Wednesday, September 28th, 1927 – Wednesday, April 10th, 2019
An obituary and services are pending with Baalmann Mortuary.
Year: 2019
Gene L. Bertrand
Gene L. Bertrand, 84, of Oakley, died Wednesday, April 10, 2019, at the Logan County Hospital. He was born February 12, 1935, in Grainfield, KS, to Ernest and Ruth (Widdifield) Bertrand. He graduated from Oakley High School. Gene married Anita Portschi on November 24, 1956. He was a rancher and enjoyed nature, hunting, water sports, exploring innovations in agriculture and had a lifelong love of teaching and learning. In addition to ranching he served as the mayor of Oakley, owned Gene’s OK tire, and served on the Board of Directors of Manhattan Christian College. He also enjoyed serving as an elder, leader and teacher in the Oakley Christian Church and supporting Christian missions.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Robert Bertrand and Louise Voth.
He is survived by his wife Anita, of the home; children, Pam Evans and husband Ewing, Kevin Bertrand and wife Gina, Brent Bertrand and wife Shilea; brother and wife Richard and Elaine Bertrand; sister and husband Janice and Keith Owen; eight grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren.
A memorial service will take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18, 2019, at the Oakley Christian Church. Memorials are suggested to the Logan County Hospital and the Oakley Christian Church in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For condolences or information visit www.baalmannmortuary.com
Cheryl Ann Voos
Cheryl Ann Voos, 73, of Russell, Kansas, died on Tuesday, April 09, 2019, at the Wheatland Nursing Center in Russell, Kansas.
Cheryl was born on March 26, 1946, in Russell, Kansas, the daughter of Gail and Wilma (Barker) Campbell. She grew up in Russell and graduated from Russell High School. She met, fell in love and was united in marriage to Darrel Eugene Voos on April 18, 1964, in Russell, Kansas. While her husband Darrel was in the Navy, it gave them the opportunity to travel across the nation, seeing and experiencing new and exciting destinations. They eventually returned back to Russell where they settled permanently to raise their family. Cheryl and Darrel had a strong marriage and from this union they were blessed with a son Darren. Cheryl’s fulltime job was wife, mother and homemaker but she also worked outside the home. She mostly worked in retail sales working for Steinle Shoes as a sales woman, managed the Hallmark Store in Jacksonville, Florida and worked at Gene’s Cleaners in Russell. She was a longtime member of St. John Lutheran Church in Russell as well as the Russell V.F.W. Auxiliary. She enjoyed working puzzles, crypto grams and crafts but most of all she enjoyed spending time with her family.
Surviving family include her son Darren Voos and wife Alison of Russell, Kansas; 5 brothers Mark Campbell (Bobbie), Ed Campbell (Donna), Casey Campbell (Jeanie), Jack Campbell (Pat) and Rick Campbell; sister Julita Biles (Gary) and a grandson Mark A. Voos.
She was preceded in death by her parents and husband Darrel Voos on January 10, 2011.
A celebration of Cheryl’s life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at St. John Lutheran Church in Russell, Kansas, with Pastor Roger Dennis officiating. Cremation has been selected by the family and burial of the cremains will follow at St. John Luther Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. on Monday, April 15, 2019, at the mortuary with family greeting guests from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M. Monday evening. Memorials may be given to St. John Lutheran Church and sent in care of the mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.
Fort Hays State announces the largest single gift in university history
FHSU University Relations
Memories of Earl and Nonie Field, and their gift to Fort Hays State University – the largest gift in university history – were celebrated today in a news conference in the Memorial Union, attended by almost 200 people.
The Fields, childhood sweethearts, lifelong citizens of Hays and devoted alumni and supporters of Fort Hays State, made an extraordinary gift to FHSU in their estate plans.
“Nonie passed away in 2009 and Earl in 2013,” said Jason Williby, president and CEO of the FHSU Foundation.
“At the time of Earl’s passing, their estate gift to Fort Hays State University was valued at approximately $20 million. Their gift is unequivocally life-changing for our students, but it is also the largest single gift ever made to FHSU,” he said.
“The Fields Estate gift will be counted toward FHSU’s Journey campaign and will support student scholarships in perpetuity for the areas of art, athletics and music.”
FHSU President Emeritus Edward H. Hammond told the story of the Fields’ love for each other and for the college they attended, which became Fort Hays State University. It was the love story he learned during the 26 years that he knew the Fields.
“Higher education was always a very high priority for the Fields,” said Hammond. “Earl graduated in 1937 with degrees in economics and business and married Nonie a year later.”
