Barbara Oberle Orth, 99, passed away peacefully on December 6, 2020 at her home. She was born on the family farm in rural Bushton, KS on April 1, 1921, the daughter of William Oberle and Barbara Kirmer Oberle. She was a resident of rural Bushton except for the years she worked in Wichita, KS during WWII.
Due to childhood illnesses Barbara was unable to attend high school and was proud to receive her GED in 1972. She was a homemaker and lifelong learner who enjoyed being the Farmer Township Librarian for 41 years from 1973 to 2014.
She belonged to Holy Name Catholic Church in Bushton and was an active member of the Holy Name Altar Society. She was a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary 8707 at Bushton and the VFW Auxiliary 3111 at Great Bend.
On May 22, 1946 Barbara married Felix Orth of rural Bushton and together they had ten children.
Barbara is survived by her children and their spouses, Lois Orth-Lopes & Steve Lopes of Lawrence, Philip Alan Storck (Lea) of Lawrence, Vincent & Dee Orth of Lyons, Loren and Susan Siemer of Bushton, Judy Orth (Linus) of Roeland Park, Mark & Jill Orth of Great Bend, Sheila Orth of Lawrence, Nilus & Valerie Orth of Bushton, Carmen Orth-Alfie &Sebastian Alfie of Lawrence, and Fabian & Jennifer Orth of Hilliard, OH; 22 Grandchildren, 19 Great Grandchildren, and one Great Great Grandchild. She is also survived by three siblings, Anna Nordman of Albert, Urban Oberle of Claflin, and Dorothy Stoss of Great Bend.
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, Felix Orth; son, Linus Orth; daughter, Lea Orth; a Grandson; and eight siblings, Ambrose Oberle, Mary Hertach, William Oberle, Phillip Oberle, Andrew Oberle, Clement Oberle, Jerome Oberle and Rita Stoss.
Public visitation will be Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020 from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Birzer Funeral Home, 214 West Ave S, Lyons, KS, 67554. Due to the current pandemic, services with Father Rick Kotrba presiding will be held privately with the family on Friday.
The family thanks Barbara’s extended family and many friends for their thoughts and prayers. Heartfelt thanks to all the Reno/Rice County Hospice Staff for their kindness and the gentle care they provided.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be donated to the Farmer Township Library Fund, the Holy Name Altar Society, or the Hospice & Homecare of Reno County in care of the Birzer Funeral Home.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Birzer Funeral Home
207 N. 4th St.
Sterling, KS 67579
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Dec. 9, 2020
