, KS 67530
Verna Lea Kirkwood
1926-2004
LARNED - Verna Lea Kirkwood, 78, died Sept. 22 at Central Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend. She was born Sept. 19, 1926, the daughter of John Elmer and Elizabeth Wilhelm Murphy. She married
William Arlyn Kirkwood on Aug. 6, 1950, in Larned. He died July 21, 1994. A lifetime resident of Larned, she was a retired bookkeeper for Erway Lumber of Larned. She was a member of First United Methodist Church of Larned. Survivors include one son, Kent Kirkwood of Larned; one daughter, Jill Johnson of Lyons; two brothers, Melvin M. Murphy and Robert O. Murphy, both of Larned; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two brothers, J.D. Murphy and Lester Murphy; and one sister, Nora Blackburn. Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Morell Funeral Home in Larned, with the Rev. Tim Ault-Duell officiating. Burial will be at Larned cemetery. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to service time Saturday, all at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to American Diabetes Association or Court Appointed Special Advocates, both in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Morell Funeral Home P.O. Box 124 Larned, KS 67550-0124
M. John Carpenter
1933 - 2004
M. John Carpenter, 71, Great Bend, died Sept. 21 at Central Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend. He was born May 18, 1933, at Lawrence, the son of Miller Joseph and Anna Belle Smith Carpenter. He married
Mary L. 'Mickey' Hadl on May 2, 1953, at Ottawa. He was an attorney with Carpenter Law Office. He graduated from Lawrence High School in 1952; received a bachelor of arts from the University of Kansas in 1959 and graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1962. He was a resident of Great Bend for 40 years, coming from Lawrence. Carpenter was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lawrence. He belonged to the KU Alumni Association, Barton County Bar Association, Kansas Bar Association, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, American Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association and was past president of the Barton County Bar Association. He was the former Special Administrative Law Judge, Division of Worker's Compensation, and a former political science instructor for the University of Kansas. He served in the Naval Reserve from 1951-1955. He was also a member of the International Printing Pressman and Assistants Union of North America. Survivors include his wife Mickey of the home; two daughters, Chris A. Klima and husband Dale, and Gail L. Carpenter, all of Great Bend; one sister, Martha Eberhardt of Tempe, Ariz.; two grandchildren, Deena Smith and husband Christopher of Great Bend, and Kelly Klima and wife Darah of Derby; and four great-grandchildren, Brayden Smith, Riley John Smith, Demi Klima and Karson Miller Klima. He was preceded in death by a sister, Millie Potter. Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Great Bend with the Rev. James Strassen officiating. Interment will be at Great Bend cemetery. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today at Bryant Funeral Home in Great Bend. Memorials are suggested to Heartland Cancer Center in care of Central Kansas Medical Center Foundation, Great Bend Humane Society or Brit Spaugh Zoo. Funeral arrangements provided by Bryant Funeral Home 1425 Patton Road Great Bend, KS 67530
Norma L. Henry
1923 - 2004
HOISINGTON - Norma L. Henry, 81, died Sept. 22 at Cheyenne Meadows Living Center in Hoisington. She was born March 3, 1923, at Huntley, Neb., the daughter of John William and Martha Katherine Asche Shelton. She grew up and attended Cannonville Rural School District No. 55 near Huntley. She married
Hugh Grant Henry on April 22, 1942, in Nebraska. He died April 5, 1994. A resident of Hoisington for the past 10 years, coming from Elkhart, she was a homemaker. Mrs. Henry was baptized and confirmed at St. Pauls Lutheran Church, Republican City, Neb., where she later became a member. Survivors include two daughters, Lois Schuster and her husband Glenn of Hoisington, and Martha Brittain and her husband Larry of Woodward, Okla.; two sisters, Hattie Brodie of Omaha, Neb., and Evelyn Harms of Wilcox, Neb.; nine grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; eight step-great-grandchildren; and three step-great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, Leonard Henry; daughter Alpha Jean Karpinske; and brother Alvin C. Shelton. Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home in Hoisington with the Rev. Garry Dassow officiating. Graveside service will be at 3 p.m. (Central Time) at Elkhart cemetery in Elkhart. Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. until service time Friday, all at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to American Diabetes Association or Southwind Hospice, both in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home 415 North Main, P.O. Box 146 Hoisington, KS 67544
