Archive By Section - Obituaries
Melvin D. Thompson 1926-2012
ARLINGTON - Melvin, D. Thompson, 85, died Jan. 13, 2012 at his home in Arlington. Born March 30, 1926 in Larned, he was the son of Edward A. and Catherine Evers Thompson. He lived in Arlington since 1984 and is formerly of Larned. He is a retired owner/operator truck driver.
Karolyn Kaye Coleman 1939 - 2012
WASHINGTON, MO. - Karolyn Kaye Coleman, 72, of Washington, Mo., formerly of Ellis, passed away in the loving arms of God, on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Cedarcrest Manor Nursing Home in Washington, Mo. Born on Aug. 16, 1939, in Emmeram, she was the daughter of Delbert and Beulah (Springfield) Witt. On July 25, 1955 she married Arthur Paul Coleman, in Great Bend. She was a homemaker and a health care provider.
Melvin D. Thompson
ARLINGTON - Melvin, D. Thompson, 85, died Jan. 13 at his home in Arlington. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Birzer Funeral Home.
Hubert Rajewski 1917-2012
HAYS -Hubert Rajewski, 94, of Hays, passed away Thursday, Jan. 5 at the Great Bend Health and Rehab Center in Great Bend, Kansas. He was born April 4, 1917 in Vincent, Kansas to Frank and Mary (Wittman) Rajewski. He married Emma Klaus in 1939. He had worked in maintenance and was a farmer.
Gary D. Apel 1953 - 2012
SALINA - Gary D. Apel, 58, of Salina, died Jan. 10. Born Jan. 23, 1953, in Sterling, he was the son of Norman and Marilyn (Eves) Apel. Gary was a welder and fabricator for the Blue Goose Company of Great Bend and Tony's of Salina. He was also a goat rancher at the Apel Farm.
Keith A. Peters 1947 - 2012
DES MOINES, Iowa - Keith A. Peters, 65, died Jan.10 at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Born Jan. 3, 1947, he was the son of Tillman and Beulah Christine Barr Peters in Ransom. He was a 1965 graduate of Utica High School and attended Greer Automotive Technical School. A lifetime farmer and avid gardener, he retired from the United States Postal Service.
Gerald R. "Jerry" Kline 1931 - 2012
LA CROSSE - Gerald R. "Jerry" Kline, 80, died Jan. 12 at Hays Medical Center in Hays He was born Nov. 12, 1931, at LaCrosse, to Edmond and Charlet (Schaffer) Kline. He married Mary Anne (Taylor) on April 24, 1952, at LaCrosse. He was raised in La Crosse, and owned Jerry's Tavern, Kline's Radiator Repair, from 1953 to 1965, and the Wishbone Café, all in LaCrosse, from 1965 to 1969. He was a coordinator for Nickerson Farms and was a manager of Russell Nickerson Farms from 1970 to 1974. He moved to Hays in 1973. He then worked for ...
Elaine L. Johnson 1931 - 2012
Elaine L. Johnson, 80, died Jan. 12 at Great Bend Regional Hospital. Born March 21, 1931, at Alva, Okla., she was the daughter of James Arthur and Lorinda L. (Mason) Lane. She married Harold Johnson on Dec., 21, 1947, at Alva, Okla. A Great Bend resident since 1999, coming from South Fork, Colo., and Macksville, she worked at the Larned Greenhouse and was a clerk for Food 4 Less and Dillon's in Great Bend.
Twila Franzmathes
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Twila Franzmathes, 68, died Dec. 19, 2011 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Maxine Krallman 1926 - 2012
Maxine Krallman, 85, died Jan. 10 at River Bend Assisted Living in Great Bend. Born Oct. 5, 1926, in Dover, she was the daughter of Henry Floyd "Harry" and Neta Faye (Nixon) Long. She was a 1945 graduate of Hoyt High School. On April 3, 1948, she married Leroy Darrel Krallman in Kansas City, Mo. He died on May 10, 2005. A resident of Great Bend since 1950, coming from Hoisington and Kansas City, Mo., she worked in the credit department at Montgomery Ward and the credit and audit department at Sears from 1955 to 1987. She loved feeding the ...
