Bernard M. “Bernie” Brown, age 83, of Hays, passed away Saturday, November 19, 2016 at Hays Medical Center.

Arrangements are pending with Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601

Charlene A. Rupp, 77, Hays, died Thursday, November 17, 2016 at the Ellis Good Samaritan Society.

She was born July 26, 1939 in Catharine the daughter of Anthony and Alvina (Stecklein) Dinkel. She was a graduate of Girls Catholic High School in 1957. On September 26, 1959 she married Kenneth “Kenny” Rupp. He preceded her in death on February 20, 2014. She was a nurse’s aide at St. Anthony’s Hospital in pediatrics, and later a cook for many years at Kennedy Middle School. She was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church and enjoyed baking, gambling, playing bingo, slot machines, and flowers. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Survivors include two daughters; Cheryl Reeves and husband David of Hays, and Shelly LaRue and husband Doug of Colorado Springs, two grandchildren; Sami Vanek and husband Justin of Ellis, and Tanner LaRue and wife Jenn of Colorado Springs, three great grandchildren; Maci Vanek, Miley Vanek, and Autumn LaRue, two sisters; Theresa Giebler of Hays and Rosie Mermis of Olathe, three sisters-in-law; Mary Ann Dinkel of Thornton, CO, Clara Dinkel of Hays, and Goldie Dinkel of Ellis, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, three brothers; Harold, Norman, and John Dinkel and three sisters; Elizabeth Hatfield, Rita Sander, and Barbara Schoenberger.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1805 Vine Street. Burial will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 8:00 on Monday and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Tuesday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine St. A parish vigil service will be at 7:00 pm on Monday at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to family wishes, in care of the funeral home. Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com.

Vernice Lorena Forman McBurney was born in Yankton, Oregon to John Latimer Chestnut and Mary Ethel Chestnut on September 23, 1914 during the 10 months her father worked as a logger there. Like her parents, she was a lifelong member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America and lived most of her life in Quinter, Kansas.  Vernice peacefully left this earth on November 16, 2016 at the age of 102 to be with the Lord.

Although her life wasn’t always easy, it was happy. In her musings about growing up during the depression, she wrote, “We ate many meals of homemade bread and milk. We thoroughly enjoyed life without realizing we were poor.” Vernice graduated from Quinter High School in 1933 and shortly afterward moved to Denver, Colorado. Sometime between 1934-1936 while sharing a ride on her way back to Denver after a visit home, she met Rhea Hulett Forman. They were married in December 1937. While in Denver, she worked at various jobs including working at Lakeside Amusement Park and running Forman’s Cafe and Creamery. By 1947, they had three boys; Rhea, John, and Tom.

Although looking at Vernice you would see a tiny, sweet, smiling lady who always looked out for others and was generous to a fault, we all knew that underneath that soft exterior was a woman of steel. Her life was not an easy one, but her faith and trust in a God of providence sustained her and allowed hope eternal to shine through even in the darkest of times. Mother had a quiet strength that saw her through loss, including the death of her six-year-old sister Madge, her husband, Rhea, in March of 1950, her step-daughter Mary Jane, granddaughter Tammy, great-grandson Michael, and second husband Waldo McBurney. She also took her disabled mother into her home and tenderly cared for her until the Lord called Grandmother Chestnut home.

In 1955, she took her three fatherless boys back to Kansas to be under the guidance and influence of her father John and the boys’ uncles, Don and Calvin. With the help of her father, she ran the Dairy Delight in downtown Quinter. Vernice loved to write, so it wasn’t unusual that when she learned of her dad’s cancer, she chose to pour out her grief on paper; and at the top of the page put a quote by Henri Amiel: “It is not what he has, nor even what he does, which directly expresses the worth of a man but what he is.” What was true of her dad can also be said of her.

In 1961, an elder from her church knocked on her door requested her hand in marriage. She and Ralph Waldo McBurney were married on April 12, 1962 and Vernice gained two more daughters and a son: Ruth, Mary Jane, and Kenneth. Waldo and Mother ran a honey business selling honey long after most people their age had retired. Her home was a hub of hospitality and many enjoyed the produce and canned goods from their garden and her wonderful pot roast. Her children and grandchildren always anticipated her kind and thoughtful letters, as well as her hand-sewn quilts and stuffed animals. After Waldo took up competitive running, they began traveling to races in places as far away as England, Scotland, and Puerto Rico. It wasn’t long before she ventured off of the sidelines to run and compete herself. She won the bronze medal in the 100-meter dash at the World Athletics Championships in Puerto Rico at the age of 88. Once, worried because we could not reach her for several days, we found out we had not heard from her because she was busy practicing shot put.