The Fields started their adventure in life together with Earl as a teller for First National Bank of Hays and Nonie as a teacher. One of their true loves became Fort Hays State University, which Earl served as board member and president of the FHSU Alumni Association and a leader of the Tiger Half Century Club.
Hammond recounted that Earl Field, with Nonie’s support, built the Field Abstract and Title Co., Hays, and operated it from 1946 until he retired in 1979. He also served as chairman of the board for Heritage Savings Association and Heritage Financial Corp., Hays, and was president and chairman of the board for Farmers State Bank.
Together, Hammond said, they received the university’s Distinguished Service Award, served as members of the university’s first Capital Campaign Committee, were members of the Tiger Athlete Difference Makers, and in 1991 were inducted into the Tiger Sports Hall of Fame.
RELATED: Court rules in FHSU’s favor; bookkeeper denied millions in Field will case
“Earl and Nonie did most things as a couple, but a couple with different interests,” said Hammond. “For Earl it was athletics, and for Nonie it was art and music.”
“It’s difficult to put into words the impact the Fields have had on the Hays community and Fort Hays State University,” said Curtis Hammeke, FHSU director of athletics.
“Earl and Nonie loved this university and realized that scholarships were the lifeline for the future. They didn’t anticipate that tuition and educational costs would do anything but rise over the years, and they wanted to assist in providing scholarships that would keep pace.”
Adam Flax is one of 164 students who have already benefitted from Fields scholarships.
“I was born and raised right here in Hays, Kansas, and am currently finishing my senior year as a music education major,” said Flax. “I have been fortunate to live in a community that holds music and the arts in great esteem – Fort Hays State University being no exception. I would like to thank the Fields on behalf of myself and so many others for allowing us the chance to not only grow and share our talents, but to keep music and the arts as an integral part of Fort Hays State University.”
Current FHSU President Tisa Mason wrapped up the conference by touching on the Fields’ monumental act of generosity and the beautiful legacy that they have left at Fort Hays State.
“We could not be more appreciative and delighted to honor the lives of Earl and Nonie Field,” said President Mason. “The impact that their charitable gift will have on the lives of current and future Tigers at Fort Hays State University is incredible. Earl and Nonie are giving educational opportunity to students in need, to students who often must work multiple jobs, and to students who might not otherwise be able to afford to attend college.”
“I only wish that Earl and Nonie could see the faces and genuine joy of the students who will benefit from their gift,” she said.
Gifts to Fort Hays State University are 100-percent tax deductible. To learn more about the Fort Hays State University Foundation, and how you can support FHSU, visit https://foundation.fhsu.edu/ or contact the office at 785-628-5620 or by email to [email protected].
TMP students to perform ‘You Can’t Take it with You’ this weekend
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Thomas More Prep-Marian students will perform “You Can’t Take It With You” Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the TMP-M Dreiling Theater.
Travis Grizzell, director, described the play’s plot.
“The plot is a look at two contrasting families and a young couple trying to navigate their place in the world, being from two totally different ways of life,” he said. “We have a very straight-laced, by the book businessman and his family whose son is in love with a girl from a very eclectic, care-free, live-in-the-moment family. The story progresses into a message about what ultimately matters in life.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play dates back to the 1930s with a film version, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, that was released in 1938. The film adaptation stared Jimmy Stewart.
“… there are definitely some time period things that we had to explain to the kids (and me even). But much like many classic plays or Shakespeare, the human elements are timeless and relatable to most everyone,” Grizzell said.
Despite a setting 80 years in the past, Grizzell said he thought modern audiences will be able to relate to the themes in the play.
“I think we’ve all had to deal with awkward family members and maybe been a little embarrassed by them. There’s also the father-son dynamic that a lot of families can relate to,” he said.
Grizzell said the TMP students bring their own interpretations to the characters in the classic play.
“Sometimes the difference in generations can bring a very entertaining approach to characters like these,” he said. “The kids definitely bring some different things to these characters than I anticipated while reading the script. There’s always a little bit of the actor in each character, which makes a show like this that’s done so often unique to each cast and performance.”
Grizzell said he selected the play because it allowed many students to participate.
“The writing is great, and the story has held up so well over time. These authors also have so many good, entertaining characters in their plays,” he said.
Performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Cost of tickets are $8 each and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the Fine Arts Ticket Line at 785-621-5478.
