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Year: 2019

Justin ‘George’ Ladenburger

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Justin “George” Ladenburger, 89, of Oakley, died Thursday, February 7, 2019, at Colby Health and Rehab. He was born April 18, 1929, in Angelus, Ks, to Peter and Carrie (Wehner) Ladenburger. George met Dorothy Albers and they were married on October 23, 1950 in Angelus. They were married 67 years.

Our Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa enjoyed farming and harvesting his crops; raising cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, geese, and even rabbits. George and his father –in-law Ben, built the home and farm buildings in which they lived with Dorothy for 67 years. He was a Eucharistic minister and a member of the St Joseph’s Church in Oakley; a member of the 3rd and 4th degree Knights of Columbus, also serving as a past Grand Knight.

As a young man he played baseball on Grinnell’s traveling team, then later hit many baseballs in his yard to his kids and grandkids. He and his family spent time riding his horses, Shetland ponies, motorcycles and four wheelers. George played many card games with his family, friends, and Knights of Columbus members. He enjoyed his bowling team, playing horseshoes, fishing and being ornery and joking with anyone he ever met! He never knew a stranger and never missed many farm sales! (aka farm meetings) He liked collecting baseball caps, tractors, and key chains.

George traveled many miles to watch his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in all sorts of events and activities. Dancing was his love, first with his wife, then daughters and granddaughters. George would never let us leave without his hug and “I love you” even if he didn’t win at cards.

George was preceded in death by his parents; Peter and Carrrie (Wehner) Ladenburger; his wife Dorothy (Albers) Ladenburger; his two sisters, Loreena and Bernadette; his four brothers, Richard, Willus, Kenneth, and Maurice and his grandchildren Chad and Scot Ladenburger. Survivors are his children, Dan (Susan) Ladenburger, Randall (Tomaye Hipp) Ladenburger, Kenton (Diane) Ladenburger, Kellie (Bob) Day, Brad (Sharon Reyes) Ladenburger and Melissa (Scott) Stephens; 18 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren.

Visitation is 5-7:00 p.m. Friday, February 15, 2019, at Baalmann Mortuary, Oakley, with a Vigil at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Mass is 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 16, 2019, at St Joseph Catholic Church, Oakley, with burial in the church cemetery. Memorials are suggested to St. Joseph Catholic School, in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 204, Oakley, KS 67701. For condolences or information visit www.baalmannmortaury.com

Mary Ann (Wagner) Davis

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Mary Ann (Wagner) Davis passed away on February 9, 2019, at the age of 85 years. Mary Ann was born April 28, 1933, in Jefferson County, KS on the family farm to Rudolph and Agnes Wagner.

Mary Ann attended and graduated from Trego Community High School in May 1951. After High school, she worked for JC Penney’s in WaKeeney. She also took classes in Accounting and Spanish from Colby Community Outreach. She was involved with Girl Scouts, County Election, and Eastern Star.

Mary Ann met John W. Davis in 1953 after he brought her younger brother Bob home from baseball practice with a black eye. John and Mary Ann were united in marriage shortly after on June 7, 1953, in WaKeeney. They were married for 64 years before Johnny’s passing on November 4, 2017.

Mary Ann enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing and loved watching the Royals on TV. She always looked forward to the trip to Kansas City with Johnny and the Kepferle’s to watch the Royals at Kaufman Stadium and shop at the flea market. Mary Ann raised five daughters all while helping Johnny with his floor covering business. She was very active in all the girls’ school activities, attending games, plays, music concerts as well as summer activities with softball and swimming lessons. She was active in the United Methodist Women, taught Sunday School for many years as well as playing the piano and organ for church services.

Mary Ann is survived by five daughters, Karol and husband Bryce Skelton of Topeka; Peggy Davis of Quinter; Donna Davis of Quinter; Kay and husband Randy King of Scott City; Terry and husband Todd Maddux of Wichita; Robert B. Wagner, AZ; grandchildren, Jeremy Bowers and wife Tori, Myriah Clark and husband Justin, Harrison King, Courtney Maddux, Trace Maddux and Karsyn Maddux; great-grandchildren, Alisyn Bowers, Jack Bowers, Keiran Clark and Rory Clark.

