Robert Eugene Gerber, 97, retired salesman for Fairmont and Steffens Dairy, passed away Tuesday, September 3, 2019 in Wichita, Kansas.
Robert was born on August 3, 1922 in Waterloo, Kansas. He devoted his life to his wife and family, could fix anything, had immense patience and a great smile. Robert was a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus. He retired in 1983 from Fairmont and Steffens Dairy after 43 years.
Robert married Orletta Lee Niedens on October 21, 1943. She died on their 75th wedding anniversary weekend in 2018. Robert’s residences included Dodge City, Liberal, Hutchinson, Salina and Wichita, Kansas.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Elizabeth (Huelskamp) Gerber; wife, Orletta Lee (Niedens) Gerber; son-in-law, Daniel G Rupp; grandson, Tejay Collins; brother, Marvin Gerber; sisters, Mary Lee Schneweis, Mabel Thesing, Jeanette Gerber, Joann Schwarz.
Survivors: daughters, Sandra Rupp of Hays, Kansas, Mary Rose (Lynn) Butler of Annandale, Virginia, Rita (Mike) Gedney of Overland Park, Kansas and Carmen Gerber of Hays, Kansas; sons, Gregory (Denise) Gerber of Wichita, Duane (June) Gerber of Weatherford, Oklahoma, Shane (Dianne) Gerber of Wichita; 13 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; brother, Richard Gerber of Dodge City, Kansas; sister, Doris (Val) Goff of Prescott, Arizona.
Rosary, 7 p.m., Thursday, September 12, 2019; Funeral Mass, 10:30 a.m., Friday, September 13, 2019, both at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Wichita, Kansas. Burial will follow at 3 p.m. at St. Louis Cemetery, Waterloo, Kansas. Memorials established with The Lord’s Diner, 520 N. Broadway, Wichita, KS 67214; St. Louis Catholic Church, 13015 E. Maple Grove, Mt. Hope, KS 67108 and St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 3642 N. Ridge Rd., Wichita, KS 67205. Downing & Lahey Mortuary West Chapel.
Violet (Vi) Lashell Collins, 85, died on Friday, September 6, 2019 at Ness County Hospital in Ness City. She was born on April 18, 1934 at Utica the daughter of Leroy Lloyd “Babe” & Vera Azalea (Morland) Lashell. She married Fred W. “Wes” Coker on January 14, 1955 at Utica. She later married George B. Collins on July 4, 1992 at Dighton.
Violet graduated from Utica High School in 1952 and started working at a bank in Ness City. After her first marriage she lived in Alabama and Morton County until moving to Dighton in 1964. She started working at Dighton Bowl as a waitress, then as a cook and later the manager. Before her second marriage she went to dog grooming school with her daughters and started grooming dogs. Then she began helping her husband on the farm and keeping books for Collins Steel and C & C Welding. She was a member of the First Christian Church of Dighton and was a past member of EHU and 4-H Leader. She enjoyed playing softball, bowling, playing cards and games, knitting, sewing, her spoon collection and being involved with her Grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her Parents, Daughter- Michelle Annette Coker, 2 Brothers- Leroy Lloyd Lashell, Jr. & Leo Edward Lashell and Sister- Thelma Maria Patterson.
She is survived by her Husband- George Collins, Son- Leroy Coker wife Mickey of Bull Shoals, Arkansas, Daughter- Vera Coker of Dighton, Sons- Craig Collins wife Beth of Dighton, Henry Miller wife Eljean of Shallow Water, 9 Grandchildren and 5 Great-Grandchildren.
Funeral Service will be at 2:00 PM Tuesday at First Christian Church with Rev Aerii Smith officiating. Burial will be in Utica Cemetery. Friends may call from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday and 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM Tuesday at Boomhower Funeral Home. Memorials are suggested to First Christian Church in care of Boomhower Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com
On Friday, September, 6, 2019, Charlotte Ann Wyatt, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away at the age of 86 at her home south of Gorham.