Holly Sylvester Langer
BUTTE, Mont. - Holly Sylvester Langer, 92, passed away Saturday Jan. 7, 2012 at his home, Marquis Vintage Suites, in Butte, Mont.
Henry Edward Swartz 1923 - 2012
ALEXANDER - Henry Edward Swartz, 88, passed away on Jan. 8 at Bethany Home in Lindsborg. Born April 29, 1923 in Ft. Scott, he was the son of Paul and Ethel Morgan Swartz. A lifetime resident of Rush County, he was a farmer. On Jan. 28, 1945 he married Norma Clark. She preceded him in death on June 28, 1998.
Warren Eugene Kerbs 1923 - 2012
OVIEDO, FLA. - Warren Eugene Kerbs, formerly of Great Bend, died on Dec. 28 at his home in Oviedo, Fla. Warren was born on April 6, 1923 in Paxico, and graduated from Claflin High School in 1941. He attended Kansas State University, playing on the basketball team, but left college for military service. He then completed his college education at Indiana University, where he earned a degree in business administration in 1948.
JoAnn M. Halling 1925 - 2012
HANSTON – JoAnn M. Halling, 86, died Jan. 8, 2012, at the Hodgeman County Health Center in Jetmore. She was born July 14, 1925, at Rozel, the daughter of Harvey and Maggie Milton Unruh. On Aug. 16, 1946, she married Lawrence L. Halling at Rozel. He died July 30, 2008. A lifetime area resident, she was a homemaker and was a retired bookkeeper for the Co-op in Hanston.
Pauline Bookstore 1913 - 2012
ST. JOHN - Pauline Bookstore, 98, died Jan. 6, 2012, at the Stafford County Hospital. Born May 14, 1913, in Luray, she was the daughter of Roy and Albina (Hampl) Crawford. Living in rural St. John since 1938, she was a homemaker and home economist Extension Agent. On Dec. 2, 1945, she married Dale Bookstore in St. John. He preceded her in death.
Articles by Section - Obituaries
Mark Bomgardner, 1963-2014
HUTCHINSON - Mark A. Bomgardner, 51, of Hutchinson, went home to be with his Savior, July 27 at Reno County Hospice House. He may have lost his battle with cancer, but he conquered the grave when he accepted Christ as his savior. He was born May 31, 1963 in Joplin, MO, the son of Bob and Judy Allen Bomgardner. He was a 1981 graduate of Dodge City High School, and received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from Fort Hays State University. He was a Hutchinson resident for the past 15 years moving from Great Bend.
Susie Ackerman 1919 - 2014
SPEARVILLE - Susie Ackerman, 95, died July 26, at Presbyterian Manor of the Plains in Dodge City. Born March 7, 1919, in Pratt, she was the daughter of Michael and Alice Duncan Shanley. On Oct. 2, 1951, she married John F. Ackerman in Pratt. He preceded her in death on Jan. 17, 2003. An area resident since 1951, she was a homemaker.
Billy Wayne “Bill” Brack 1930 - 2014
Billy Wayne "Bill" Brack 1930 - 2014
Anna Lee (Moody) Brack 1931 - 2014
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. - Anna Lee (Moody) Brack, 83, a resident of Mountain Home, Ark. passed away Saturday, July 26, at her residence.
Deena Kay Erb 1959 - 2014
SPRING HILL - Deena Kay Erb, 55, passed away July 27, at her home surrounded by her family. She was born on Jan. 12, 1959, in Nevada, Mo. to Elton Eugene and Helen Nadine (Spencer) Anders. She grew up in Walker, Mo. and attended Walker High School then went on to receive her LPN license from Fort Scott Community College. On Feb. 10, 1979, she married Paul Gerard Erb in Nevada, Mo. They lived in Albert, then they moved to Bucklin, for 15 years and then to Spring Hill in 2009. She was an LPN for 35 years, working for Olathe ...
