Connie J. Spears, 71, Bennington, died Thursday, June 2, 2016 at the Good Samaritan Society – Minneapolis. Connie was born June 21, 1944 in Wichita to Leon and Mary (Leeper) Misenhelter.
On her 20th birthday, she married Jerry L. Spears. Connie taught music in Salina and Bennington. She was the choir director at the United Church of Bennington and she taught piano lessons for many years.
Connie was preceded in death by her parents.
Survivors include her husband of 53 years, Jerry of Bennington; son Jamie Spears and his wife Shelly of Celina, TX and Jolea Twaddell and her husband Marty of Bailey, CO; and six grandchildren Skylar, Kaden, and Kace Spears and Ian, Gabriel, and Piper Twaddell.
The family will host a Celebration of Connie’s Life from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Tuesday, June 7 at the United Church of Bennington. Cremation will follow and graveside services in the Bennington Cemetery will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Good Samaritan Society – Minneapolis, or the United Church of Bennington.
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Council Grove -Elizabeth Ann Koegeboehn, 85, of Council Grove, Kansas passed away Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at Diversicare of Council Grove.
She was born November 17, 1930 in Aulne, Kansas, the daughter of Clee and Tressie (Blankley) Ford. She graduated from Marion High School. Elizabeth married Melvin Koegeboehn on April 8, 1951, in Marion. They moved to Council Grove in 1955. They had three sons: Tracy, Daryl and Steven.
Elizabeth enjoyed staying at home and caring for her family. She was devoted to Daryl when he became blind at the age of 7. She learned braille so she could help him with his homework. After he graduated from high school in 1975, Elizabeth drove Daryl to Herington or Hope on weekday mornings to meet a bus that would take him to Salina for work at OCCK. Then she would pick him up each afternoon. When Daryl was no longer able to work at OCCK, she cared for him at home until his passing in 1984.
Elizabeth, or “Aunt Beth”, as some of her family fondly called her, so enjoyed her volunteer work. Her musical talents were enjoyed by so many over the years. She played the piano at the nursing home and the Senior Center, and the piano and organ at church. Mel carried her portable piano to their Kiwanis meetings every week so she could play for them. There wasn’t usually an old-time hymn that one could stump Elizabeth on. She could play the songs by heart as she looked around the room or the congregation, never missing a note. Elizabeth also played the piano for many weddings and funerals.
Her love of volunteering continued throughout her life as secretary, board member and other duties at Care and Share, and secretary for the Senior Center. She especially loved the Kiwanis as she was secretary for the local club for more than 20 years. Among the many volunteer awards earned in Kiwanis were Kiwanian of the Year in 2000 and the George F. Hixson Fellow award in 2002. Elizabeth also served on the election board for many years.
Elizabeth is a member of the Calvary Lutheran Church. She loved her church work and was quite good at crafts. She was in charge of crafts for Vacation Bible School and Ladies Guild projects.
As with any mother and grandmother, family was especially important. Throughout her life, Elizabeth enjoyed going to her sons’ and grandsons’ events and many Ford family and Koegeboehn family reunions. Her family and friends will always remember Elizabeth as one of the kindest and caring persons ever known, especially her smile and giggle.
Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents. She was the youngest of 7 brothers and sisters. Brothers: William, Jerome, Dalphas, and Leslie; sisters: Ruby and Fern; and son Daryl. She now has joined them all in heaven.
Elizabeth is survived by her husband Mel, of the home; sons, Tracy and wife Kim of Council Grove, and Steve and wife Judy of Wichita; grandsons: Ryan Pickett of Manhattan, Michael and Justin Koegeboehn of Wichita, and many extended family.
A visitation for family and friends will be held at Zeiner Funeral Home in Council Grove on Sunday, June 5, 2016, from 5 – 7.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm, Monday, June 6th, at Calvary Lutheran Church, 715 East Main, Council Grove. Interment will follow at Greenwood Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to Calvary Lutheran Church, Care and Share or Council Grove Senior Center.
