Rose Zimmerman, 93, of Oakley, died Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at Logan County Hospital. She was born November 22, 1923 to Theodore and Regina (Heier) in Gove County. On December 31, 1945 Rose married Joseph Zimmerman. She was a homemaker and worked hard on the family farm. Rose enjoyed quilting, sewing, making clothes and cooking for her family. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and St. Joseph Alter Society.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Joseph (1988); grandson Kevin Zimmerman; brothers, Andrew, Pete, George, and Clement Ziegler; sisters, Regina, Lutgard, and Johanna Ziegler, Frances Selenke, Julia Kimmett, Mary Maurath, Catherine King, and Cecilia Butler.

Survivors include her children, Larry (Pauline) Zimmerman, of Oakley, Lona (Frank) Munk, of Oakley, Lila Zimmerman, Chanhassen, MN, Marilee (Terry) Nickelson, of Overland Park, Pat (Ron) Clark, of Oakley, Daniel (Linda) Zimmerman, of Olathe and Karen (Ryan) Swart, of Olathe; sister in-law Audrey Zimmerman, of Newton: fifteen grandchildren and seventeen great grandchildren.

Visitation will be 5-7:00pm on Sunday, January 29, 2017 at Baalmann Mortuary, Oakley with Vigil service at 7:00pm. Funeral Mass will be 10:30am on Monday, January 30, 2017 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Oakley. Memorials are suggested to the St. Joseph Catholic School, Justice for All or Masses in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 204, Oakley KS 67748. For online condolences or information visit: www.baalmannmortuary.com

Gerald L. Ruder, 79, Salina, died Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at the Salina Regional Health Center.

He was born November 30, 1937 in LaCrosse, Kansas the son of Rudolph and Mary (Rohr) Ruder.  On September 5, 1960 he married Anita M. Herrman in Hays, Kansas.  They celebrated 53 years of marriage before she preceded him in death on January 9, 2014.  Gerald worked for 42 years as a salesman and sales manager for Betts Baking Company.  He was a veteran of the United States Air Force and a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church.  Gerald was very outgoing and social, had a strong work ethic, was a devout Catholic, and was a great father, husband, and provider for his family, and was never one to complain.  He enjoyed camping, traveling, watching television, keeping up with politics, and following the Chiefs, Jayhawks, and Royals. Most of all he loved his grandchildren and great grandchildren, especially the babies.

Survivors include one son; Michael Ruder and wife Rita of Frisco, TX, two daughters; Denise Cart and husband Jeff of Minneapolis, KS and Sheila Hite and husband Andrew of Olathe, two brothers; Kenneth J. Ruder and wife Ellen of Arvada, CO and Richard Ruder and wife Sharon of Hays, two sisters; Carol Beyer of Hays and Debbie Weber of Hays, ten grandchildren; Allyson Ruder, Paige Ruder, Shannon Arnold and husband Drew, Amanda Aslin and husband Paul, Nicole Larm and husband Devin, Austin Cart, Connor Cart, Jeffrey Hite, Alec Hite, and Caleb Hite, and five great grandchildren; Addison Shelton, Cameron Hackney, Lillian Arnold, Gianna Arnold, and Berkley Larm.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Anita, and his brother-in-law Joseph Beyer.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Monday, January 30, 2017 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 215 W. 13^th Street, Hays.  Inurnment with military honors by the Hays VFW Post #9076 Honor Guard will follow in the St. Joseph cemetery.  Visitation will be from 6:00 pm until 8:00 on Sunday and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Monday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street.  A combined vigil and rosary will be at 7:30 pm on Sunday at the funeral home.  Memorials are suggested to the St. Joseph Catholic Church, in care of the funeral home.  Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com

Don E. ‘Duck’ Kohl, 67, of Parsons, passed away Sunday, January 22, 2017 at his home.

Funeral services will be 10 AM on Friday, February 3, 2017 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellis. Inurnment will follow in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be Thursday 6 PM – 8 PM with a combined rosary and parish vigil service at 7 PM all at the church.

A complete obituary is pending with Keithley Funeral Chapel 400 E 17th Ellis, KS 67637.

Verda Kay Johnson, age 65, died January 24, 2017 at the Ness County Hospital, Ness City. She was born on October 13, 1951 in Ransom the daughter of Edwin and Katie Sander Herman.

She was a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church and the Altar Society. She was the city clerk for the city of Utica and she loved being a farm wife.

She married Jon Johnson in Scott City, on July 10, 1971. He survives.

Other survivors include three daughters, Robin Slagle, Salina, Wendy (Jeremy) Duskie, Kansas City, Kansas, and Jodi (Lafe) Gillespie, Quinter; one son, C.J. Johnson, Quinter; one sister, Vera Soderberg, Dodge City; two brothers, Eddie Herman, Hays, and Gary Herman, Leavenworth; and 14 grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Rosary and parish vigil will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Aloysius Church, Ransom on Friday, January 27, 2017. Funeral service will be at the church on January 28, 2017, 10:00 a.m. with burial in the Utica Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be given to the Verda Johnson Benefit Fund. Words of comfort and support may be left for the family at www.fitzgeraldfuneral.com.