Below is the cast list:
- Sam – Sarah Braun
- Joey – Morgan Olmstead
- Frank – Maggie Baalmann
- Dean – Maggie Brull
- Gay Wellington – Annie Wasinger
- Grand Duchess Olga Katrina – Jasmine Robles
- Miriam (Mrs.) Kirby – Alexandra Herrman
- Rheba – Whitney Befort
- Donna – Kaitlyn Burd
- Essie – Madelyn Seiler
- Alice – Hailey Casey
- Penny – Abby Peeler
- Henderson – Nick Helget
- Mr. DePinna – Lucas Kraus
- Ed – Aidan Normandin
- Paul Sycamore – Hunter Flax
- Boris Kolenkhov – Paul Brull
- Anthony (Mr.) Kirby – Aakash Patel
- Tony Kirby – Dylan Werth
- Martin (Grandpa) Vanderhoff – Ben Pfannenstiel
1 hospitalized after truck rolls during blizzard on I-70
GOVE COUNTY— One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Thursday in Gove County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Chevy pickup driven by Drew Clark, 26, Whitestown, IN., was traveling in blizzard conditions on Interstate 70 four miles east of Grinnell.
The truck jack-knifed on the ice and snow into the north ditch, rolled and the trailer became disconnected.
A passengers Charles Head, 72; Lebanon, IN., was transported to Gove County Medical Center. Clark and another passenger were not transported for treatment. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Leonard ‘Lenny’ Gerald Gager
Leonard “Lenny” Gerald Gager passed away on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, Kansas at the age of 76. He was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming on March 6, 1943 to Frank and Leota (Conger) Gager. Lenny graduated from Hillsboro Oregon High School in 1962. Following graduation he entered into the United States Army in 1968 and was honorably discharged in 1970. Lenny married Jackie Lamb, and they later divorced. He married Patricia “Patsy” McCullough on August 3, 1997 in Townsend, Montana.
After his departure from the United States Army, Lenny resided in Bozeman, Montana where he spent a few years working for Mike Bolin Excavation. He then spent the rest of his career working as a truck driver for the Montana Power and Electric. In Lenny’s later years he helped drive for David at Dave’s Recycling. Lenny later relocated to Stockton, Kansas where he spent the last 17 years of his life.
Lenny was a proud lifetime member of the VFW, and while in Bozeman, Montana he was a member of the American Legion, as well as a member of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Aerie #326. He enjoyed spending his time outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, and drinking a cold beer.
Left to cherish Lenny’s memory are his children, Frank Gager of Herman, NE, and Vonda Pfeifer and husband David of Stockton, KS; brother, John Gager and wife Mary of Missouri; sisters, Patricia Scoles of Salem, OR, and Kim Kleve of Prineville, OR; grandchildren, Ashley Earl and husband David, Erin Martin and significant other Shayn Balthazor, and Eric Pfeifer, all of Stockton; and great-grandchildren, Lucas and Cobi Earl, and Jada Martin.
Lenny is preceded in death by his parents Frank and Leota Gager and wife Patsy Gager.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 3:00 P.M. at the Woodston Cemetery in Woodston, Kansas. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Saturday 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Memorials are suggested to the VFW Post #8873 and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 723 N. 1st, Stockton, KS 67669.
Kan. man dies while changing tire on college baseball team’s bus
BALDWIN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police say the owner of a Lawrence towing company was crushed to death while changing a tire on a college baseball team’s bus.
Baldwin City Police Chief Mike Pattrick said 53-year-old Kevin Raasch died early Sunday on the Baker University campus.
Pattrick said Raasch came to the campus to fix a flat tire on the bus for the Benedictine College team after a Baker-Baldwin City baseball game.
Raasch was trying to release the jack after changing the tire when he was pinned under the back of the large motor coach.
Pattrick says several players and coaches lifted the bus and pulled Raasch out but he died at the scene.
Raasch owned and operated TransMasters Towing and Roadside Recovery for over 30 years.
Julie Pope
Julie Pope, 66, of Grinnell, KS passed away Wednesday, April 10, 2019, at Hays Medical Center.
Arrangements are pending with Schmitt Funeral Home.
Pregnancy is contagious at 1 Kansas elementary school
GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — Pregnancy is contagious at one Kansas elementary school, where seven teachers were expecting at the same time, catching the attention of Ellen DeGeneres.
The teachers’ pregnancies began getting attention last month when Oak Street Elementary in the Wichita suburb of Goddard posted a photo on Facebook of the women showing off their bulging bellies. The district said the school’s kindergarten classes of 2024-2025 are “growing by the day.” Two of the teachers later delivered within a day of each other while just two rooms apart in the same hospital. One teacher is expecting twins.