She was born on October 29, 1932 in Hastings, Nebraska, the daughter of Chester C. and Isabelle (Archibald) Gates. On August 13, 1954, she was united in marriage to Richard Wyatt in Hastings.
Ann will be forever remembered by her husband and best friend of 65 years; Richard L. Wyatt, her precious children; Nancy A. Seitz, Timothy J. Wyatt, and Terri L. Wyatt, 14 grandchildren, and a plethora of great-grandchildren, extended family and dear friends.
She was preceded in death by her beloved son; Ronald L. Wyatt and her brother; Gerald Gates.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at the Gorham Community Church, 101 Clifford Street, Gorham, Kansas. Burial will follow at Winterset Cemetery, south of Gorham. Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association. Condolences and memories of Ann may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com
Judith Ellen (Peterson) Driscoll, 77, of Russell, Kansas, passed away Thursday, September 5, 2019, at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas.
Judith was born March 19, 1942 in York, Nebraska. She was one of four children born to Edward Theodore and Wreatha Irene (Talbot) Peterson. She grew up and attended schools in York, Nebraska, Topeka, Kansas, Salina, Kansas and Manhattan, Kansas. She graduated from Manhattan High School and then attended Kansas State University.
Judith was united in marriage to Jerry Dean Driscoll in November of 1962. This union was blessed with a daughter, Debora. During their marriage Jerry and Judith lived in Salina, Pueblo, Colorado, Greensburg, Kansas, Salina, Colby, Dodge City, Salina and moved to Russell in 2003. Jerry preceded her in death on May 23, 2005.
Judith was a secretary and key punch operator for the Farm Management Company in Colby. Later she was a physical therapist at a nursing home in Colby. When she lived in Salina she worked for Hedges Neon and was a Home Health Aid. When living in Dodge City she worked with Youthville. When Debora was young, Judith was a devoted wife and homemaker for her family. She is a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church and Women of the ELCA. She was also active with the church knitting group. In her spare time she enjoyed fishing, knitting and especially helping take care of the grandchildren.
Judith’s surviving family include her daughter, Debora D. Kreutzer (John Jay) of Russell, Kansas; sister, Verna Del Sullivan of Derby, Kansas; sister-in-law, Nancy Peterson of Maryville, Tennessee; three grandchildren, Michael Kreutzer, Kira Towery and Steven Kreutzer; and four great grandchildren, Maria, Cadence, Draco and Emma.
Judith was preceded in death by her parents, husband Jerry, and two brothers, Joe Peterson and Marvin Peterson.
Celebration of Judith’s Life will be held at 10:30 AM, Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at St. John Lutheran Church in Russell. A Graveside Service will be held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday at Crown Point Cemetery north of Salina. Family has selected cremation and no visitation will be held. Memorials have been established with St. John Lutheran Church or Russell County Food Pantry. Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.
Bonnie Carol Fuentez, 76, of Gorham, Kansas, died on Friday, September 06, 2019 at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas.
Bonnie was born on April 29, 1943 in Wallace County, Kansas. She married Oscar Lee Fuentez on August 20, 1966 in Sharon Springs, Kansas. Bonnie and Oscar were blessed with three children: Christina, Regina, and Joseph. Oscar preceded Bonnie in death on June 07, 2007.
Bonnie was a parishioner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Gorham, Kansas. She enjoyed baking elaborately decorated cakes and cookies which were shared and cherished by family and friends. Bonnie took great pleasure and pride in maintaining her flower garden as well as collecting cookie cutters and Hallmark ornaments. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Surviving family include her daughter Christina Bourland of Russell, Kansas; daughter Regina Gronewoller and husband John of Onaga, Kansas; son Joseph Fuentez and wife Amanda of Windsor, Colorado; grandchildren Christianna Pruden and Danielle Bourland; Eryn, John Michael, and Jarod Gronewoller; Jacob and Abigail Fuentez; and great-grandchild Owen Watts.