Larry Douglas 'Papa' Ankerholz
1949 - 2004
HUTCHINSON - Larry Douglas 'Papa' Ankerholz, 55, died Sept. 20 at Hutchinson Hospital. He was born April 16, 1949, at Hutchinson, the son of Lawrence H. and Phyllis E. St. Clair Ankerholz. A 1967 graduate of Lyons High School and a longtime Hutchinson resident, he was the physical plant supervisor for the Kansas State Fair for over 24 years. He was a member of Hutch-Reno Lodge AF&AM, Scottish Rite, and Midian Shrine, both of Wichita. He was also a member of the North American Hunting Club and the National Rifle Association. On Feb. 9, 1970, he married
Joy A. Banks at Newton. She survives. Other survivors include his mother Phyllis Ankerholz Fimple and her husband Rufus, Great Bend; three daughters, Wendy Ankerholz, Hutchinson, Misty Vaught and her husband John, and Krystal Ankerholz and her fiancee Dale Jordan, all of Oklahoma City; a granddaughter, Nyah Vaught; a brother, Kreg and his wife Tina and family, Lyons; a sister, Sonya AnkerholzPotts and her husband Bede, Warilla, New South Wales, Australia. He was preceded in death by two sisters, Phyllis Gail Ankerholz and Shelley Teresa Ankerholz. Cremation has been planned. Memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Encampment Building of the Kansas State Fairgrounds, with Pastor John Carney presiding. Private family Inurnment will take place at a later date. Friends may register the book at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home & Crematory in Hutchinson from 1 to 9 p.m. today. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Shriner's Children's Hospital or Friends of the Fair, in care of the funeral home. Personal condolences may be left at www.penwellgabel.com. Funeral arrangements provided by Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home & Crematory 300 E 30th Ave. Hutchinson, KS 67502
Francis Burns Phillips
1916-2004
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Francis Burns Phillips, 88, died Aug. 25, 2004, at Providence Extended Care, Anchorage, Alaska. A memorial service was held Sept. 3 at the First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Peter Loughman officiating. He was born May 7, 1916, in Hoisington, Kan., to Mark and Ida (Willcutt) Phillips. He married
Helen Newell on Sept. 11, 1937, in Lawrence, Kan. She died March 21, 1981. He owned and operated Newell's Inc. in Great Bend until 1981. In the late 1970s he taught Heating and Air Conditioning I courses at Barton County Community College. He moved to Anchorage in 1990. He was an avid reader and enjoyed hunting, fishing and wood working. Phillips was a member and elder of the First Presbyterian Church, Great Bend; life member of BPO Elks Lodge No. 1127; Shrine and Masonic Lodge, Great Bend A.F. and A.M. of Kansas Lodge No. 15; Kansas York Rite Membership Chapter 36 Mt. Nebo; State Omer Commandery No. 14 Knights Templar, Isis Temple A.A.O.N.M.S. of Salina; member of the Kansas Society of the Sons of the American Revolution; member of the Society of the Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge; member and past state president of the Kansas Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors Association; and a member of the Kiwanis Club, Great Bend. Working with the Kiwanis Club he helped establish the first blood bank at the St. Rose Hospital. Survivors include his daughter, Nell Arvites; grandchildren, Gennie Arvites, Geoffrey Arvites, Kimberly and Lee Burston, James and Krista Stickley, all of Anchorage, and Robert and Kori Stickley of Stilwell, Kan.; godson, L.F. Harper, Omaha, Neb.; sisters-in-law, Jennie Phillips, Kailua, Hawaii, Dorothy Schuetz, Great Bend; sisters, Beverly Brummitt, Elgin, Ill., and Joyce Essmiller; five great-grandchildren, and several cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by brothers Wayne and Maurice. He died hours before his brother Marion, of Cleveland, Okla. A graveside service and burial will be held at a later date in Great Bend. Funeral arrangements are being provided by Witzleben Family Funeral Home, Anchorage, Alaska.
Danny (Dan) Brukbaker
1943-2004
REDFIELD, Ark. - Danny Wayne (Dan) Brubaker, 61, of Redfield, Ark., died Sept. 17, 2004. A consumer loan officer at People's State Bank of Ellinwood in the early 1980s, he was a charter member of the Ellinwood Optimist Club and served as president of Grove Park Golf Club. A graveside service will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Roselawn memorial Park, Salina. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors, Pine Bluff, AK 71603, tel. 870-534-3131.
