Rod Kennemer, 58, died on Friday, March 23, 2018 at St Catherine Hospital in Garden City. He was born on September 6, 1959 at Kansas City, Kansas the son of Bob & Gwen (Mendenhall) Kennemer. He married Jana Tanking on April 6, 1991 at Salina.

Rod grew up in Dighton and graduated with the Class of 1977 at Dighton High School. He attended Fort Hays State University and later took classes at Garden City Community College. While in college and for a time after his schooling he worked at Farmers Oil in Dighton. He then went to work for the Kansas Department of Transportation in Dighton and in 1988 he was transferred to Garden City. He currently was an Engineering Technician for KDOT and had served for 37 ½ years. He was an avid racquetball player at the Garden City YMCA and also enjoyed playing the guitar, old cars and motorcycles. He was preceded in death by his Mother.

He is survived by his Wife- Jana Kennemer of the Home, Son- Sean of the Home, Father- Bob Kennemer of Dighton, Brother- Rob & Traci Kennemer of Hays, Sister- Joni & Dan Bollinger of Dighton, Mother-In-Law Mary Ann Tanking of Salina, 2 Brothers-In-Laws Jeff Tanking & Susan Kolb of Baldwin & Dave & Laureen Tanking of Lindsborg, Nephews and Nieces- Abby Kennemer, Brandon Kennemer, Trevor Bollinger, Suzanne Tanking & Olivia Tanking, several Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Extended family includes many wonderful friends and co-workers.

Funeral Service will be at 10:30 AM Wednesday at First Christian Church in Dighton with Rev Aerii Smith and Pastor Raul Silva officiating. Burial will be in Dighton Memorial Cemetery. Friends may call from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Tuesday at Garnand Funeral Home in Garden City. Memorials are suggested to the Sean Kennemer Education Fund in care of Garnand Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com

Longtime Greeley County resident Clarence Leroy Sawyer, 93, died Monday, March 19, 2018 at the Greeley County Hospital in Tribune, Kansas.

He was born on May 16, 1924 in Chautauqua County, Kansas, the son of Jess B. and Ruth E. (Gilstrap) Sawyer. He was the middle child of seven children. Clarence graduated from Greeley County High School with the class of 1943.

On December 10, 1947, he and Joy Anne Hamann were married in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Tribune, Kansas, and to that union, four children were born.

Clarence was a farmer until he retired in 2002. In the off season, he worked with Joe Govert, owner of Govert Construction. They built and remodeled numerous homes in Greeley County. They also put up Behlen buildings and grain bins. In October of 1991, he was elected chairman of the Greeley County Cemetery Board and served on it until his term expired in 2015. The Cemetery Board had enough confidence to hire him as Sexton in April of 2006, at the age of 81 years old. He took a lot of pride in the cemetery. The week or so before his stroke in December of 2014, he was still active and able bodied enough to work at the age of 90.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife Joy; an infant son Thomas Leroy Sawyer; a son Timothy Allen Sawyer; three brothers, John, Darrell and Hubert; two sisters Ruby Temple and Charlene Walker; an infant nephew Jeffrey Sawyer, and other nephews Wayne E. “Chip” Temple II, Michael Sawyer and Greg Sawyer.
Surviving family includes two daughters; Virginia “Ginger” Johnson of Arvada, Colorado; Janine (Shawn) Baehler of Sharon Springs; Grandson Jess Coltin Baehler of Sharon Springs; Granddaughter Morganne Del Baehler and her fiancé Jarvis Carraway of Texas City, Texas; one brother Roy (Ruth) Sawyer of Willows, California; sister-in-law Sherre Sawyer of Wellington, Kansas; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Memorial services for Clarence will be held on Friday, April 13, 2018 at 1:30 PM MT at the Tribune United Methodist Church in Tribune, Kansas with Pastor Robert Selvakumar officiating. Private family inurnment will be held in the Tribune Cemetery, Tribune, Kansas.

In Lieu of Flowers, memorials are designated to the Clarence Sawyer Memorial Fund and may be left at the services or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.

Online condolences for the family may be left at www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com.

Service arrangements are entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Sharon Springs, Kansas.

Carol (Thelen) Hughen, age 77, of Fayetteville passed away on March 18, 2018. She was born June 19, 1940 in Charles City, Iowa to Ida Johanna (Rademacher-Thelen) McCoy and Almon Robert Thelen.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents and three of her brothers, Daniel Steven McCoy, Wayne Edward Swant and Jim Boll.

Carol was a graduate of Hot Springs High School, 1958, and then she and her husband, Rich, raised three children. For several years she was primarily a homemaker and a great Mom. When the children were older she went to college and in 1982 graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in Education. She taught at the New School in Fayetteville for several years and then became a public school teacher in Ellis, Kansas, retiring in 2005. In 2006 she was diagnosed with cancer (Lymphoma) and suffered with various health problems the rest of her life.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Rich; four brothers, Randy of Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Pat of Knoxville, Tennessee; Jim of Amelia, Ohio and Tim of Edgewater, Maryland; three children, Bill of Belleville, Illinois; Cindy and RT of Fayetteville, Arkansas; nine grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

Memorial service will be held at 10:00 am, Monday, April 2, 2018 at Central United Methodist Church in the Church Activity Center.

Memorial contributions may be made to Central United Methodist Church of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Franklin Dale Schlegel, 82, died Friday, March 23, 2018 at the Hays Medical Center. He was born April 22, 1935 in LaCrosse, Kansas to Fred and Lydia (Stieben) Schlegel.

Franklin’s grade school years were spent at a one room country school southwest of Bazine. He graduated from the Bazine High School in 1953. He joined the U. S. Army and served in Korea. After his service, he was a farmer. On June 7, 1959, Franklin married Norma Margheim. They lived on a farm southwest of Bazine until moving into Bazine in 1976.

