ELLINWOOD — Lincoln Paul Tschopp, 78, died Aug. 17, at his home in Ellinwood. Born on Feb. 12, 1936, in Winfield, he was the son of Frederick and Cleoa (Pishney) Tschopp of Udall. He graduated as the first four sport letterman from Udall High School and holds degrees from both BCCC and Friends University in Wichita. After the 1955 Udall tornado destroyed his hometown, Paul enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Special Weapons Command. On April 4, 1975, he married Lillian Milberger in Wichita. He pursued an engineering career with Boeing of Wichita and then moved on to Coleman Company. While living in Ellinwood he worked for Fuller Brush, Barton Community College and the City of Great Bend. Major projects he was charged with include the Shaffer Art Gallery, the Kirkman Gymnasium on the BCCC campus, the Water Treatment Facility for the City of Great Bend and the new addition to St. John Lutheran Church in Ellinwood.
Paul’s service to Barton County has been extensive. He served as Chairman of the Barton County Economic Development Committee, the Kansas Wetlands & Wildlife Scenic Byway committee, and the Kansas Wetlands Education Center. Most recently he served on the Upper Arkansas River Basin Advisory Committee in conjunction with the Kansas Water Office in Topeka. He enjoyed photography, fishing, hunting and shooting sporting clays.
He was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Ellinwood, the American Legion and the Central Kansas Photography Club.
Paul is survived by his wife Lillian; daughter Shane (Mark) Dayton; and grandchildren Elise Dayton and Caleb Dayton. Other survivors are his brother Dr. Charles Tschopp, of Anchorage, Alaska; and sister, Margaret Cline of Alvin, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. on Friday at St. John Lutheran Church in Ellinwood with Pastor Jeffrey Frakes presiding. Visitation will be from 1 to 7 p.m. on Thursday at the St. John Lutheran Church with family present from 6 to 7 p.m. A private family burial will take place at Ninnescah Cemetery in Cowley County. Memorials may be given to St. John Lutheran Church or Kansas Wetlands Education Center in care of the funeral home.

Funeral arrangements provided by
Minnis Chapel**
PO Box 246
Ellinwood, KS 67526
Great Bend (Kan) Tribune, Aug. 19, 2014