Helena Marie O’Connor, 87, passed away on Tuesday, January 17, 2017, in Hays, KS. She was born & raised on a farm near Tipton, KS. On January 15, 1930, she was born to Joseph F. & Mary Helena (Boden) Brummer. Helena was the oldest of five children. She had 4 brothers.

Helena attended Holy Corner Grade School and Tipton Catholic High School graduating in 1948.

Helena and John Lewis O’Connor were married at the St. Boniface Catholic Church in Tipton, KS, on July 7, 1952. They lived on a farm 15 miles south of Osborne. Johnny & Helena were blessed with 2 children. Helena lost her husband Johnny, in 1981 and her son Johnny Joe in 2010.

Helena is preceded in death by her parents; husband, John; son, Johnny Joe; brothers: Nicholas Brummer; Eugene Brummer. She is survived by: daughter, Yvonne Marie (Steve) Demuth of Hays; grandchildren: Shannon (Jared) Hund; Sarah (Kelly) Gabel; Shawn Demuth & Stephanie Demuth; great grandchildren: Nicholas Hund, Justin Hund, Alyssa Hund & Arielle Hund, Elijah Gabel, Aleha Gabel & Korin Gable; brothers: Ignatius Brummer of Downs, KS; Edgar (Sandy) Brummer of Hunter, KS.

Visitation at the Clark-Gashaw Funeral Chapel from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM on January 27, 2017.

Josephine Marie Wickham, age 97, of Ellis passed away Saturday, January 21, 2017 at the Good Samaritan Society, Ellis. She was born August 30, 1919 in Ellis County, Kansas to James and Christina (Giinther) Pulec. She married Ora Emmitt Wickham on December 28, 1935. He preceded her in death on May 3, 1997.

She was a homemaker and she enjoyed the outdoors, flowers, gardening, embroidery and making quilts.

She is survived by her children, Robert (Rosemary) Wickham of Hays, William (Gladys) Wickham of Phillipsburg, Alvin (Gayla) Wickham of Russell, Danny (Kathy) Wickham of Ellis, Phyllis (Major) Gosser of Great Bend and Faye Ann (Thomas) Moore of Cassoday, KS; 22 grandchildren as well as great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Carl and Mick Pulec and a sister, Julia Skenyon.

Private family funeral services were held at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601. Interment followed services in Mt. Allen Cemetery.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Hospice and may be sent in care of the funeral chapel.

Condolences may be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchhapels.com or emailed to [email protected]

Michael Francis Dinges, age 51, of Hays passed away January 20, 2017 in Wichita due to injuries sustained in an auto accident on January 10th. He was born June 22, 1965 in Hutchinson, Kansas to Ruth Leiker and Ted Dinges. He graduated from TMP-Marian High School in 1983.

He met his true love, Tana Rawlins on a blind date, arranged by his future father-in-law, and married her October 5, 2002. In 2005, his son, Rawley was born and he could barely contain his love and pride.

Mike spent most of his life as an independent long-haul truck driver navigating the nation’s highways and country roads. He had such an appreciation for our country’s vast expanse and never wasted an opportunity to make a new friend in his travels. He was an avid racing fan and had done some dirt track racing himself. In 2009, he and his family moved to Hays, KS where he became a valued employee of H & W Oil.

He is survived by his wife Tana and son, Rawley of Hays; his parents, Ruth Leiker of Hutchinson and Ted Dinges of Scottsdale, AZ; his sisters, Suzanne Shackelford and husband Pete of Hutchinson and Debbie Jones and husband Keith of Culver City, CA; a niece, Celeste Conklin of Wichita and two nephews, Austin and Kenny of Culver City, CA.

Mike was known for his strong faith in Christ, fierce loyalty, hard work, steadfast dependability and willingness to help. He was as authentic and genuine as they come and will be remembered as a passionate father, a loving husband and a true friend.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM Saturday, January 28th at CrossPoint Church, 1300 Harvest Road, Hays Kansas. Private family inurnment will be at a later date.

Memorials are suggested to Midwest Transplant Network (www.mwtn.org) or the American Diabetes Association (https://www.diabetes.org)

Condolences may be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or emailed to [email protected].

HARLAN, KS – Doris Jean (Albrecht) St.Clair passed in her home at the age of 84 on January 15, 2017, after years of devoted care by her loving husband, Verlyn, and family. Verlyn’s love, patience and care for her was a true expression of God’s love and their love for each other.

Doris was born July 22, 1932, to Loyal and Mary Albrecht of Smith Center, Kansas. She graduated from Smith Center High School. She married Verlyn Lee St.Clair of Harlan, Kansas September 7, 1951. Verlyn and Doris were devoted to each other for 65 plus years. To this union, 8 children were born.

