Archive By Section - Obituaries
Gerald E. "Jerry" Boomhower
RUSSELL - Gerald E. "Jerry" Boomhower, 76, of rural Russell, died Dec. 27 at the Clara Barton Hospital in Hoisington. Jerry was born April 21, 1934, in Hoisington, the son of Glenn and Florence (Goodheart) Boomhower. He grew up on the family farm in south Russell County and graduated from Hoisington High School in 1951. On May 25, 1957, he was united in marriage to Virginia Tauscher in Hoisington. This union was blessed with ...
Ruby Carolina McKenna
LARNED - Ruby Carolina McKenna, 95, died Dec. 24 at South Wind Hospice, Pratt. She was born Nov. 13, 1915, in Fargo, Okla., the daughter of Robert and Adelia Buckbee McKenna. A resident of Larned since 1991, previously of Woodward, Okla., she was a homemaker.
Lila L. Young
ELLINWOOD – Lila L. Young, 84, died Dec. 25 at Woodhaven Care Center in Ellinwood. She was born March 16, 1926, at Vader, Wash., the daughter of Douglas H. and Alline Eaton Towers. She married Charles Norman Young Sept. 14, 1947, at Milton-Freewater, Ore. He died Dec. 29, 2000. A resident of Woodhaven, she was a retailer and homemaker.
Anna Belle Owens
LARNED - Anna Belle Owens, 73, died Dec. 23 at Hays Medical Center in Hays. She was born May 17, 1937, in Shattuck, Okla. A resident of Larned since 1970, formerly of Woodward, Okla., she was a retired Food Service Supervisor 1 at the Larned State Hospital.
Menta A. Hofmeister
CLAFLIN - Menta A. Hofmeister, 88, died Dec. 20 at Great Bend Health and Rehabilitation Center. Born July 7, 1922, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, she was the daughter of Charles and Virginia (Reynolds) Eahart. On Oct. 12, 1947, she married Elmer Hofmeister in Parsons. He died Feb. 11, 2005. A long-time Claflin resident, she was an elementary teacher and a homemaker.
Esther Fehrenbach
SCOTTSBLUFF, NEB. - Esther Fehrenbach, 90, of Scottsbluff, Neb. died Dec. 18 at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. Esther was born Feb. 16, 1920, in Ramona, to Roy and Hattie (Brumfield) Kellogg. She received her education in Hodgeman County and graduated from Hodgeman County High School. She married her husband, Paul A. Fehrenbach on Feb. 16, 1941. To this union two daughters were born, Gerry M. and Nancy E.
Richard Morgan Edwards
Richard Morgan Edwards, 80, of Great Bend, died Dec. 8 at Central Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend. He was born Oct. 30, 1930, at Spring City, Pa., the son of Morgan and Margaret Edwards. He married Marilyn Spruill Standish on Feb. 14, 1975, at Reno, Nev. A Great Bend resident since 1972, coming from Kentucky, he was an engineer for O'Neill Tank.
Menta Hofmeister
CLAFLIN - Menta Hofmeister, 88 died at Great Bend Health and Rehabilitation.
Sally Dineen Schmidt
HAYS - Sally Schmidt, 56, died Dec. 12 at her home in Hays. Born Feb. 19, 1954, in Great Bend, she was the daughter of George S. and Arliss A. (Belts) Koogle. She married Elmer Schmidt on May 19, 1979, in Great Bend. She attended Barton County Community Junior College and then attended Fort Hays State University where she received her master's degree in nursing. She was an assistant professor in nursing in the ...
Ella Balzer Brown
HUTCHINSON - Ella B. Brown, 91, of Hutchinson died Dec. 17 at Hospice House in Hutchinson. Born Nov. 21, 1919, on a farm near Buhler, she was the daughter of Peter W. and Anna Siemens Balzer. She graduated from Buhler High School in 1938 and attended Bethel College for two years, obtaining her teaching certificate. She taught school for one year before marrying Henry S. Brown on June 6, 1941. They lived in the ...
Erma Lorene Moore
HUTCHINSON- Erma Lorene Moore, 83, of Hutchinson, formerly of Great Bend, passed away Dec. 16. Erma was born Dec. 18, 1926, in Great Bend, the daughter of Herman and Clare (Henning) Warnken. Erma was a lifetime resident of Great Bend before moving to Hutchinson. In Great Bend, she was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. She worked as a secretary for Beneficial Finance for 15 years as well as at Montgomery Ward for 24 ...
