James Leslie “Jim” Baughn, 91, departed this life Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, at the Prairie Senior Living Complex, Colby, KS. James was born January 3, 1927, on the Wookie farmstead, southwest of Colby, the youngest child of Earl and Gertrude Ellen (Byler) Baughn. He was welcomed into the family by his parents, brother, Eldon, and sisters, Lena and Mary. His sister Rhea had died in 1920, at the age of two and was buried in Bartlesville, OK.
He was baptized in Christ at a young age in the Pilgrim Holiness Church. James started school in Winona, KS and graduated from Monument Consolidated Schools with the Class of 1945.
He entered service in the U.S. Army May 24, 1945, at Fort Leavenworth, KS and served in a military Police Battalion, first at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in Arkansas and then at Camp Livingston, Louisiana. During his military service he supervised German prisoners of war working as clerks in camp headquarters. James was Honorably Discharged with the rank of Sgt. with Unit HQ Det 757 MP BN, at Fort Riley, KS, October 17, 1946. During his service he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Victory Ribbon. After his discharge from the service, he worked on the Bertrand Ranch, south of Monument, KS.
On June 1, 1947, he married his high school sweetheart, Wilma Jean Burkhead in a ceremony conducted by the Rev. Otis Gunkel, in the lilac garden at the Ranch. To that union three children were born: Michael Lynn in 1948, at the St. Thomas Hospital, Colby and Janice Rae, in 1951 and Karla Jean in 1961, both at the Logan County Hospital, Oakley.
James and Jean made their first home on the Webster and Flora McGirr farmstead, on mile west of the Bertrand Ranch headquarters, on Wagon Road. They moved from the McGirr place in May 1949, to Oakley, KS, where he did carpentry and farming for several people. In 1951, they moved to the Briggs Ranch (now the Smoky Valley ranch, owned by the Nature Conservancy). He worked as a ranch hand and on a few occasions drove cattle on horseback with Charlie Briggs, Rex Asbridge and Billy Scott from Shallow Water, KS, to the Ranch. While there he served as Warrant Officer with the Civil Air Patrol Squadron, in Oakley. They then moved to the George Koons farmstead northeast of Winona, KS, January 1, 1954, leaving there in October 1954, for Monument, KS, where on November 1 he became custodian at the Monument school, working there until October 1, 1955, when he entered the United States Postal Service, as a Railway Postal Clerk.
It was while working at the Monument school, that James won $28,000 in the Epsom Downs Derby, Epsom, England. He had purchased a $3.00 sweepstakes ticket from a friend in New York, who had been one of the German prisoners of war that James supervised at the POW camp in Louisiana. James’ horse, Aeropolis, placed third, making him one of the 15 third place winners. With the winnings they added on to their house in Monument and took a trip throughout the western states visiting relatives and seeing the sights.
As a Railway Postal Clerk, James rode the Union Pacific line between Denver and Kansas City working mail on the night runs on the “City of St. Louis” and day runs on the “Portland Rose.” He worked as one of a 5-man crew on the mail car. James had to learn the name and location of every town in KS, MO, NE, CO and WA. While living in Monument, he and his family lived temporarily in Kansas City, MO and Atchison, KS, to accommodate his job with the railway Postal Service. He worked as a Railway Postal Clerk until the mail service was removed from trains in 1968, at which time they moved to Colby, where he had been transferred to the Colby Post Office, from where he retired on August 28, 1987. After his retirement from the USPO, he and Jean spent 21 winters in Quartzite, AZ.
Daughter Janice Rae Volk died in Colorado Springs, CO, August 21, 2013, and James’ beloved wife Wilma Jean died September 27, 2013. He was also preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Rhea Baughn, Lena (Ernest) Hastings and Mary (Ed) Frank and brother Eldon (Myrtle) Baughn.
Suffering from Alzheimer’s, after Jean’s death, James resided at Fairview Estates then the Prairie Senior Living Complex, both in Colby. Before his Alzheimer’s made it impossible, he and Jean were faithful members of the Berean Bible Fellowship Church, Colby, KS.
James was a good Athlete, participating in basketball, baseball and track in high school, and in town team basketball in Monument for several years. He enjoyed playing tennis with his brother Eldon, and was an avid pheasant hunter and fisherman. He spent many good times fishing with Kenny Johnson, Sam Wolf and Bruce Hansen.
He leaves in passing son, Michael, Brewster, KS; daughter, Karla (Chris) Stupka, Concordia, KS; son-in-law, Martin Volk, Colorado Springs, CO; grandchildren, Kim (Steve) Wright, Scott City, KS, Wendi Richardson, Colorado Springs, CO; Danielle Baughn, Colorado Springs, CO, Todd, Taylor and Kristen Stupka, Concordia, KS; great-grandchildren, Layton, Luke and Kooper Wright, Scott City, KS, Addison, Kellen and Christopher Stupka, Concordia, KS, Shayd Richardson, Colorado Springs, CO; many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends.
Visitation is 4-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at Baalmann Mortuary, Colby. Funeral Service is 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 25, 2019, at the Berean Bible Fellowship Church, Colby, with burial in the Monument Cemetery, Monument, KS. Memorials are suggested to the Prairie Museum of Art and History or the American Legion, in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For condolences or information visit www.baalmannmortuary.com
Penny Jean Soderlund was born February 1, 1963 in Oberlin, KS to Clarence and Karen (Nielsen) Fisher. She passed away April 21, 2019 at Great Plains Health in North Platte, NE at the age of 56.