A rosary and celebration of the funeral mass will be held Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Gorham, Kansas. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Gorham, Kansas. Memorials may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church or Hospice at Hays Medical Center and can be sent in care of the Pohlman-Varner-Peeler mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.
Shirley Kay Coleman, a.k.a. Grandma Gray, 76, of Colby, died Thursday, September 5, 2019 at Citizens Medical Center, surrounded by numerous loved ones. She was born June 11, 1943 in Hastings, Nebraska, the daughter of Otto and Dorothy (Arterburn) Schutte. She was the third to the oldest of eleven children. She met and married the love of her life, Robert Coleman, November 27, 1961, in Hastings. To this union three children were born Wesley, Candy and Debbie.
They moved to Colby, Kansas in 1965, where she owned and operated Coleman’s Cleaning Service for over 15 years and co-owned and operated Village Laundromat for over 10 years, before retiring. She enjoyed playing Bingo, painting rocks, and being Mrs. Claus. She loved volunteering for RSVP, taking admissions at the community building. She was an avid sports fan and loved cheering (loudly)for her favorite teams and players. But her biggest passion was spending time with her grandchildren and extended grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband Robert; son Wesley Coleman; daughter-in-law Cheryl Coleman and grandson Aaron, all of Wichita, KS; daughter Debbie (Brian) Quagliano and grandson Nathan Quagliano, all of Colby, KS; grandson Casey (Sabryn) Quagliano, of McCook NE; siblings, Larry Schutte and Alvin (Linda) Schutte, of Hastings, NE, Linda(Danny) Sadd, Glenvil, NE, Richard Schutte, Colby KS, Patricia Haskins and Calvin (Carmen) Schutte, Pender NE.
Preceded in death by daughter Candy; her parents; brothers, Vincent “Skeeter” Schutte and Otto Jr. “Butch” Schutte; sisters Daisy Dickensen and Virginia “Suzie” Condry; brothers-in-law, Archie Platt and Claude “Perry” Condry.
Visitation will be 5-8:00 p.m. Thursday, September 12, 2019, at Baalmann Mortuary, Colby. Funeral Service to be held Friday, September 13, 2019, 10:30 am, at the Colby United Methodist Church, with burial at Beulah Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Grandma Gray Memorial Fund, in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For information or condolences visit www.baalmannmortuary.com
Henry C. Walz, age 105, died peacefully Friday, September 6, 2019, at the Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital in WaKeeney, Kansas, surrounded by his family. He was born August 16, 1914 at the Walz farm in Trego County, Kansas, the son of Henry C. and Rose Esther Haneke Walz. He was the fourth of their nine children.
He attended grammar school at the Union schoolhouse where he completed the 8th grade. He married Ruth Marjorie Noah on October 8, 1938, at Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church in rural Graham County, Kansas. He was a member of that church until its closing and then became a member of the Red Line Church of God, Palco. Ruth and Henry had five children and were married 74 years prior to her death on October 9, 2012.
Henry attended airplane trade school in Glendale, California in 1938 and then moved to Wichita, Kansas where he was employed by Beech Aircraft. The couple returned to rural Trego County and Henry farmed and worked as a road-grader for the Ogallah Township for four years before assuming responsibility of the family farm upon his eldest brother’s death in 1943. He had two airplanes, an Areonca Champ and a Cessna 170, in the 1950s. He also owned and operated the Ellis Case Dealership, Walz Brothers Equipment Company, out of the original stone house on the Walz farm for several years. He also served on the local COOP board where he was instrumental in getting the Riga Elevator built. He was a life-long farmer and rancher and enjoyed actively living out his years on the family farm.
Survivors include his children, Roma (& Darris) McConkey of Olathe, Kansas; Leroy Walz of rural Trego County, Kansas; Stephen Walz of Crescent Valley, Nevada; Linda Thompson of Corona, California and Beth (& Ralph) Johnson of WaKeeney, Kansas; 12 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; brothers Albert, Harry and William “Billy”; sisters Virginia Elting, Dorothy Shubert, Gladys Fowler, Marjorie Weisner and Margaret Emmerton; sisters-in-law Leona (Shubert) and Helen “Byrl” (Jacobs); brothers-in-law John Elting, Lawrence Shubert, Homer “Pat” Fowler, Clarence Weisner and Homer Emmerton; and daughter-in-law, Brenda (Dirks) Walz.