She dearly loved her parents, siblings, children, and grandchildren and never missed an opportunity to tell them. She never had any daughters of her own, but she loved and treated her daughters-in-law so well that each believes in her heart that she is Mother’s favorite. She was the rare mother-in-law that was always ready with a word of praise or encouragement and was never known to interfere, demand, or criticize.

She lived with Waldo in Quinter, Kansas until his passing in July 2009. Her sons moved her to Altamonte Springs, Florida after Waldo’s death, where she resided surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren until going home to be with the Lord.

Though in her later years she could not recall things in the present, she never lost the optimism and joy that so characterized her all of her life. In her last years when asked what day it was, she always responded that it must be the Sabbath, her favorite day. If you asked which son had come to visit, she would respond “all three of my boys came.”

Also preceding her passing were her parents, John and Ethel Chestnut, her husbands Rhea Forman and Waldo McBurney, her brother Calvin Chestnut and his wife Elizabeth, her sister Oneita Chestnut McWilliams and her husband Don, her sister Vera Chestnut Rice and her husband Lee, and sister Madge Chestnut, step-daughter Mary Jane Boyle, granddaughter Tammy Boyle, and great-grandson Michael Linders. She is survived by her children: Rhea Forman and his wife, Keay, of Ocala, FL; John Forman and his wife, Lorraine, of Chattanooga, TN; Tom Forman and his wife, Nancy, of Altamonte Springs, FL; Kenneth McBurney and his wife, Virginia, of Beaver Falls, PA; Ruth Mann and husband, Bob, of Colorado Springs, CO; 18 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 23, at the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Quinter. Burial will be in Baker Township Cemetery, Quinter.

Visitation will be Tuesday, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home in Quinter.

Memorial contributions are suggested to the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Donations to the church may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 South Main, Quinter, KS 67752.

Condolences may be left for the family by signing the online guest book HERE.

Tamara Ann Pfeifer, 47, of Great Bend formerly of Hays passed away Nov. 16, 2016, in Great Bend. She was born August 19, 1969 in Hays, Kansas to James J. Pfeifer and Norma Jean “Jeannie” Munsch. She graduated from Hays High in 1969 and attended Garden City Vo-Tech.

She had worked as a Cad Tech for Wheelchairs of Kansas and Sizewise. She took great pride in also being a firefighter with the Schoenchen, Kansas Fire Department Company 8, an EMT in Ellinwood and she was also a first responder. She truly enjoyed riding motorcycles and being a part of the American Legion Riders Post 180 of Great Bend, Kansas. Tammy was a loving mother who adored her son, Austin and her pet dog, Bridgette.

She is survived by her mother, Jeannioe Munsch of Great Bend, Kansas, her father, James J. Pfeifer of Olmitz, Kansas; sons, Austin Petz and Jay Petz both of Hays, Kansas and Dustin Petz of Minneapolis, Minnesota; a brother, Wade Helget of Rose Hill, Kansas; sisters, Pam Kreutzer and husband Doug of Hays, Kansas, Tarasa Miller and husband Shaun of Hoisington, Kansas, Heather Curtice and husband Brandon of Great Bend, Kansas and Amanda Niemann of Bay City, Michigan and one grandchild, Bo Petz of Hays, Kansas.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Rachel Green and her grandparents, Whitie and Leanore Munsch and Celly and Monica Pfeifer.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Schoenchen. Burial will follow in St. Anthony Cemetery. The American Legion Riders post 180 will provide the escort.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday with a combined parish vigil service and rosary at 7 p.m. all at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine in Hays.

Memorial contributions are suggested to the Austin Petz education fund or the American Legion Post 180 of Great Bend.

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

Lifelong Sharon Springs, KS resident Benjamin Robert Finley, 81, passed away on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at the Colby Health and Rehab Nursing in Colby, Kansas.

Ben was born on July 24, 1935 in Sharon Springs, Kansas to Marshall Joseph and Lena Roberta (Reed) Finley.  He was one of four children.  Growing up in Sharon Springs, Ben graduated from Sharon Springs High School in 1953.  He then went on and attended four years of college at various different schools, and finally graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. 

On February 2, 1964, Ben married Alice Mary Baehler at the Methodist Church in Sharon Springs.  To this union, three children were born; Daniel, Coleen and Steven.