He was a member of the Bazine United Methodist Church and the Bazine American Legion.

Franklin is survived by his wife, Norma; two daughters, Colette (Jim) Gulick of Portland, Oregon and Tamera Schlegel of Centennial, Colorado; two grandsons, John (Nicole) Gulick, Beaverton, Oregon, and David (Tuuli) Gulick, Portland, Oregon; three granddaughters, Leah, Sierra, and Audrey; and his grand dogs, Josie and Tasha. He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Winifred and Coralee.

Friends may call on Monday, March 26 at Fitzgerald Funeral Home in Ness City, Kansas from 4:00P.M. – 9:00P.M., with the family present from 6:00-8:00P.M. Funeral services will be at the Bazine United Methodist Church on Tuesday March 27th at 10:30A.M. Burial to follow at the Bazine Cemetery with military rites by Olin Cole Post No. 392, Bazine American Legion.

Memorials to the Donor’s Choice.

Mary Frances Dreiling, age 97, of Victoria, Kansas died Thursday, March 22, 2018, at Via Christi Village Care Center in Hays, Kansas. She was born October 7, 1920, in Catharine, Kansas, to Adam J. and Anna (Polifka) Walters. She married Elmer J. Dreiling on May 8, 1946, at Victoria, Kansas. He preceded her in death on September 16, 1967.

She was homemaker and a cook for U.S.D. #432 for 6 years from 1968 to 1975 and then cooked at Hays Medical Center for 15 years and retired in 1991. She was a member of The Basilica of St. Fidelis, St. Fidelis Christian Mothers, St. Fidelis Daughters of Isabella and V.F.W. Post No. 1751 Ladies Auxiliary all of Victoria, Kansas. She worked on the St. Fidelis Funeral Committee and Victoria Senior Center Meals on Wheels. She attended the HMC Health Improvement Center for 11years, loved her family, card clubs, traveling, her grandchildren’s sports and other activities; but most of all Mary Frances knew how to make people laugh with her witty sense of humor.

Survivors include, one son, Rick Dreiling, Wichita, KS; and Eileen Dreiling, Augusta, KS; four daughters, Judy Hoskins and husband, Bruce, Wheaton, IL; Patty Dreiling and husband, Kenneth, Victoria, KS; Kathy Johnson and husband, Jay, Aurora, CO; Bobbie Schippers and husband, John, Hays, KS; one brother, Kenneth Walters, and wife, Linda, Bend, OR; three sisters, Dorothy Goetz, Hays, KS; Roseanne Augustine, Manhattan, KS; Eileen Leiker and husband, Wilfred, Hays, KS; one sister-in-law, Leona Walters, Dallas, TX; 11 grandchildren, Shane Dreiling (Mona), Jill Windholz (Ken), Brett Dreiling (Heidi), Garett Johnson (Molly), Molly Molinaro (Scott), Hanna Dreiling, Heidi Dreiling, Harrison Dreiling, Chase Schippers (Lindsay) Sophia Sanders (Jay), Pierce Schippers and fiancée (Kate Dickinson); 11 great grandchildren; and one step great grandchild.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one granddaughter, Heather Dreiling; four brothers, Ernest Walters, Harold Walters and wife, Ida, Irvin Walters and wife, Clara, Bill Walters and wife, Barbara; two brothers-in-law, Paul Goetz and Marvin Augustine.

Services will be at 11:00 A.M. Monday, March 26, 2018, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas. Burial in St. Fidelis Cemetery, Victoria, Kansas.

A vigil service will be at 7:00 P.M. Sunday, followed by a Victoria V.F.W. Auxiliary memorial service and rosary with the St. Fidelis Christian Mothers and St. Fidelis Daughters of Isabella all at The Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas.

Visitation will be from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. Sunday, and from 10:00 to 11:00 Monday, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas.

The family suggest memorials to The Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas.

Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street, Victoria Kansas 67671.

Condolences can be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or can be sent via e-mail to [email protected]

Kimberly Ann (LaDuke) Dopita passed away Friday, March 23, 2018 at her home in Hays, Kansas at the age of 60. She was born on February 14, 1958 in Atwood, Kansas to Eugene and Marianne (Heble) LaDuke. She grew up in Plainville, Kansas and graduated from Plainville High School with the Class of 1976. In 1977 she married Robert “Bob” Dopita, they later divorced. Together they had two children, Bobbi Jo and Tony.

Kimberly was an outgoing, free-spirited, adventurous woman. She worked for many years at RANS Co. in Hays and owned and operated her own photography studio in Plainville. She was an avid gardener and enjoyed growing her own vegetables. Always happy-go-lucky she loved the water and the air.

Kimberly is survived by her mother Marianne Cowley of Plainville; daughter Bobbi Jo Wiggins of Fort Worth, TX; son Tony Dopita and wife Nicole of Hays; brothers Kevin LaDuke of Plainville, Kelly LaDuke of Plainville, Kenny LaDuke and wife Lydia of Rockwall, TX, and Kerri LaDuke of Hays; special friend Randy Schlitter of Hays; and grandchildren Emily Dopita, Lawrence Dopita, Kylie Wiggins, and Kinley Wiggins.

She was preceded in death by her father Eugene LaDuke and step-father Don Cowley.

Marguerite Carstairs once said, “I am a free spirit… either admire me from the ground or fly with me, but don’t ever try to cage me.” Kimberly embodied a spirit that was unique, spontaneous, and fun-loving. Although we are heart-broken because she left us too soon, we rejoice that even now she is flying higher now than she ever has before, while she waits for us to join her on the other side of heaven.

Memorials are suggested to the National PKU Alliance and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd Street, Plainville, KS 676663.

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