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NEWTON – Darla J. Busenitz, age 54, passed away June 2, 2016, at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice – Via Christi, Wichita. She was born in McPherson, on November 11, 1960, the daughter of Victor and Viola (Unruh) Koehn. She received an Associate’s Degree from Bethel College. On August 3, 1985, she was united in marriage to Dennis P. Busenitz at the Inman Mennonite Church. She was a homemaker and farmwife. She was active in the Emmaus Mennonite Church, where she taught Sunday School and Release Time Bible School. She was also very involved in CEF camp ministries with Arkansas City Good News Camp. She was preceded in death by her parents. She is lovingly survived by her husband, Dennis Busenitz of Newton; a son, Todd Busenitz and his wife Becca of Newton; a daughter, Alisha Busenitz of Kinsley; sisters: Chris Knachtman of Hoisington; Becky Pyle of Hillsboro; Ann Koehn of Moundridge; and Erlene Willhite and her husband Jerry of Wichita; and 2 grandchildren: Elena and Trevor. All services will be held at Emmaus Mennonite Church, Whitewater, with the Visitation from 6 – 8 p.m., Monday, and the Funeral Service to be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday. Interment will follow in the Emmaus Mennonite Cemetery, Whitewater. A Memorial Fund has been established for CEF – Arkansas City Good News Camp in care of Lamb Funeral Home, 120 S Main, Whitewater, KS, 67154. Online Condolences may be left at www.zeinerfuneralhomes.com.
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Mariwilla Lumb, known as “Bill” or “Billie” to her family and friends, passed away on June 1, 2016 at the Valley View Nursing Home in Junction City, Kansas. She was 84. Billie was the eighth of nine children born to Rose Peach Budden and Fredrick Clarence Myers. She grew up in Wakefield and graduated from Wakefield High School in 1950. She married Edwin Vance Lumb, also of Wakefield, on September 15, 1951. She raised three children. For a time, she worked at the Farmers and Merchants State Bank in Wakefield and the Credit Union of Junction City. Following their retirement, Billie and Vance worked together in the antique business. She was preceded in death by her husband Vance who died on May 19, 2009.
She is survived by her three children Bradley Lumb of Houston, Texas; Jacquelyn Leatherman (Jim) of Washington, D.C.; and Greg (Deb) Lumb of Junction City, Kansas; and her brother Rex Myers (Rita) of Kansas City, Missouri; Grandchildren, Rachel Lowry, Junction City, Kansas and Lucas (Meagan) Lumb, Gardner, Kansas; Great-grandchildren, Austin Smith, Ellie and Logan Lumb.
Memorial Service: Friday, June 10, 2016 at 11:00AM at the Wakefield United Methodist Church in Wakefield, KS
Visitation: Thursday, June 9, 2016 from 5:00-7:00PM at the Wakefield United Methodist Church.
Minister: Pastor Todd Britt
Inurnment: Highland Cemetery, Wakefield, KS
Memorials: Wakefield Museum c/o the funeral home
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Dale Shepherd, retired Reno county (Kansas) farmer/stockman, left his earthly home on May 30, 2016, in Grove Oklahoma. He was 93 years old.
Mr. Shepherd was born on a farm west of Alden on February 25, 1923, to Claud and Alta Bradley Shepherd. He attended Alden High School where he played basketball, baseball, and quarterbacked the football team, graduating in 1941. After working for a short time for Frank Stout of Raymond, he joined the US Merchant Marine as a fireman/water tender. He crossed the Pacific Ocean four times during WWII, seeing such places as Shanghai China, and the Phillipines.
In 1947 he married Ila Mae Boldt of Bushton, Kansas. They lived briefly in Johnson, Kansas, where he worked for his uncle Jim Dimmitt. In 1949 the couple moved to a farm south of Sterling, Kansas, where he lived until July 2012. Mrs. Shepherd passed away in 1989. Following the death of his wife, his two grandsons were the lights of his life. He never missed a soccer game, cross-country meet, track meet or school program.
