Archive By Section - Obituaries
Keith Wayne Benker 1958 - 2011
Keith Wayne Benker, 53, died May 1 at Great Bend. He was born Feb. 20, 1958, at Deshler, Neb., the son of Kenneth and Connie (Ingles) Benker. He married Maribeth Taylor Fradd on Jan. 1, 1996, at Great Bend. A Great Bend resident since 1988, coming from Cunningham, he owned and operated Keith Benker Irrigation Service.
Diana Lynn Larkin 1955 - 2011
SKELLYTOWN, Texas - Diana Lynn Larkin, 55, died April 29 in Pampa, Texas. She was born Aug. 23, 1955, in Great Bend. She married Gary Larkin on Aug. 25, 1973, in Hoisington. In 1974, she graduated from Great Bend High School. She was the postmaster at Briscoe Post Office for the past 15 years and had been employed with the U.S. Postal Service for the past 25 years. She had been a resident of Skellytown, Texas, since 1979.
Violetta Louise Karst 1930 - 2011
MESA, ARIZ. - Violetta Louise Karst, 81, died April 26, surrounded by her loving family, after a brief illness. She was a loving Wife, Mother, and Nana.
Mark Edward Smith 1953 - 2011
HOISINGTON - Mark Edward Smith, 57, died April 27 at Via Christi St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Wichita. Born May 8, 1953, in Hoisington, he was the son of Charles and Ruby (Payne) Smith. He was a lifetime resident of Claflin.
LaWanda M. (Batman) Farrell 1929 - 2011
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. - LaWanda M. (Batman) Farrell, 82, went to be with her Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven on April 7, at Corondelet Hospice in Tucson, Ariz. Born Jan. 14, 1929, in Great Bend, she was the daughter of Ralph E. Batman and Martha F (Batman) Williams. She worked 45 years in hospitals in Russell, Great Bend, and Sierra Vista Regional Hospital in Sierra Vista, Ariz. Her hobby was bowling.
Emerson MacDonald 1917 - 2011
Emerson MacDonald, 93, passed away peacefully at his home in Great Bend on April 28. He was born Sept. 3, 1917, at Hackettstown, N.J., the son of Emerson C. and Grace (Petty) MacDonald. He married Gladys Naoma Glass on May 29, 1941, at Winfield. She passed away Oct. 20, 2006. He was an English teacher at Great Bend High School for 47 years. He was a Great Bend resident since 1947, coming from Burlington.
Joseph R. McLaughlin
LAWRENCE - Joseph R. McLaughlin, 88, Lawrence, died April 30, 2011, at Brandon Wood at Alvamar in Lawrence.
Dr. Thomas D. Van Winkle 1923 - 2011
WICHITA - Dr. Thomas D. Van Winkle, 88, died April 28 at Life Care Center, Wichita. He was born Jan. 18, 1923, at Great Bend, the son of Albert and M. Ruth (McGinty) Van Winkle. He married Ann Wesley on Aug. 20, 1967, at Wichita. A Wichita resident most of his life, coming from Seward, he was a dedicated chiropractor for 39 years.
Lea (Steitz) Lehmann 1915 - 2011
HOISINGTON - Lea (Steitz) Lehmann, 96, died April 26 at Country Place Senior Living in Hoisington. Born April 16, 1915 in Otis, she was the daughter of Conrad and Mary (Brack) Steitz. On Aug. 23, 1936 she married Martin F. Lehmann in Otis. He died Sept. 12, 2005. A long-time resident of Hoisington, coming from Otis, she was a homemaker.
Mildred L. Carper Ideker 1926 - 2011
LACROSSE - Mildred L. Carper Ideker, 84, died April 27 at the Rush County Hospital Long Care in LaCrosse. Born Aug. 9, 1926 in Greenwood County, she was the daughter of Rueben and Bertha (Bercy) Beach. She was a graduate of Eureka High School. A resident of Rush County for more than 50 years, she was the owner of Carper Drug in LaCrosse from 1956 to 1968.
Lewis E. Massie 1923 - 2011
PAXICO - Lewis E. Massie, 87, died April 24 at the Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center in Topeka. Born June 3, 1923, at Highland County,Iowa, he was the son of John R. and Mary Hawk Massie. He was married to Vera Massie. She preceded him in death. He later married Andrea Diane Nienhuis. A resident of Kansas many years, he spent the past several years in Paxico. He had worked construction, was a truck driver and had owned and operated a service station.
Melissa G. Clark 1960 - 2011
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Melissa G. Clark, 50, of Jefferson City, Mo., formerly of Hoisington, passed away Easter Sunday, April 24, at the Pin Oak Baptist Church in Mt. Sterling, Mo. Born Sept. 20, 1960, in Hoisington, she was the daughter of William "Bill" and Wilma (Willson) Meljo. A 1978 graduate of Hoisington High School, she received her Registered Nurse degree from Barton Community College in Great Bend. She was employed at Capital Regional Medical Center in Jefferson City, Mo., as a pediatric nurse.
Lea Lehmann
HOISINGTON - Lea Lehmann, 96 died April 26 at Country Place Senior Living in Hoisington. Services are pending with Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home in Hoisington.
Mildred Schiewe Holmgren 1917 - 2011
ELLINWOOD - Mildred Schiewe Holmgren, 93, died April 27 at Sunshine Home in Buhler. She was born Dec. 11, 1917, at Ellinwood, the daughter of Reinhold Schiewe and Adella Panning. She married Louis John Schiewe Sept. 6, 1943, at Paducah, Ky. He died July 6, 1962. She then married Eldred M. ("Swede") Holmgren on Oct. 18, 1969, in Ellinwood. He died Feb. 8, 1982.
Articles by Section - Obituaries
Emanuel Boger 1919-2014
TULSA, Okla. - Emanuel Boger, 95, died July 7, 2014 at St. Francis Hospital, Tulsa, Okla.
Thaine “T. C.” Francis 1928-2014
Thaine "T. C." Francis, 85, died July 7 at Catholic Care, Bel Aire. Born Dec. 21, 1928, at Hudson, he was the son of Leslie and Lucille (Jones) Francis.