Mary Ann was preceded in death by her husband John, her parents Rudolph and Agnes Wagner and her younger brother Phil Wagner.

Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m., Thursday, February 14, 2019, at Quinter United Methodist Church. Burial will take place in the Baker Township Cemetery, Quinter.

Visitation will be one hour prior to service time at the church.

Memorial contributions are suggested to the United Methodist Church or Quinter Ministerial Alliance. Contributions made to the organization may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 South Main, Quinter, KS 67752.

Geneva Ann (Schmidt) Schumacher

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Geneva Ann (Schmidt) Schumacher, 75, of Great Bend, Kansas, and formerly of Russell, Kansas, passed away Saturday, February 9, 2019 at the Medical Lodge of Great Bend.

Geneva was born May 24, 1943 in Grinnell, Kansas. She was one of four children born to Raymond Joseph and Anna Martha (Wolf) Schmidt. She grew up in Grinnell and graduated from Grinnell High School in 1961 as the Valedictorian of her Class.

Geneva was united in marriage to James Joseph Schumacher on October 7, 1961 at the Catholic Parish in Grinnell. This union was blessed with four children; Rachell, Michael, Bruce and Brian. They lived in Grinnell area a few years before moving to Russell. James preceded her in death in March, 2012. Then in 2015 she moved to Great Bend.

Geneva was a devoted wife and homemaker. She also worked in housekeeping at Alafern Nursing Home in Russell and housekeeping at the Russell Regional Hospital. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the Women’s Guild Catholic Charity Association. She enjoyed fishing, collecting antiques and spending time with her family.

Surviving family include her daughter, Rachell Depiesse (Ed) of Lakin, Kansas; three sons, Michael “Tod” Schumacher (Linda) of Raleigh, North Carolina, Bruce Schumacher (Jolana) of Denver, Colorado and Brian Schumacher (Jodi) of Pratt, Kansas; eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Geneva was preceded in death by her parents, husband James, three brothers, Eugene Schmidt, Wilmer “Woody” Schmidt and Clarence “Jess” Schmidt.

Celebration of the Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 A.M., Thursday, February 14, 2019 at St. Mary, Queen of Angels Catholic Church. Burial will follow at the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Russell. Visitation will be held from Noon to 5:00 P.M., Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary. Vigil and Rosary will be held at 7:30 P.M., Wednesday at St. Mary, Queen of Angels Catholic Church.

Condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.

Marjorie Marie Graham

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Marjorie Marie Graham, 80, of Russell, Kansas, died on Friday, February 08, 2019, at Wheatland Nursing Center in Russell, Kansas.

Marjorie was born on December 03, 1938, in Rural Paradise, Kansas, the daughter of James and Helen (Naylor) Pooley. She grew up in the Paradise, Bunker Hill and North Wilson Lake area and lived in the Russell County area all her life. She graduated from Bunker Hill High School in the class of 1957. She was married to Phillip S. Madden on November 29, 1957, and from this union they were blessed with 4 daughters Cindy, Kimberley, Cathy and Penny.

Years later, Marjorie and Phillip’s marriage ended in divorce. Marjorie found love a second time when she met Thomas Ramsey who was her significant other up until his death. She worked as a cook at the Russell County Hospital and worked at Klema’s Grocery Store for many years. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, bingo, playing cards and spending time with her family. Most of all she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren.

Surviving family include her daughter Cindy Madden of Russell, Kansas, Kimberley Eichman of Palco, Kansas, Cathy Langerman of Wake Forest, North Carolina and Penny Riedel and husband Tom of Russell, Kansas; 8 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother James E. Pooley, sisters Doris Brumley and Roberta Brown and a grandson William Eichman.

A graveside celebration of Marjorie’s life will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, at the Russell City Cemetery in Russell, Kansas. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, at the mortuary with family present to greet guests from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M. Tuesday evening.

Memorials may be given to K-State University Basic Cancer Research and sent in care of the mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.

Police: Suspect in attempted Kan. armed-robbery found victims had no money

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SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an attempted armed-robbery and searching for a suspect.

Just after midnight Monday, police responded to an attempted aggravated robbery to employees of Pizza Hut, 2007 SE 29th in Topeka as they left the business, according to Lt. John Trimble.