Lyle E. Schaben 1924 - 2014
Lyle E. Schaben, 89, died July 26 at Cherry Village Nursing Home, Great Bend. He was born Aug. 27, 1924, at Bazine, the son of John and Verda (Ryersee) Schaben. Mr. Schaben was a graduate of Bazine High School. He married Nathalie J. Borger Feb. 15, 1947, at Bazine. She died June 22, 2012. Raised on the family farm, he began farming as a young man and he and Nathalie raised their family in the house built by Lyle's father. Lyle retired from farming when they moved to Great Bend in 2005, due to health reasons. Lyle also worked ...
Wanza Lou McCrary 1931 - 2014
WESTVILLE, Okla. - Wanza Lou McCrary was born Dec 11, 1931, in Morton, Texas, to James Olin and Pearl Dimple (Herndon) Willis, the eldest of three girls. She talked about growing up in the 1930s, about how hard times were, about nailing wet sheets to the windows during dust storms and the families dream of green pastures - then they moved here.
Jerry Mitchell Jones 1937 - 2014
Jerry Mitchell Jones, 76, died July 24, at Hospice House of Reno County in Hutchinson. Born Dec. 13, 1937, in Hutchinson, he was the son of Ray and Marjorie (Swann) Jones. On March 12, 1958, he married Nelta Irene Simpson in Great Bend. She died on Dec. 3, 1997. A lifetime resident of Great Bend and Seward, he was the owner and operator of the J&J Cafe in Seward until 1997.
John David Lewis 1943 - 2014
POULSBO, Wash. - A memorial service for John David Lewis, formerly of Larned, who died on May 19, will be held at 1 p.m. on Aug. 2, at the First Presbyterian Church in Larned. Memorials are suggested to the church, Larned EMT's or the Pawnee County Food Pantry.
Clarence “C. D.” Johnson 1951 - 2014
Clarence "C. D." Johnson, 63, died July 25 at Great Bend Regional Hospital. He was born Jan. 6, 1951, at Great Bend, the son of Clarence Harve and Bernadine (Ericks) Johnson. He married Jolene Debes on Oct. 11, 1980, at Great Bend. A lifetime resident of Great Bend, he was a rural letter carrier for Rural Route 2 for the United States Postal Service, Great Bend, retiring in 2012.
Wanza Lou McCrary 1931 - 2014
WESTVILLE, Okla. - Wanza Lou McCrary was born Dec 11, 1931, in Morton Texas to James Olin and Pearl Dimple (Herndon) Willis, the eldest of three girls. She talked about growing up in the 1930s, about how hard times were, about nailing wet sheets to the windows during dust storms and the families dream of green pastures - then they moved here.
Joyce Daretta Curtis 1939-2014
HUDSON - Joyce Daretta Curtis, 74, died July 21, 2014 at Leisure Homestead, St. John.
Dennis A. Munoz
Dennis A. Munoz, 66, longtime resident of Great Bend, passed away at his Great Bend home on July 9. Memorial services are July 26 at 4 p.m. at Veterans' Memorial Park in Great Bend. A Life Celebration will follow at The Best Western Angus Inn of Great Bend at approximately 5:30 p.m.
Myron V. Thomas 1941 - 2014
LARNED -Myron V. Thomas, 73, passed away July 21 at his home in Larned. He was born Feb. 28, 1941 in Arvada, Colo., the son of Clarence and Mabel (Batman) Thomas.
Patricia A. Horn 1935 - 2014
POLO, Mo. - Patricia A. Horn, 79, of Polo, Mo., died July 20, at her home. Born on May 22, 1935 in Bushton, she was the daughter of James and Katherine (Gable) Godfrey. She was a high school graduate and received her degree accounting from Wentworth Military Academy.