Funeral Services will be held at 10 o’clock a.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at the Red Line Church of God, 1 mile south and 4 miles west of Palco, Kansas, with Pastor Jerod Brown presiding. Interment will be in the Morlan Township Cemetery, Graham County, Kansas. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.
Memorial contributions are suggested to Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital or Nicodemus Historical Society and Museum. Contributions may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 North 12th Street, WaKeeney, KS 67672.
Barry Grissom, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pat Roberts, stopped in Hays Saturday at Breathe Coffee House.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
It’s the “kitchen table” issues, not national politics, Barry Grissom is most interested in as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated in Kansas. Republican Pat Roberts is retiring after nearly 40 years in Washington.
Grissom, 65, is the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas, a position he was appointed to by President Barack Obama. The Leawood resident served in that office from 2010 to 2016.
Grissom was in Hays Saturday afternoon to meet privately with the Ellis County Democratic Party after kicking off his senate campaign July 1.
“Most of us got jobs, we got kids, we got responsibilities. We can’t be in the finger-pointing game that exists in Washington, D.C. or in different media circles,” Grissom said in an interview prior to joining the local Democratic get-together.
The Kansans he’s talked with are more concerned about issues directly impacting their daily lives, Grissom says.
“Things like is my kid going to get a good education, am I safe in my community, I want to exercise my religion as I see fit, I want to vote.
“Issues that people have, whether Republicans, Democrats or independents, the vast majority of them are the same. I think the differences that separate us are not that great and we can disagree about those. But we agree on so much. I think what has happened is we’ve gotten away from the larger group agreeing on the agreeable items and just focused on the divisive items. And I think that only harms us as a community and certainly as a state and as a country.”
Those agreed-upon “kitchen table” issues include three major areas, according to Grissom.
“Not surprisingly, number one is health care. Access to rural health care in Kansas is a real challenge, and even in some larger communities.”
He pointed to Fort Scott, the county seat of Bourbon County, which does not have a hospital. Mercy Hospital closed its doors Feb. 1. “We have one institution in Crawford County servicing the needs of 50,000 residents in southeast Kansas. Even if you’re fortunate enough to have the best health insurance in the world, if you have no place to utilize it, health insurance really doesn’t make any difference.”
Grissom is a little surprised by another “kitchen table” issue – student loans – but it’s come up more and more as he’s talked with Kansans during his campaign.
“If you have a young person in your family and they have a lot of student loan debt and you live in a rural area, they’re probably not going to return to the rural area because there aren’t jobs there that provide sufficient income to service your debt.
“So they’re forced to leave the farm. They’re forced to leave a community they might otherwise want to come back to.”
Community safety concerns are something Grissom is well-acquainted from his years as a U.S. Attorney.
He recalled his office’s investigation and prosecution of bombing plots targeting Wichita Mid-Continent airport in 2013 and Fort Riley in 2016.
“So I’ve had some real, on-the-ground meaningful experience working with law enforcement.
“We all came together. Nobody was a Republican. Nobody was a Democrat. We came together as a team to keep Kansans safe.”
Grissom has also worked with smaller law enforcement agencies, particularly in human trafficking and drug transportation along Interstates 70 and 35. While in office, Grissom spoke to classes at Fort Hays State University about human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
In 2014, he worked with Ellis County law enforcement and the Kansas Highway Patrol in a drug stop that netted 80 pounds of methamphetamine and 11 pounds of cocaine. Grissom was also involved in the prosecution and conviction of a former temporary employee of HaysMed who infected a number of patients with Hepatitis-C, including one woman who died.