The victims stated that a white or light skinned black male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and a black and white mask approached them as they were getting to their cars.

The suspect then brandished a handgun and asked them for all of their money. The victims had no money to give and the suspect left the area on foot.

Police have not located the suspect, according to Trimble.

Fort Hays State grad earns promotion with N.D. Highway Patrol

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BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota Highway Patrol Colonel Brandon Solberg has announced the promotion of Trooper Jeffrey Bauske to the rank of sergeant.

Sgt. Bauske will be stationed in Devils Lake, which is in the NDHP northeast region. Bauske earned an associate degree from Fort Hays State University. Prior to joining NDHP, Bauske had 14 years of law enforcement experience. He is a 2005 graduate of the highway patrol academy and was initially stationed in Harvey and also served in Cando and Rolla.

Solberg presented Bauske with a promotional certificate and sergeant stripes at a ceremony in Devils Lake Jan. 30.

— North Dakota Highway Patrol

No. 10 FHSU wrestling falls to No. 2 Lopers

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KEARNEY, Neb. – The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team fell short with their second half comeback bid against Nebraska-Kearney, falling 29-12, on Sunday (Feb. 10). The Tigers dropped to 2-9 in duals overall and 1-3 in MIAA duals, while the Lopers improved to 12-4 overall and 5-0 in conference action.

Fort Hays State fell behind 11-0 early on as Broderick Green dropped the 125-pound bout to No. 3 ranked Josh Portillo by technical fall (21-3) and Braden Visnieski was pinned by Wesley Dawkins in the first period (0:50).

No. 1 ranked Brandon Ball earned the Tigers their first points of the day with a 7-0 decision over No. 8 ranked Jon Killingsworth at 141 pounds. Ball improved to 19-0 on the season and 13-0 against Division II competition. Ryne Cokeley faced Nick Babcock at 149 pounds, keeping it close into the third period only trailing Babcock 1-0. Babcock pulled away with the bout and defeated Cokeley with a 13-5 major decision.

No. 4 ranked Efe Osaghae put another three points on the scoreboard for the Tigers in the 157-pound weight class after narrowly defeating Walker Johnson with a 3-2 decision. At the intermission, UNK led FHSU 15-6.

Conrad Vajnar gave all he could give against No. 1 ranked Calvin Ochs at 165 pounds, but Ochs veteran experience got the best of Vajnar in the second period with a fall (4:33). At 174 pounds, Aryus Jones earned the Tigers another decision victory after defeating Zach Stodden 11-8 in a back-and-forth battle.

Senior Micquille Robinson cut the deficit by another three points after narrowly defeating Isaac Deaton by one point, 9-8, in the 184-pound match. Robinson earned his team-leading 32nd win of the season and is now 13-4 in Division II.

The Lopers wrapped up the dual with wins in the final two weight classes after Ryan Tiers couldn’t get anything going against Trey Schlender in a 15-0 technical fall defeat and A.J. Cooper was beat out by No. 5 ranked Jarrod Hinrichs in a 7-3 decision at 285 pounds.

The Tigers will regroup and finish off the regular season Wednesday (Feb. 13) as they take on Newman University in the final MIAA dual of the season. The Tigers and Jets will square off at 7 p.m. from inside Fugate Gymnasium.

Russell Community Theater announces open auditions for ‘About Time’

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USSELL – Open auditions for the Russell Community Theater production of “About Time” will be held February 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. Auditions will be held at the RCT Playhouse at Fifth and Kansas, Russell. Prepared audition materials are not required.


In “About Time,” an elderly married couple is found in the kitchen of their condominium at breakfast, lunch, dinner and finally for a late snack. The couple talks about everything under the sun, including food, sex, children and aging. She is slowing down some and he can’t get around like he once could. But they are both still sharp as tacks, and the snappy dialogue proves humor is one of the essential factors in survival during the aging process. Through the four scenes, they grapple with what it means to share – and come to the end of – a life together.

The two characters are portrayed as in their mid- to late-60s, but men and women of all ages may audition. Production dates are Tuesday through Saturday, April 30, through May 4. “About Time” is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service Inc., New York. For more information, contact RCT at 785-483-4057.