DeGeneres invited them to sit in a Skybox during her Mother’s Day show in a segment posted Wednesday to ellentube. She instructed them to “Take deep breaths” and warned, “Nobody have a baby right now.”
Extension sponsors talk on livestock buyer bankruptcy
Hays Post
STOCKTON — The Phillips-Rooks County Extension District has set a lecture and Q&A on legal issues resulting from livestock buyer bankruptcy at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the Nova Theatre in Stockton.
Roger McEowen, Kansas Farm Bureau professor of law and taxation at the Washburn School of Law, will give a public presentation and then answer questions.
Rachael Boyle, organizer, said the event was sparked by the bankruptcy filing of Plainville Livestock Commission. More than 40 livestock producers were left with bounced checks as part of legal filings surrounding the market agency.
Tyler Gillum, owner of Plainville Livestock Commission, was set to be in bankruptcy court in Wichita on Thursday for a hearing.
Livestock producers affected by the Plainville Livestock Commission bankruptcy are set to meet in private with McEowen on Friday morning. That session is by invitation only and is closed to the public.
Registration for the public event begins at 2:15 p.m. Friday. The lecture starts at 2:30 p.m., and a question and answer session will follow at 3:30 p.m. Pre-registration is not required, and the event is free.
For more information, contact Boyle at (785) 425-6851 or email her at [email protected].
The event is also sponsored by the Rooks and Phillips County Farm Bureaus.
FHSU Youth Football Camp will be April 13
Leonard McDill ‘Mac’ Thompson
Lifetime Goodland resident Leonard McDill “Mac” Thompson, age 81, went home to be with the Lord on April 4, 2019 at University of Colorado Hospital in Denver, CO.
He was born in Goodland, KS on July 21, 1937, to Leonard Allen and Juanita (McDill) Thompson. Mac grew up in Goodland where he attended Sherman Community High School and graduated in 1956. A stalwart athlete while at Goodland High School, Mac played football, wrestled, and played baseball in the summers. He also had the lead role in the play “The Robe” in high school. On April 21, 1963 he married the love of his life, Patty Jean Hayden at the Methodist Church in Goodland.
A man of many talents, Mac had several occupations over the years. He served in the US Army for 3 years and was stationed in Alaska at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks at a radar site in 1959-1962 as Fire Control Crewman, Air Defense, Nike-Hercules. He excelled at many other occupations during his lifetime including spending time as a teacher, coach, farmer, cattleman, contractor, and school counselor.
Mac gave his life to Christ after the tragic death of his two sons in 1981 and became a member of Calvary Full Gospel Church in Goodland. At that time, he felt led by the Lord to go back to school and become a high school counselor. He served as a counselor at several area schools including St. Francis High School, Brewster High School, and Weskan High School. Mac took great pride in working to maximize college scholarship opportunities for all of the kids attending the school where he was working. Mac spent many years investing his time and efforts in the youth of our area. He served on the Goodland Recreation Board, the USD 352 School Board, and coached numerous years in the Goodland Little League, K18, and American Legion Baseball programs. In 1980, Mac led the Goodland K18 baseball team to a State Championship. He enjoyed watching and coaching baseball, fishing, hunting, and most of all being a wonderful son, faithful husband, and great father spending time with his family.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sons, Marsh and Matt Thompson, grandson, Elijah Joseph Thompson; and sisters, Helen Annie Thompson and Mary Loretta Larson.
He is survived by his wife, Patty; sons, Mitchell (Amber) Thompson of Waco, TX and Nathan (Anna) Thompson of Fayetteville, AR; granddaughters, Mary Conley Thompson and Caroline McDill Thompson of Waco, TX, Nevaeh Kay Thompson, Natalie Hayden Thompson, and Nora McDean Thompson of Fayetteville, AR; brother-in-laws, Edward Larson of Topeka, KS and John Leo (Judy) Hayden of Goodland, KS; and many nieces, nephews and their spouses, and great nieces and great nephews.
Funeral service will be Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. at the Calvary Gospel Church, 402 College Street in Goodland, KS with interment in the Goodland Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday, April 15, 2019 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Bateman Funeral Home, 211 East 11th Street, Goodland, KS.
HALLELUJAH! We can only imagine the reunion happening and coming soon. Hebrews 12:1&2
Memorials will be designated by the family at a later date and may be left at the services or may be mailed to Bateman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 278, Goodland, KS 67735. Online condolences and information www.batemanfuneral.com