Laverne Arthur Lessor, 91, passed away on Dec. 9, 2025, at Catholic Care Center in Bel Aire, Kan. He was born on April 27, 1934, in Trego County, Kan. to Emerson and Helen (Nemechek) Lessor. He married Anna (Schmeidler) Hertel on April 17, 1971. He was a Great Bend, Kan. resident since 1958.
He was raised on a farm, attended a one-room schoolhouse in Trego County through eighth grade, and graduated from Trego Community High School in 1952. He was active in track and field which earned him a scholarship to Fort Hays State University where he was a four-year letterman as a distance runner and graduated with a degree in Biology in 1956. He earned a master’s degree in School Administration from Fort Hays State University in 1961. He was an elementary school teacher, teaching in Spearville, Kan. for two years, at Park Elementary School in Great Bend, Kan. for two years, and was the principal of Lincoln Elementary School in Great Bend from 1960 through 1997. He was the Kansas Outstanding Young Educator of the Year in 1967 and District V Principal of the Year 1988. He retired from education in 1997. He later worked for the National Assessment of Educational Progress for nine years as a traveling test coordinator.
Laverne was a devoted member of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Patrick Catholic Church serving in many capacities such as Eucharistic Minister, Lector, CCD instructor, and Engaged Encounter instructor. He was active in the Kansas and the Central Kansas Associations of Retired School Personnel, the Knights of Columbus, the Great Bend Noon Lions Club, and the Sunflower Polka Club. He also served as a board member of the Fort Hays State University Endowment Association for 10 years and the Golden Belt Chapter of the American Red Cross for 25 years.
He loved Jesus, the Catholic faith, and his family above all else. He enjoyed gardening and feeding his family with the produce. He enjoyed the outdoors and loved working in his yard, the greenest lawn on the block. He was an amazing polka dancer and enjoyed playing golf and softball for many years, but attending sporting events to cheer for his children and grandchildren was what made him the happiest. He was an avid Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Chiefs fan.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Anna, of Great Bend, Kan.; five children, Pamela Outten of Helotes, Texas, Anita Curtis, Myra (Mark) Niederee, Aaron (Sandy) Lessor of Wichita, Kan., and Kyle (Paige) Lessor of Wichita Falls, Texas; four stepchildren, Jacqueline (Sterling) Hall of Sublette, Kan., Dan (Dort) Hertel of Great Bend, Kan., Rebecca (Eldred) Maresch of Hoisington, Kan., and Duane (Rhonda) Hertel of Derby, Kan.; 17 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Robert Lessor of WaKeeney, Kan. and Delbert Lessor of Richland, Wash. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Lila (Rohr) Sloan; a stepson, Eugene Sloan, Satanta, Kan.; a brother, Charles Lessor, Mulvane, Kan; and a son-in-law Craig Curtis, Wichita, Kan.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 4100 Broadway Ave., Great Bend, Kan., with Father Prakash Kola and Father Warren Stecklein presiding. Interment will follow at Great Bend Cemetery. Visitation will be held from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, with family receiving guests from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Vigil service with Knights of Columbus Rosary at 7 p.m., all at Bryant Funeral Home, 1425 Patton Rd., Great Bend, Kan. Memorials have been designated to Prince of Peace Parish in care of Bryant Funeral Home, 1425 Patton Rd., Great Bend, KS, 67530. Condolences may be sent and notice viewed at www.bryantfh.net.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Bryant Funeral Home
1425 Patton Road
Great Bend, KS 67530
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Dec. 11, 2025