Through the years, Mr. Shepherd served multiple terms as the Medford Township treasurer, and ran the township road grader off and on for 60 years. He was a member of the Sterling chapter of the American Legion and a 70-year member of the First United Methodist Church of Sterling. Mr. Shepherd retired from farming/ranching in 2009. He spent the last 2 ½ years in Grove, Oklahoma, with his daughter, Nancy.
He is survived by: daughters Nancy Flowers (Ken) of Grove, Oklahoma, and Linda Corcoran (Kim) of Burrton, Kansas; grandsons Stephen Young (Holly) of Colorado Springs, CO, and Matthew Ediger (Sara) of St Peters, MO; granddaughter Windi Moody (Matthew) of Wylie, Tx; great-grandchildren Audrey, Aaron, and Micheala; brother C.T. Shepherd (Pat) of Wichita.
A memorial service will be held Friday, June 10, at 1 pm, at Birzer Funeral Home in Sterling, Kansas, followed by interment of ashes at the Sterling Cemetery. A reception will follow at the First United Methodist Church of Sterling. Officiating, Rev. Jeff Miller, Rev. Matthew Ediger
A scholarship has been established with Sterling High School (Kansas) for a young future farmer. Donations may be sent to Sterling High School c/o Birzer Funeral Home, Sterling.
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Joan Davison, 79, died May 28, 2016. Funeral service 1:30 P.M., Saturday, June 18, 2016, United Methodist Church, Lyons. Family and friend luncheon will be held at 12:00 P.M. Family will receive friends 5:00 to 7:00 P.M., Friday, June 17, 2016 at Birzer Funeral Home, Lyons. A full obituary will be at a later date.
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Paul G. Herdt, 93, of Gardendale, Texas, and former Russell, Kansas, resident died on Sunday, May 29, 2016, at the Senior Care of Midland in Midland, Texas.
Paul was born on August 29, 1922, in Southeast Russell County, Kansas, the son of John Peter and Kathryn Elizabeth (Ehrlich) Herdt. He was the youngest of 7 children with two older brothers and 4 sisters. He grew up in Russell and attended country grade school at Howley District #23 and 3 years at Russell High School. He was drafted into the United States
Army in December of 1942 during World War II. He spent 3 years with the Army Coast Artillery on the east coast of the U.S.. In 1952, he was recalled back into military service during the Korean War. He spent 8 months in the far east at Camp Zama in Japan. In December 1951, he moved to Odessa, Texas to work in the oil fields. Most of his career was as a truck driver. From 1954 to 1986, he drove ready-mix concrete trucks, dump trucks and hot shot trucks in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. He was married to Jackie (Huffman) Herdt from 1970 to 1973 which ended in divorce. When he retired he moved back to Russell, Kansas, for several years
before moving to Gardendale, Texas, to live with his daughter Vanessa. He was a member of the Temple Baptist Church in Odessa, Texas, and former member of St. John Lutheran Church in Russell. He was a former Junior Vice Commander of the Odessa, Texas, V.F.W. Post and enjoyed bowling. Most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family.
Surviving family include his daughter Vanessa Garner and husband Gary Garner of Gardendale,
Texas; sister, Irene Bender of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and grandson Matthew Jones of Granbury, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Patricia Jones; 2 brothers Leo and Sigmund Herdt; 3 sisters Rosie Bender, Clara Mills, Helen Berry.
A graveside service to celebrate Paul’s life will be held at 2 P.M. on Friday, June 03, 2016, at the St. John Lutheran Cemetery in Russell, Kansas with Pastor Roger Dennis officiating. Military rites will be performed by the Russell V.F.W. Post #6240 Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. on Friday, June 03, 2016, at the mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.