Doris was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother; supporting her family and friends at all special occasions and activities. As well as helping on the family farm in Harlan, Doris enjoyed a variety of employment history which included: Field Assistant for the Department of Agriculture, USDA Inspector, Home Health Aide, Home Trainer for Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas and working as a Paraprofessional in the school system. Doris received her nursing assistant certificate in 1986. She then went back to college, receiving her Physical Therapist Assistant from Colby Community College in 1988, finishing her career as a traveling PTA in Kansas and Nebraska. Doris had a special relationship with her patients, co-workers and various professionals.

As a couple, Doris and Verlyn were active in the Harlan and Smith Center communities. As members of the Harlan Church, many life-long friends were formed and Doris regularly met with her high school buddies from Smith Center. Doris was a “vocal” supporter of her children’s’ sporting events. This passion carried through to grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Special memories were created in the harvest field, at the lake, and during hunting season. Holidays were standing room only with the real Santa visiting on Christmas Eve—family was large, loud and fun. Doris had a quick wit, which could be heard in a traveling motorhome, on the back porch or across the field.

Survived by: husband Verlyn of Harlan, KS; son Steve St.Clair and Carla of Harlan, KS; daughter Mary Ann and husband Rick Kelleher of Fort Collins, CO; son Ron and wife Tracy St.Clair of Smith Center, KS; daughter Penny and husband Russell Hendrich of Portis, KS; son JR St.Clair and Sandy of Denver, CO; son John and wife Mindy St.Clair of Lincoln, NE; son Tracy and wife Michelle St.Clair of Lincoln, NE; sister-in-laws Karen Younger of Hays, KS and Michelle St.Clair of Kansas City, MO, as well as 20 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her son Tony; sister Marilyn Saunders, brother-in-law Don St.Clair, mother and father Mary and Loyal Albrecht and mother and father-in-law Lee and Viola St.Clair.

Sue Ann (Werth) Leiker passed away at her home in Topeka, Kansas, on Saturday, January 21, 2017.

Sue was born in Severin, Kansas, to Ted and Mary (Dinges) Werth on January 22, 1952. She graduated from Hays High School in 1970.

Sue is survived by two sons, Curtis (Amanda) Leiker, Hays, Kansas and Cory (Amy) Leiker, Garland, Texas; two beautiful granddaughters, Amiah and Aftyn; mother, Mary Werth, Olathe; brothers, Dick Werth, Olathe and Jeff Werth, Paola; and sisters, Peggy Rohleder, Olathe and Karla Werth, Topeka.

Sue was preceded in death by her father, Ted Werth; and her brother, Kenny Werth.

Family will greet friends from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 25, at Dove Cremation & Funeral Service, 4020 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka. Sue will be cremated as she wished. Graveside services will be held in Hays at a later date.

Curtis Jake James of Selden, Kansas, passed away at his home on January 20, 2017 at the age of 62.

He was born in Hoxie, Kansas, November 4, 1954, to Jake Junior and Betty Nadine (Staubus) James. Curt attended Hoxie Grade School and graduated from Hoxie High School with the class of 1973. After high school, he attended Missouri Auction School and earned his diploma in 1979, Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, Kansas and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Telecommunications in 1994, and in 2001 he earned his Colorado Real Estate License.

On April 15, 1984, Curt married Vicki Nelson in Marysville, Kansas. They lived in Colorado for 30 years, sixteen of those years in Brighton, Colorado before moving back to Selden.
In the most recent years, Curt was a salesman, selling “treasurers”. He loved buying and selling them. He loved to visit with people and did not know a stranger. He was always very interested in and supportive of The VA and American Legion.

Curtis is survived by his mother, Betty N. James of Hoxie, Kansas; brothers, Tom E. James and wife Gayle of Lenora, Kansas, Richard James and wife Elaine of Goessel, Kansas; sisters, Janice Rae Hoss and husband Von of Parks, Nebraska, Janet Kay Wade and husband Gary of Hoxie, Kansas, and Jana Lea Herl and husband Bill of Hoxie, Kansas; and nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father Jake Junior James and infant brother Robert Steven James.

An Informal Celebration of Life for Curt, with Stories, Lies, and Lunch, will be held Friday, January 27, 2017, at 11:00 A.M. at the Christian Fellowship Church in Hoxie, Kansas. Come and share your memories of Curt at this time. There will be a private family inurnment. Memorials are suggested to Phillipsburg Hospice and may be sent in care of Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, PO Box 987, Hoxie, Kansas 67740. On-line condolences may be left at www.mickeyleopold funeral.com.

Curt loved life and lived it to the fullest never slowing down or looking back. He enjoyed being a seller of “Treasurers”. He loved his family, friends, and neighbors and enjoyed the time he spent visiting with them. His memory will live on in our hearts and thoughts for all time to come.