Winifred Litton Anderson Rankin died in Quinter, Kansas May 28, 2019 at age 94. She was born in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado on August 13, 1924 to Hattie Mabel Bretton and B.W. Litton.

Her family moved to Gove, Kansas when she was a young girl. She married her high school sweetheart, Robert “Bob” Monroe Anderson and together they had 5 children. They moved from Gove to Great Bend, Kansas in 1956. Her husband Bob died in an oilfield accident in 1968. She later married Duane Rankin in Wichita, Kansas and they made their home in Great Bend before retiring to Crane, Missouri and Grove, Oklahoma. Duane passed away in 2010. Winifred then moved to Quinter Independent Living Apartments in 2012.

She is survived by 4 children, Robert (Eileen) Anderson, Denver, Colorado, Raymond “Jerry” Anderson, Lincoln, Nebraska, Winnie Anderson Kingsbury, St. Peter, KS, and Randy (Cathy) Anderson, Great Bend, Kansas; daughter-in-law Betty Anderson, Great Bend, KS; and 3 step-sons, Steve Rankin, Wichita, Kansas, Stanley Rankin, Wichita, Kansas, and John Rankin, South Dakota. She loved being surrounded by her 12 grandchildren when they were young. They include, Sheri Elsen, Shele Maher, Amy Schonhoff, Kimi Bowman, Jamie Baldwin, Hunt Kingsbury, Wesley Kingsbury, Carrie Martinez, Amber Anderson, Rollie Anderson, Rob Nichols, Jason Effertz. She was also blessed with many great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Duane Rankin, son Ralph “Corky” Anderson, grand-daughter Shele Maher, grand-son Jason Effertz, brother Ralph Litton, sister Leola Litton Horner.

In lieu of a funeral, Winifred requested her children and grandchildren gather and release balloons in her honor. The Great Balloon Release will be 3:00 pm Friday, May 31, Black Angus Best Western Inn, Great Bend, Kansas.