Archive By Section - Obituaries
Howard V. Whithorn 1919 - 2011
HOISINGTON - Howard V. Whithorn, 92, died Dec. 1 at Harry Hynes Hospice, Via Christi St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Wichita. Born Oct. 6, 1919 in Hutchinson, he was the son of Virgil and Almeda (Wallace) Whithorn. On Dec. 4, 1959 he married Doris A. Turner in Kingman. A resident of Hoisington since 1962, he was the retired owner/operator for Peerless Pest Control in Hoisington.
Rosella A. Smith 1913 - 2011
Rosella A. "Rosie Dozie" Smith, 98, of Great Bend, died Nov. 28 at Woodhaven Care Center in Ellinwood.
Norman W. Stieben 1918 - 2011
OTIS - Norman W. Stieben, 93, died Nov. 29 at his home in Otis. Born Oct. 24, 1918, in Brownell, he was the son of Fred and Julia (Schlegel) Stieben. In 1938, he graduated from Otis Rural High School. He was a lifelong resident of Otis.
Howard Virgil Whithorn
HOISINGTON - Howard Virgil Whithorn, 92, died Dec. 1 at Harry Hynes Hospice, Via Christi St. Francis Regional Medical Center, Wichita. Services are pending with Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home in Hoisington.
Vernon Lamatsch 1937 - 2011
DORRANCE - Vernon Lamatsch, 74, died Nov. 29, 2011 at the Ellsworth County Medical Center.
Norman W. Stieben 1918 - 2011
OTIS - Norman W. Stieben, 93, died Nov. 29, 2011 at his home in Otis.
Elizabeth A. Pivonka 1929 - 2011
HOISINGTON - Elizabeth A. Pivonka, 82, died Nov. 29, 2011 at Country Place Senior Living in Hoisington.
Fern I. Rodebaugh 1920 - 2011
BURDETT - Fern I. Rodebaugh, 91, died Nov. 28 at Derby.
Rosella A. “Rosie Dozie†Smith
GREAT BEND - Rosella A. "Rosie Dozie" Smith, 98, died Nov. 28 at Woodhaven are Center in Ellinwood. Services are pending with Bryant Funeral Home, 1425 Patton Road.
Elizabeth A. Pivonka
HOISINGTON - Elizabeth A. Pivonka, 82, died Nov. 29 at Country Place Senior Living in Hoisington. Services are pending with Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home in Hoisington.
Doris A. Starkey 1919 - 2011
ELLINWOOD - Doris A. Starkey, 92, died Nov. 16 at Ellinwood District Hospital. Born Oct. 20, 1919 in Burlington, she was the daughter of William L. Graybeal and Mary Ann Finney Graybeal. An Ellinwood resident for nearly 50 years, formerly of Houston, Texas and Burlington, she was a bank teller and secretary.
Delores Ann Zachary 1956 - 2011
Delores Ann Zachary, 55, longtime Great Bend resident, died on Nov. 28 at her home in Great Bend. Born on Jan. 6, 1956 at Ellinwood, she was the daughter of Leslie and Margaret (Dueser) Music. She graduated from Barton County Community College in Great Bend. She worked at the Safeway grocery store in Great Bend, and at the time of her death worked was a waitress at the Pizza Hut on north Main Street in Great Bend, where she had been employed for many years.
Robert Jude Hammer 1940 - 2011
LOVELAND, Colo. - Robert Jude Hammer, 71, passed away on Nov. 20 at his home in Loveland, Colo. Born on Oct. 23, 1940 in Great Bend, he was the son of Carl and June (Keenan) Hammer. He grew up on a farm west of Ellinwood. In 1958, he graduated from Ellinwood High School. He attended Fort Hays State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts in Political Science. He then attended the University of Kansas where he received his Judicial Degree. He practiced law for 31 years in Bloomington, Ill., Omaha, Neb., Kansas City, Mo. and ...
Fern I. Rodebaugh
BURDETT - Fern I. Rodebaugh, 91, died Nov. 28 in Derby. Arrangements are pending with Morell Funeral Home in Larned.
Articles by Section - Obituaries
Peggy J. Thompson 1953 - 2015
LARNED - Peggy J. Thompson, 61, passed away Jan. 19, 2015 at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis in Wichita. Born July 6, 1953, in Hoisington, she was the daughter of John H. and Marjorie Wagner Niewald. On Dec. 17, 1983, she married Kelly Thompson. They later divorced. A longtime area resident, she worked at the Larned State Hospital for 23 ½ years as a LMHT.
Marilou Axman 1930 - 2015
OLMITZ - Marilou Axman, 84, died Jan. 20, 2015 at Great Bend Health and Rehabilitation Center. Born Nov. 1, 1930, in Odin, she was the daughter of William and Eleanor (Hickel) Linsner. On April 20, 1949, she married Frank W. Axman in Odin. He died on May 17, 1994. A resident of Olmitz since 1949, coming from Odin, she was a retired nurses' aide, working for the Hoisington Hospital.