Ben enjoyed doing Sudoku’s, crossword puzzles and playing cards of all kinds.  He loved reading books in general, but really enjoyed reading westerns, especially one written by Louis L’Amour.  He enjoyed playing his matching squares game on Sega, called Shanghai, attending dances, playing in pitch tournaments, drinking coffee and visiting with all of his coffee buddies at the gas station.  Most of all, Ben loved spending time with his grandkids and keeping up with their activities.

Preceding Ben in death were his parents and one grandson Taylor Finley.

He is survived by his wife Alice of the home, three children; Daniel Finley and his wife Karen of Beaver, Oklahoma, Coleen Dautel of Goodland, Kansas and Steven Finley and his wife Amy of Seligman, Arizona.  He is also survived by nine grandchildren, five great grandchildren, two brothers; Delgar Finley and his wife Phyllis and Howard Finley and his wife Norma, all of Sharon Springs, Kansas, and one sister Mattie Jackson of Fort Collins, Colorado.

Funeral Services for Ben will be held on Friday, November 18, 2016 at 2:00 PM MT at the Sharon Springs United Methodist Church with Reverend Paul McNall and Pastor Seth McGregor officiating.  Burial will follow in the Sharon Springs Cemetery.

Visitation will be held on Friday, November 18, 2016 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM MT at the Church in Sharon Springs.

Memorials are designated to the Ben Finley Memorial Fund and may be left at the service or can be mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St., Goodland, Kansas 67735.

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

Funeral services have been entrusted to the Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Sharon Springs, Kansas.

Harlan – Kendall E. Nichols, 74, passed away Wednesday, November 9, 2016 in Osborne County, KS from injuries sustained in an automobile accident north of Osborne. Kendall was born January 14, 1942 in rural Smith County, KS, the son of Eugene Debbs & Grace Ula (Moyer) Nichols.

Kendall combined a lifetime of farming, over twenty-one years of secondary and adult education, several years of coaching, eighteen years as a career agent, agency manager, and a multiple County Marketing Manager for Farm Bureau Financial Services, all while raising a family and being involved with Church, Community and Chamber of Commerce activities, and serving as President in the International Harvester Collectors Club, Chapter #3. Kendall enjoyed all of his many activities, but the thing he loved most was sharing his love of farming with his neighbors, sons and grandchildren; this was Kendall’s greatest love.

Kendall also loved his community and was immensely proud of the various achievements made in High Plains, rural America by his friends and neighbors. Kendall routinely took on local high school boys as hired hands to pass on all he knew as he truly believed farming was the noblest of all professions. His love for the land and those who tended to it were the core of Kendall’s soul and all that he gave to this cause is Kendall’s true legacy. It was Kendall’s dream to be able to farm every day of his life and with this achievement we all know he is resting peacefully with great satisfaction he achieved this milestone.

Kendall spent 49 years of marriage with Rose Marie Nichols and created many wonderful memories that both have cherished. The household Kendall and Rose Marie built for Dirk and Denton was one filled with an abundance of love, laughter and joy. This joyful home was also shared with the many local children who passed through the doors of an incredibly loving home either as children that Rose Marie would babysit or friends that Dirk and Denton brought home. Although their marriage ended prematurely, their combined love for the family never waned and their focus of loving the children and grandchildren only increased.

Kendall also spent quality time with a special friend Louan (Lou) McCoy in his last years. There were many spirited conversations, fun trips and quality reminiscing in their short, but meaningful time together. Kendall always appreciated the fact that he had someone to confide in and to gain perspective of life far greater than he could imagine alone. Kendall had a great deal of respect for Lou and her family and routinely commented on how nice it was to have this type of companionship in his twilight.

Kendall is survived by his two sons, Dirk Nichols & wife Julie of Beloit, Denton Nichols & wife Lori of Lawrence; a brother, Jerry Nichols & wife Rita of Salina; former wife, Rose Marie Nichols of Clay Center and four grandchildren, Bryce & Kimberlyn Nichols of Beloit and Ivy & Zachary Nichols of Lawrence.

Kendall was preceded in death by his parents and infant brother, Merlyn L. Nichols.

A celebration of Kendall’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at All Faiths Funeral Chapel, Smith Center, KS, with Pastor David Sarver officiating. Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Monday, November 14th with family present to greet friends from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. until service time Tuesday the 15th at the funeral chapel. Burial will be in the Bethany Cemetery, Harlan, KS. Memorials may be given to the Smith County Memorial Hospital and/or Hospice Services of Smith County and/or Gardner Wellness Center and can be sent in care of the funeral chapel.