LYONS — Paul E. Kern, 87, died March 22 at Rice County District Hospital, Lyons. He was born Dec. 13, 1925, at Frederick, the son of Frank Mathias and Ina Lavern “Verna” Maxwell Kern. He graduated from Bushton High School in 1943. He married Verna Lee Adams on May 10, 1946, at Wichita. She died June 16, 2006. A lifelong area resident, he was a lifetime farmer.
He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving during World War II in the Pacific Campaign, Philippines, Luzon.
Mr. Kern was a member of Holy Name of Jesus Christ Church, rural Bushton, served on the board of Bushton Grain Supply, served as a campground volunteer at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona for 25 years, and was Eureka Township treasurer for 20 years.
Survivors include four sons, Michael D. Kern, Lake Panasoffkee, Fla., Edward W. and Carolyn Kern, Chase, Richard R. and Irina Kern, Hollywood, Fla., and James P. and Julie Kern, Salem, Va.; a sister, Mary Smith, Hutchinson; nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Chester H. Kern.
Parish rosary will be at 9 a.m. Monday with funeral Mass at 10 a.m., at Holy Name of Jesus Christ, rural Bushton, with Father Robert Spencer officiating. Burial will be at Lyons Municipal Cemetery with military honors by Fort Riley Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 4-6 p.m. Sunday at Birzer Funeral Home, Lyons, with family present. Memorials are suggested to Rice County District Hospital Unit in care of the funeral home.

Funeral arrangements provided by
Birzer Funeral Home*
214 West Ave. South; P.O. Box 89
Lyons, KS 67554
(620) 257-2211
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, March 24, 2013