Russell Community Theater is a non-profit theater company in Russell, Kansas. The sole purpose of RCT is to produce theater for the community and the surrounding area. Completely volunteer-driven, RCT is supported financially solely through ticket admissions and gifts from those supportive of community theater. Since its inception in 1986, RCT has presented 94 full-scale theatrical productions.

SPONSORED: City of Wilson seeks police chief

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The City of Wilson is accepting applications for Police Chief.

For job description and qualification information, contact the Wilson City Hall at 2407 Avenue E, PO Box J, Wilson, KS 67490, or call (785) 658-2272.

Initial application deadline is 3 p.m. on February 28, 2019.

Resume with references will be required. KLETC Certified preferred. Wage based on experience.

Must live in the City limits.

Check out Wilson on www.wilsonkansas.com

Equal Opportunity Employer

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: The flying wedge

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Shutterstock.com

A flying wedge is described simply as a body of anything moving forward in a triangular or “V” shaped formation. This V-shaped formation began as a successful military strategy in ancient times where infantry units would ban together in a wedge shaped formation and move forward to smash through enemy lines.

For a brief time in the late 1800s before it was outlawed two years later, the flying wedge was also a popular football formation where defenders locked themselves together in a V shape and moved down the field, protecting the ball carrier as they went.

Steve Gilliland

The flying V can also be used to describe my wood splitting prowess. Inevitably when splitting firewood, I’ll hit the wedge crooked and it flies across the yard. If I happen to drop a piece of firewood on my foot or scrape my shin with the splitting maul, again the wedge flies across the yard….Anyway, this time of year the flying V is quite prevalent overhead as flocks of hundreds and perhaps thousands of geese use it to navigate across the central Kansas sky.

There is science to support geese and other migratory birds traveling in a flying V shaped formation. Tom Bidrowski, State Waterfowl Biologist and Program Director for Kansas tells me it’s all about aerodynamics, and the perfect example of how that works is a racecar driver “drafting” by using the car in front of him to part the air causing less wind resistance and drag on his car.

It works the same way for a large flying V of geese. Many geese that end up in central Kansas travel 500 miles or more to migrate here, so the front birds in the V that encounter the most turbulence are usually older, stronger, mature birds. The front birds alternate places with other stronger mature birds every few minutes to conserve their strength. Every bird in the V uses the bird in front of it to “draft” and help part wind resistance for it.

Bidrowski says numerous studies over the years have attached satellite or GPS units to migrating geese to tell biologists everything from flying speed to altitude. He says those studies have shown that each goose in the V also gains lift from the wing beats of the bird in front of it, helping each goose to save up to 70% of its energy. Flying in a wide V shape also allows the group to better see all around for both security and navigational purposes.

Bidrowski also gave me some interesting facts about goose migration. He says when going back north to nest, nearly all females will find their way back to where they themselves hatched and were fledged, and the males seem to follow. When heading back south for the winter, family groups stay pretty much together and with high frequency will end up at the same area they wintered the previous year. Habitat changes either man made or natural such as droughts or dramatic crop failures will change that, forcing them to find a different area that will sustain them.

Bidrowski also told me studies have shown that long annual migration times are based on lunar cycles. The birds seem to travel around peak full moon times, choosing also to travel at night using stars and other celestial features in the night sky to navigate.

Now I have one last tidbit concerning the flying wedge. As you train your eyes skyward to watch wave-after-wave of squawking, cackling geese crawl and meander across the sky, have you ever wondered why one side of the V is always longer than the other? That’s because there are more geese on that side…Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Search warrants served on Kan. child sex crime suspect’s Facebook page

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JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on child sex allegations.

Hackathorn -Jackson Co.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office started the investigation after allegations were reported to the Sheriff’s Office in November of 2018. The Sheriff’s Office served search warrants on Hackathorn’s Facebook and Snapchat accounts, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

On Thursday, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Phillip James Hackathorn, 34, of Holton  on the Jackson County District Court warrant for indecent solicitation of a child and electronic solicitation of a child.

Bond on Hackathorn was set at $50,000. Hackathorn posted bond and was released, according to the sheriff.  Hackathorn is expected to make a court appearance later this month.

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