Frank E. Thurman, 65, of Great Bend, passed away on Friday evening, Dec. 5, at Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita. Born Sept. 25, 1949, in Scottsbluff, Neb., he was the son of Arthur and Ethel (Deeder) Thurman. On June 29, 2000, he was united in marriage to Mary Walsh in Council Grove. A Great Bend resident since 2006, having moved here from Alta Vista, he loved NASCAR, and had a passion for fixing up old cars and spending precious time with his grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Thurman of Great Bend; four sons, Frank Thurman Jr. and his wife Kerith of St. Louis, Mo., Peter Leyva and his wife Beth of Emporia, Shane Leyva and his wife Jessica of Great Bend, and Andrew Rush of Chase; one daughter, Shantel Rhoufiry of Denver, Colo.; six grandchildren, Sarah (Thurman) Guiet, Isaac Leyva, Keira Leyva, Jacob Leyva, Mya Leyva, and Ryleigh Meyers; two brothers, Robert Thurman of Denver, Colo., and Ed Thurman of Washington; and three sisters, Alona Rae Amos and Judy McCalip, both of Denver, Colo., and Joanne Stone of Council Grove. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Rick and Donald Thurman; and one sister, Doris Jean Thurman.
According to his wishes, cremation has been chosen. Visitation with the family will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Charter Funerals in Great Bend. A Memorial luncheon in Denver, Colo. is being planned for Saturday, Dec. 27. Once finalized, details will be available from the family. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Heartland Cancer Patient Care and Support Endowment Fund through the Golden Belt Community Foundation, 1307 Williams, P.O. Box 1911, Great Bend, KS 67530.  Online condolences may be left and a complete obituary may be viewed at http://www.charterfunerals.com/obituary/chgb.

Funeral arrangements provided by
Charter Funerals*
2115 Washington St.
Great Bend, KS  67530
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Dec. 10, 2014