Beverly Louise Kolb
Beverly Louise Kolb, 80, of Great Bend, died Dec. 18 at Great Bend Regional Hospital. Born Feb. 22, 1930, in Ottawa, she was the daughter of Leo Clarence and Frances Louise Doty Howard. A former resident of Pawnee Rock, moving to Great Bend in 2008, she was a telephone operator for the South Western Bell and Larned State Hospital. On June 12, 1949, she married E. Dean Kraisinger in Lawrence. On Sept. 28, 1978, ...
Naomi E. (Pete) Soeken
CLAFLIN - Naomi E. (Pete) Soeken, 75, died Dec. 18 at her home in Claflin. Born Oct. 1, 1935, in Manhattan, she was the daughter of Earl and Oneita (Crook) Stadel. On Dec. 19, 1954, she married Howard Lee Soeken in Pratt. A resident of Claflin since 1955, coming from Manhattan, she was a homemaker.
Emma E. Klima
GREAT BEND - Emma E. Klima, 89, went to be with the Lord surrounded by her family Dec. 18. She was born March 28, 1921 in Barton County, the duaghter of Joseph and Hattie K. (Houska) Sulc.
Naomi E. (Pete) Soeken
CLAFLIN - Naomi E. (Pete) Soeken, 75, died at her residence Dec. 18. She was born Oct. 1, 1935 Services are pending and will be announced by Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home.
Articles by Section - Obituaries
Arthur Lewis Mostrom 1925 - 2013
BURDETT - Arthur Lewis Mostrom, 88, died May 8 at Larned Healthcare Center. Born March 16, 1925, in Spearville, he was the son of Clarence H. and Merion E. North Mostrom. On Aug. 17, 1952, he married Faye Schadel in Alexander. She survives. A longtime resident of Burdett, he was a retired mechanic and custodian.
Norma Lea Curry Shafer-Yancey 1928 - 2013
LAWRENCE - Surrounded by her four children at her home, Norma Lea Curry Shafer-Yancey, 84, peacefully passed away on May 4th. Born on Christmas Day in 1928, to Leslie and Glenda Curry in Burlington, Wash., Norma Lea Curry and her family moved to Great Bend, before her second birthday. Shortly after her graduation from high school, Norma met Ted Shafer at a picnic dance. They were married in 1948, and had four children. Shafer's position ...
Sylvia M. Wagner 1927 - 2013
LAWRENCE - Sylvia M. Wagner, 86, died on May 2, at Brandon Woods in Lawrence. Born Feb. 24, 1927, in Chicago, Ill., she was the daughter of John and Marie (Wollert) Schmidt. On Nov. 17, 1946, she married Duane Wagner in Ellinwood. He preceded her in death on Aug. 13, 1991. She was a housewife and bank teller. She was an avid reader and enjoyed needlepoint.
Charles L. Curtiss 1951 - 2013
LAWRENCE - Charles L. Curtiss, 61, concluded his battle with cancer May 6, at his home. Born on July 30, 1951, in Lawrence, he was the son of Earl and Oma Lee (Coleman) Curtiss. In 1983, he married Debra Nichols. They divorced in 1994. He was an employee of Hallmark Cards in Lawrence for 38 years, retiring in 2007. Charles was intensely interested in genealogy tracing his own family back hundreds of years and also ...
Robert (Bob) Raymond Ewald 1931 - 2013
BILLINGS, Mo. - Robert (Bob) Raymond Ewald, 81, passed away on May 2, in Billings, Mo. He was born on July 30, 1931 in Great Bend. On June 4, 1954, he married Shirley Joan Ewald (Wolfe) in Ellinwood. He worked at Blount Industries for 20 years.
Dan Allen Noblitt 1934 - 2013
Dan Allen Noblitt, 78, died May 4 at his home in Great Bend. Born Oct. 16, 1934 in Great Bend, he was the son of George O. and Edith (Marsh) Noblitt. On April 18, 1958 he married Thelma Beebe in Norwalk, Calif. A long time resident of Great Bend, he was most recently employed as a regional manager for Super 8 Motels.
Helen R. Berscheidt 1918 - 2013
BELPRE - Helen R. Berscheidt, 94, died April 19, at the Halstead Health and Rehabilitation Center. Born Nov. 22, 1918, she was the daughter of Matt and Martha Heinke Maes. On Feb. 4, 1941 she married John N. Berscheidt in Claflin. He passed away in 1974. A lifetime area resident she was a farmwife and an occupational therapist for the Larned State Hospital for 25 years.