Joseph John Zecha 1925 - 2015
Joseph John Zecha, 89, died Jan. 21, at Great Bend Regional Hospital. Born Oct. 25, 1925, in Claflin, he was the son of Emil R. and Mary Theresa (Kinzel) Zecha. A Great Bend resident for the past year and half, living in Denver, Colo. for 50 years, he was an auto mechanic for Montgomery Ward, retiring in 1990. He was a fine example of charity to almost everyone he met, befriending numerous persons in need throughout his life. He was an animal lover, especially dogs.
Joseph E. Hlavaty
OLMITZ - Joseph E. Hlavaty, 77, died Jan. 19, 2015, at Locust Grove Village, La Crosse. He was born Nov. 8, 1937, the son of Erwin J. and Clara Elizabeth (Riedel) Hlavaty. He married Justina Maneth Oct. 6, 1958, at La Crosse. A lifetime Olmitz resident, he was a dairy farmer and stockman and also the postmaster for Olmitz for 25 years.
Zaden Phillip Lee Finnigan
LA CROSSE - Zaden Phillip Lee Finnigan was delivered and passed on Jan. 18, 2015, at Hays Medical Center.
Matilda P. "Tillie" Hoth 1916 - 2015
SALINA - Matilda Pauline "Tillie" Hoth, 98, formally of Holyrood, died Jan. 18, 2015. Born Aug. 30, 1916, in Ellsworth County, she was the daughter of Fred and Anna (Kempke) Hoffman.
Garry L. Simpson 1954 - 2015
CLAFLIN - Garry L. Simpson, 60, died Jan 19, 2015, at his home in Claflin. Born July 18, 1954, in Columbia, N.C., he was the son of Howard and Beulah (Stevenson) Simpson. A resident of Claflin since 2002, coming from Roper, N.C., he was a nurse, working for Washington County Hospital and Central Kansas Medical Center, and formerly owned and operated Prairie House Flowers and Gifts.
Joseph “Joe” Hlavaty
OLMITZ - Joseph "Joe" Hlavaty, 77, died Jan. 19 at Locust Grove Nursing Home, LaCrosse. Services are pending with Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, Hoisington, Kansas.
Solomon “Sam” Maier 1911 - 2015
Solomon "Sam" Maier, 103, died Jan. 18, at Great Bend Health and Rehabilitation Center. Born June 3, 1911, in rural Barton County, he was the son of Henry Jacob and Anna Marie (Daubert) Maier. On Sept. 24, 1947, he married Betty Jo Mangum in Lubbock, Texas. She died on Dec. 7, 2000. A resident of Great Bend since 1964, coming from rural Susank, he worked for Producers Gas Company, retiring in 1976. He enjoyed fishing, and pheasant, dove and rabbit hunting.
Rose Bryant 1942 - 2015
HOISINGTON - Rose Marie Bryant, 73, died Jan. 17, at Great Bend Health and Rehabilitation Center. Born Jan. 7, 1942, in Chase, she was the daughter of George and Georgia (Moore) Bird. She was a graduate of Lincoln High School in Lincoln. On Jan. 27, 1961, she married Carl Lee Bryant in Lincoln. A longtime resident of Hoisington, she was employed for 17 1/2 years as a CNA on the night shift at Cheyenne Meadows Nursing Home. She and her husband both shared a love of fishing.
Jan Carpenter Sink 1935 - 2015
MCPHERSON - Jan Carpenter Sink, 79, wife, mother and grandmother, died Jan. 16, at Galichia Heart Hospital in Wichita. Born May 12, 1935, McPherson, she was the daughter of Fred D. and Evelyn M. (Sward) Carpenter. In 1953, she graduated from McPherson High School. On Jan. 28, 1956, she was united in marriage to Edwin L. Sink, Jr. in McPherson. He preceded her in death on Feb. 11, 1999. She had worked for State Farm Insurance and Tri-County Special Education Co-op, both in Independence, before retiring from Commerce Bank in Bonner Springs, and relocating to McPherson. She volunteered at Save N ...
Gregory Alan “Greg” Bitter 1959-2015
HOISINGTON - Gregory Alan "Greg" Bitter, 55, died Jan. 19 at Clara Barton Hospital, Hoisington. Born Sept. 6, 1959, he was the son of Harry and Irene (Deutsch) Bitter.
Richard E. Johnson 1937 - 2015
HOLYROOD - Richard E. Johnson, 77, died Jan. 18, at his home. Born Oct. 18, 1937, in West Grove, Pa. he was the son of Samuel H. and Blanche A. Johnson. He grew up in Rising Sun, Md. On Aug. 30, 1958, he married Grace Wilkens Johnson in Lorraine. She survives. A resident of Holyrood since 2005, having moved from the farm 3 miles east of town, he was a farmer and rancher.
Velma V. Stieben 1924 - 2015
OTIS - Velma V. Stieben, 90, died Jan. 17, at Locust Grove Village in La Crosse. Born May 28, 1924, in rural Galatia, she was the daughter of Henry and Anna M. (Koch) Miller. In 1942, she graduated from Otis Rural High School. On Aug. 29, 1943, she married Lester M. Stieben at Otis. He preceded her in death on Nov. 28, 2004. A lifelong resident of Rush County, she was a homemaker.