Virginia Fischer
1923-2004
Virginia Fischer, 80, of Great Bend, died Sept. 19, at Reno County Hospice House in Hutchinson. She was born Dec. 4, 1923, at Greeley, Colo., the daughter of Willis and Alice Warner Trego. She married
Kenneth R. Fischer on June 1, 1947, at Greeley, Colo. A resident of Great Bend for one year, she spent most of her life on a farm in the Hudson area. She was retired from a career as a teacher in Hudson, Great Bend and St. John. Mrs. Fischer was a member of Peace United Church of Christ, Adult Choir and Jr. Choir Director, Women's Guild, Delta Kappa Gamma, Retired Teachers Association, and EHU. She was a former leader of Jolly Workers 4-H Club. After retirement she volunteered in the schools. Survivors include her husband Kenneth of the home; three daughters, Alice Whitmer and husband Eldon, Wilson, Kan., Pam Stuewe and husband Ervan, Alma, Kan., and Marsha DeHart and husband Steve, Oldburg, Kan.; six grandchildren, Christopher Whitmer, Jonathan Whitmer, Brooke Herrera, Morgan Stuewe, MaKenna DeHart and Jacob DeHart. She was preceded in death by a brother, Howard Trego, and a sister, Vivian Shultz. Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Bryant Funeral Home in Great Bend with the Rev. Gary Brooks and the Rev. Dick Ogle officiating. Inurnment will be at Peace cemetery in Hudson at a later date. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. until Service time Saturday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to First United Methodist Church of Great Bend, Peace United Church of Christ, Hudson, or Sterling College. Funeral arrangements provided by Bryant Funeral Home 1425 Patton Road Great Bend, KS 67530
Agnes Caroline Davis
1935 - 2004
NESS CITY - Agnes Caroline Davis, 69, died Sept. 16 at St. Francis Campus, Via Christi Medical Center, in Wichita. She was born May 27, 1935, in Ness City, the daughter of Arthur and Louise Nonnast Musbach. She married
Donald G. Davis on Sept. 3, 1955, at Ness City. A lifetime resident of Ness City, she was a homemaker. Mrs. Davis was a member of the First Baptist Church of Ness City. Survivors include her husband of the home; a son, Jeff Davis, Fort Scott; two daughters, Diane Suppes, Great Bend, and Dawn Samuelson-Scharff, Wichita; two sisters, Mary Lou Hall, Ness City, and Dorothy Beard, Ardmore, Okla.; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by brothers Harold Musbach and David Musbach, and sisters Ruth McFarren and Dixie Rufenacht. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Fitzgerald Funeral Home in Ness City, with the Rev. Russell King officiating. Burial will be at the Ness City cemetery. Friends may call from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Ness County Historical Society and the Ness City Library. Funeral arrangements provided by Fitzgerald Funeral Home Inc. P.O. Box 96, 207 N. Pennsylvania Ness City, KS 67560
Velma A. Sauber
1910 - 2004
CLAFLIN - Velma A. Sauber, 94, died Sept. 16 at McPherson Hospital in McPherson. She was born Sept. 13, 1910, at Claflin, the daughter of Anton and Alva Kraft Redetzke. She married
John Sauber Jr. on Oct. 18, 1933, at Dubuque, Kan. He died Nov. 4, 1974. A lifetime rural Claflin resident, living the her last four years in McPherson, she was a farmer and homemaker. Mrs. Sauber was a member of the St. Catherine Catholic Church, Altar Society and Christian Mothers, all of Dubuque. Survivors include one daughter, Joyce Koehler and her husband Roger, McPherson; eight grandchildren, DeAnn Koehler, Kevin Koehler, Jamie Larson, Terri Ramsey, Tammy Schrag, Julie Allen, Joni Fincham and Jill Koehler; 12 great-grandchildren; and 10 nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a son, Alvin Sauber, and two brothers, Vernon Redetzke and Arthur Redetzke. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Catherine Catholic Church at Dubuque, Kan., with Father Pascal Klein officiating. Interment will be at St. Catherine cemetery in Dubuque. Friends may call from 1 to 9 p.m. today at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home in Hoisington. Vigil service will be at 7 tonight at the funeral home, followed by an Altar Society rosary. Memorials are suggested to St. Catherine Heritage Fund in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements provided by Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home 415 North Main, P.O. Box 146 Hoisington, KS 67544
Roberta M. Basye
1947 - 2004
SMITHVILLE, Mo. - Roberta M. Basye, 56, of Smithville, Mo., passed away Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2004. She was born on Dec. 26, 1947, to William A. and Mary M. (Korf) Demel in Great Bend, Kan. She grew up in Hoisington, Kan., where she graduated from high school. Roberta then attended dental school in Great Bend and worked as a dental assistant. On May 6, 1967, she was united in marriage to Lewis L. Basye at St. Johns Catholic Church in Hoisington. After their marriage they lived in Kansas City and in 1979 they moved to Smithville, Mo., where they made their home. Roberta then worked in the Medical Records Department of North Kansas City Hospital for over 25 years. She received the employee of the month award in October of 1999. She was preceded in death by her parents, and a brother, William F. Demel. Roberta is survived by her husband, Lewis, of the home; two sons, Derrick Basye and wife Ann-Marie, and Brian Basye and wife Dawn; five grandchildren, Carli, Noah, Alexis, Caleb and Ashlynn, all of Smithville; three brothers, Alvin Demel and wife Patsy, Hoisington, Wayne Demel and wife Beth, Ogden, Kan., and Roy Demel, Miami, Okla.; three sisters, Eileen Basye and husband Jim, Cassville, Mo., Mary Ellen Bowman and husband Larry, Clyde, Kan., and Rita Seyfert and husband Kevin, Hoisington; numerous nieces and nephews, other relatives and many friends. Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Smithville. Entombment will be at Mt. Moriah Terrace Park Mausoleum, Kansas City. Rosary will be at 6:30 p.m. today with visitation following until 8:30 p.m. at the Hixson-Klein Funeral Home in Smithville. In lieu of flowers a trust fund for the grandchildren has been set up at Clay County Savings and Loan in Smithville. Funeral arrangements provided by Hixson-Klein Funeral Home 104 Church St. Smithville, Mo. 64089