As the state’s former top federal law enforcement official, Grissom has name recognition in Kansas as a senate candidate.
So does second-term First District Congressman Roger Marshall of Great Bend, who announced his candidacy for the senate seat Saturday morning at the state fair in Hutchinson.
“I’m going to leave it to my Republican friends to sort out who they want to be their standard-bearer after the primary,” Grissom said with a smile.
Grissom went back into private law practice for a short time after his appointment ended. “It was satisfying in its own way but didn’t give me the satisfaction I got from doing public service.”
He and his wife talked about whether they wanted to “throw ourselves into the meat grinder that is otherwise known as politics.” They decided to do it and once Sen. Roberts announced he would not run again, Grissom says “it became that more attractive.”
An open federal seat in Kansas is rare.
“It provides our citizens in Kansas a real opportunity on both sides of the aisle,” Grissom believes, “to have a primary process and pick somebody that they think might do their very best to share their interests and their desires of what a public servant might do, from all the major things you might think about in national politics to the more important things, which are ‘kitchen table’ issues.”
Kansas, a die-hard “red state,” has not had a Democratic U.S. Senator since 1932.
Fort Hays State University’s Kansas Wetlands Education Center has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to offer a “World Shorebirds Day” program to area seventh- and eighth-grade students.
Mandy Kern, program specialist at the KWEC, began visiting schools at the end of August and will continue through the end of next week. Visits were scheduled to Ellinwood Middle School and St. Joseph Catholic School in Ellinwood, Central Kansas Christian Academy and Great Bend Middle School in Great Bend, Smoky Valley Middle School in Lindsborg and Stafford Middle School in Stafford.
“World Shorebirds Day,” celebrated annually on Sept. 6, was created to raise public awareness about the need to protect shorebirds and their habitat for ongoing shorebird research, monitoring and conservation.
“I want youth to realize what an amazing gem and natural resource we have in Cheyenne Bottoms,” Kern said. “Thousands of shorebirds pass through each year and I’m thankful The Nature Conservancy in Kansas, and especially Rob Penner, Cheyenne Bottoms and Avian Programs Manager, provided me with the opportunity to impact over 520 area students.”
The program covers shorebirds’ migration and the importance of resting areas like the Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Students are introduced to a variety of shorebirds who migrate through the Cheyenne Bottoms, study mounts and sculpt various habitats shorebirds use during their migration.
“Cheyenne Bottoms is the largest interior marsh in the United States and it has been designated as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention. As many as 500,000 shorebirds pass through Cheyenne Bottoms in years with favorable habitat conditions,” Kern said.
Teachers participating in the program received a tub of supplies including books, lesson plans, posters, field guides, a bird feeder, games and student hand-outs courtesy of The Nature Conservancy.
About The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit that works to conserve the lands and waters across the world. In Kansas, the nonprofit has permanently protected 139,470 acres including five preserves open to the public. They manage about 8,000 of the 41,000 acre Cheyenne Bottoms basin.
About KWEC The KWEC partners with many agencies including, Fort Hays State, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and The Nature Conservancy. The KWEC educates the public about wetland communities, their importance, conservation and restoration needs through interactive exhibits and interpretation, programs, outreach, and partnerships with cooperating stakeholders.
LANE COUNTY— One person was injured in an accident just before 8:30p.m. Sunday in Lane County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1988 Blue Bird Bus from USD 482 Dighton and driven by Mark Duane Hager, 48, Ness City, was westbound on Kansas 96 nine miles east of Dighton attempting a left turn.
At the same time, a 2004 Kawasaki motorcycle driven by Paul Dean Simpson, 58, Hays, was attempting to pass the bus on the left. The motorcycle struck the bus on the driver’s side steering axel.
EMS transported Simpson to Wesley Medical Center.
Hager, four teens and one other adult on the bus were not injured. Simpson was wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.
Robert Eugene Gerber, 97, retired salesman for Fairmont and Steffens Dairy, passed away Tuesday, September 3, 2019 in Wichita, Kansas. 
