Obituaries

Dec 10, 2023

Thomas E. Tyree, 79 of Leonardville, Kansas died on Sunday, December 10, 2023 at the Clay County Medical Center in Clay Center, Kansas.  He was born on August 31, 1944 in St. Albans, West Virginia, the son of Henry and Clara (Deweise) Tyree.

Tom grew up and attended schools in West Virginia.  He served in the U.S....

Dec 8, 2023

Lloyd Edward Walters, 74 died December 8, 2023, in Salina, KS. He was born on October 23, 1949, in Clarion, PA, the son of Alfred and Barbara (Melnak) Walters. Lloyd was raised in Sharon, PA. He served in the US Army for 26 years. While in the Army, Lloyd served in Europe, three tours to the DMZ in Korea and...

Dec 5, 2023

Ann Appleton, 86 died December 5, 2023, in Clay Center, KS.  She was born on April 2, 1937, in Kansas City, MO, the daughter of Oliver and Alice (Hanson) Munson.  Ann was a graduate of the Class of 1955 from Clay Center High School. She married Gary Appleton on July 29, 1955.  They made their home in Missouri and...

Dec 4, 2023

Jack Wilder, 88, of Clay Center died on Monday, December 4, 2023 at  Advena Living of Clay Center, Kansas.  He was born on September 21, 1935 in Clay Center, the son of Charles and Viola (Gebhardt) Wilder.

Jack grew up in Clay Center and graduated from CCCHS in 1953.  He served in the U.S. Air Force from...

Dec 1, 2023

Roy E. Jennings, Jr., 85, of Clay Center, Kansas passed away at Wakefield, Kansas on Friday, December 1, 2023. He was born in Hays, Kansas on October 12, 1938 to Roy E. and Ethel Jennings, the seventh of seven children. Roy attended school in Junction City before joining the U.S. Navy. Roy met the love of his life, Lillian...

Nov 26, 2023

Wanda Elaine (Carter) Laflin 86, passed away peacefully on November 26, 2023, in her sleep at Prairie Sunset Home, Pretty Prairie, KS.

She was born in Clay Center, KS and later moved to Rushville, MO with her family.  Wanda married William Laflin and moved to Nickerson, KS

where she was a housewife and mother for...

Nov 23, 2023

Cenith Delane Cowing, 88, passed away Thursday, November 23, 2023, at her family home in Clay Center, KS after a long battle with Parkinson’s dementia. Cenith was born on February 27, 1935, on the family farm near Lucas, KS, the last child of 10 children born to Everett and Myra Wood. She attended Downs High School. She met and...

Nov 22, 2023

***PLEASE NOTE THE VENUE CHANGE FOR THIS SERVICE***

Frank Purling, Jr., 75 of Morganville, Kansas, died November 22, 2023 at the Midland Care Hospice House in Topeka, Kansas.  He was born on August 7, 1948 in Clay Center, Kansas, the son of Frank Purling, Sr. and Darlene Mae Langley

Frank was raised in...

Nov 20, 2023

Gary Virgil Chaput, age 73, died November 20, 2023, at the Saint Lukes Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri. He was born on October 12, 1950, to Virgil and Lela (Schumock) Chaput, in Clay Center, KS. Gary grew up in the Clifton area and graduated from Clifton High School in 1969. In enlisted into the United States Army in 1970....

Nov 20, 2023

Adelma Lee Dettmer, 89, of Peoria, Arizona passed away on Monday, November 20, 2023 after a brief illness. She was born June 22, 1934 to Fred and Amy Larson, the little sister to three older brothers, and raised on the family farm near Morganville, KS. She married Robert Dettmer in 1955 and raised two children in Clay Center for...

Nov 16, 2023

Gail Habluetzel, 77, passed away peacefully November 16, 2023, at Linn Community Nursing Home from complications due to Parkinson’s Disease. Gail was born July 15, 1946, in Clay Center, the third son of Lawrence and Maxine (Strom) Habluetzel. He graduated from CCCHS in 1964 and earned a Journalism degree at the University of Kansas in 1968. Gail met and...

Nov 4, 2023

Dorothy M. Urban, 96 died November 4, 2023, in Clay Center, KS.  She was born on February 9, 1927, in Cloud County, the daughter of and George and Georginna (Charbonneau) Cyre.    Dorothy was raised in Cloud County.  She married Fred Urban on May 20, 1946.  They made their home and farmed near Morganville.  Dorothy also drove a school bus...

Nov 1, 2023

Trace Alan, 24 of Marysville, KS passed away November 1, 2023. He was born April 22, 1999 in Clay Center to Bill Buttman and Kristin Oestreich.

Trace grew up in Clifton, attending Clifton-Clyde schools. He lived in Concordia after school and in 2020 moved to Marysville where he worked as a laser operator at Landolls. In the...

Nov 1, 2023

Dwane Martin Hamel, 88, passed away on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at his home in Clay Center. Dwane was born July 10, 1935 at the family home located at the Ideal Cement Co Village west of Superior, Nebraska to Gordon Keith and Lillian (Crandell) Hamel.

Dwane graduated from Superior High School in 1953 and entered the U.S....

Nov 1, 2023

Suzanne (King) Hauserman, 104, died Wednesday morning, November 1, 2023, at the Leonardville Nursing Home. Suzanne was born on June 2, 1919, the daughter of George and Clara (Sanneman) King and she was raised with two brothers and one sister on the family farm in the Garfield Township.

Suzanne attended the Idylwild Grade School, only a mile...

Nov 1, 2023

Evelyne Keen, 91 died November 1, 2023, in Clay Center, KS.  She was born on July 7, 1932, in rural Wakefield, the daughter of Gus and Annie (Budden) Wiese.  Evelyne was raised in rural Wakefield.  She married Cecil Keen on May 11, 1951.  They made their home and farmed in rural Wakefield.  Evelyne was an excellent cook and seamstress,...

Oct 30, 2023

Sondra Sue Hedberg, 82, of Clay Center died on Monday, October 30, 2023 at her residence.  She was born May 31, 1941 in Clyde, Kansas, the daughter of Oscar and Marie (Fuller) Cranmer.

Sue grew up in and attended schools in Clyde.  She married Norman Hedberg, Sr. on August 30, 1958 and he preceded her in death...

Oct 29, 2023

Paul George Ruff, 79, of Springfield, Missouri, passed away on Sunday, October 29, 2023, from complications due to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Paul was a renowned cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon in Springfield, Missouri, for 37 years. Beloved by patients and coworkers alike for his surgical skills and kindness, his patients often stopped him to chat years after...

Oct 28, 2023

Betty Jones, 99, of Clay Center, Kansas, passed away peacefully on October 28, 2023. Betty was born in Auburn, NE and spent most of her early life in rural communities in Washington County before moving to Clay Center, KS where she raised her family.

In 1939, Betty married Lawrence Dodd, and together they embarked on a life...

Oct 25, 2023

Johnny Starwalt, 53 died October 25, 2023, in Green, KS.  He was born on September 20, 1970 in Centreville, Illinois.  Johnny was raised in Centerville, IL.  He worked as an asphalt foreman for Schilling Construction for 27 years.  Johnny married Valerie Welshans on December 28, 2004.  In his free time, Johnny enjoyed driving his Razr and dune buggies, playing...