Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Betty Kinnett
Dated: April 28, 2002
Betty Ann Kinnett of Gallipolis, Ohio, mother and mother-in-law of Tim
and Peggy Wagner of Valley Center, died April 22, 2002. Memorial service
is at 11 a.m. Saturday in Wheeling, W. Va.
Other survivors include her husband, Bob; daughter and son-in-law, Martie
and David Keller of Wheeling, W. Va.; stepsons and spouses, Jim and Bebe
Kinnett, Nelson and Martha Kinnett, Kevin and Kelly Kinnett; 12
grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with the American Cancer Society.
Delbert Holcomb
Dated: April 28, 2002
Delbert O. Holcomb, 76, of Liberal, brother of Lucille Slinkard of Valley
Center, died April 17, 2002. He was a former Ideal Foods baker, Tom's
Peanuts service employee and retired contract mail carrier. Memorial
service was April 19 at Miller Mortuary, Liberal.
Other survivors include his wife, Erma; son, Terry of Dodge City;
daughters, Marsha Jensen of Garden City, Mo., Deline Shirota, Pamela
Flores, both of Liberal; sisters, Elva Hudson of Cameron, Mo., Arlene
Pash of Trenton, Mo., Alta Shoemaker of Easton, Mo.; 12 grandchildren,
and five great-grandchildren.
Dorothy Zackula
Dated: April 28, 2002
Dorothy Louise Myrtle Zackula, 70, longtime resident of Independence,
Mo., sister of Mary Jane Spencer of Valley Center, died April 22, 2002.
Service is at 10 a.m. today (Thursday) at Speaks Midtown Chapel,
Independence, Mo. Burial will be at Leavenworth National Cemetery.
She was born June 23, 1931, in Topeka, the daughter of Harold Myrtle and
Annabel Gill.
Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Walter "Bud" Zackula;
children, Susan K. Gamble of St. Louis, Sharon K. Zackula of McLean, Va.,
Shirley A. Shipers of Albuquerque, Kris A. Zackula of Independence, Mo.,
Stacy Z. Matthews of Raytown, Mo.; brothers, Harold Myrtle, James Myrtle,
both of Wichita, and nine grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with Cure Autism Now and Reading is
Fundamental Inc.
Ferrell Stamback
Dated: April 28, 2002
Ferrell W. Stamback, 78, of Holyrood, retired Stamback Construction and
Welding owner and Excel Packing refrigeration technician, died April 18,
2002. Service was April 22 at Parsons Funeral Home, Ellsworth.
He was born in Halstead, the son of Charles Stamback and Susie Keyser. He
was a 1943 graduate of Valley Center High School.
Survivors include his wife, Phyllis; daughters, Becky Dirks of Topeka,
Marilyn Massey of Wichita; brother, Max of Willcox, Ariz.; sisters, Mary
Mace Kruger, Clarice Dyer, both of El Dorado, Jane Milne of Sedgwick, and
three grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Holyrood Ambulance Service.
Freddie Inkelaar
Dated: April 28, 2002
Freddie R. Inkelaar, 74, of Wichita, father of Pamela Tracy and brother
of Leo Inkelaar Jr., both of Park City, died April 21, 2002. He was a
retired Boeing Wichita machine press operator. Service was April 24 at
Lakeview Funeral Home, Wichita.
He served in the U.S. Army. He was preceded in death by a son, Billy Leo
Inkelaar; his parents, Leonardus and Helen Inkelaar; brother, John, and
sisters, Lillian, Helen and Lenora.
Other survivors include his wife, Viola; sons, Fred Jr. of Salem, Ore.,
Jimmy of Derby, Charles of Afton, Okla., Gilbert of Tulsa, Gerald of
Wichita; daughters, Bonita Demastus of Wayne, Okla., Naomi McKinsey,
Tonya Inkelaar, Katrina Inkelaar, all of Wichita; brothers, Garritt of
Lomita, Calif., Dennis of Sedgwick, Walter of Douglas, Tom of Maize;
sisters, Margareta Backes, Dena Hall, both of Wichita, Nellie Miller of
Springville, Utah, Ruth Burke of Mentor, Ohio; twin sister, Flossie
Thompson of Wichita; 26 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with Golden Oldies, in care of Mount
Vernon Church of God, and with Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice.
Jack Smith
Dated: April 28, 2002
Jack O. Smith, 77, of Augusta, father of Dianna Clark of Valley Center,
died April 18, 2002. He was a retired Wichita Southeast Transit Co. truck
driver. Service was April 22 at Dunsford Funeral Home.
Other survivors include his son, Kip of Wichita; daughter, Wanda Stork of
Andover; sisters, Maxine Brown, Joyce Cook, both of Joplin, Mo., Betty
Campbell of San Lorenzo, Calif.; six grandchildren, and 17 great-
grandchildren.
Pamela Hiebert
Dated: April 28, 2002
Pamela Hiebert, 54, of Portland, Ore., daughter of Olin Hiebert of Park
City, died April 7, 2002. She was an electronic publishing technician
with Portland Community College. A family memorial service was held April
10 at Dharma Rain Zen Center, Portland.
She was a former Park City resident.
Other survivors include her companion, Sylvan Rainwater; daughter and
son-in-law, Amber and Shawn Welsh of Davis, Calif.; brothers, Don Hiebert
of Kansas City, Mo., Richard Hiebert of Benton, Ky.; sister, Eileen Clark
of Toronto, and grandson, Cooper John Welsh.
Memorials have been established with Dharma Rain Zen Center, Portland,
and with Project Friendship, Park City.
ARTHUR MATHIS
Arthur Durward Mathis, 85, of Valley Center, died May 8, 2002. He was the owner of Mathis Radio & TV and Mathis Mobile Home Court. Visitation 5 to 7 p.m. May 9 at Baker Funeral Home Chapel, Valley Center. Service 1 p.m. May 10 at Valley Center Christian Church. Burial in White Chapel Memorial Gardens, Wichita.
He was born March 15, 1916, in Diamond, Mo., the son of Arthur Mathis and Beulah Keagy. They preceded him in death, as did a sister, Laura Gilmore. He married Helen M. Swearingen on Aug. 12, 1948, at Bentonville, Ark. She survives of the home.
Other survivors include his daughters, Linda Delgado of Valley Center, Joyce Brake of Latham, Jody Abner of Elkins, Ark.; six grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with the church and Trinity Hospice.
JANICE GLOTZBACH
Janice C. Glotzbach, 77, of Leavenworth, mother of Stephen J. Glotzbach of Valley Center, died May 4, 2002. She was a medical transcriber. Funeral mass was May 8 at St. Casimir Church with Rev. Gary Applegate officiating. Burial was in Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery.
She was born July 29, 1924, in Wichita, the daughter of Richard Percy and Natalie Noel Cooper. She married Edgar N. Glotzbach on Feb. 12, 1949, in Wichita. He survives of the home. She was a member and volunteer for St. John Hospital Auxiliary, earning the volunteer of the year award from the hospital. She also was a member of Cushing Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, and was recognized for her community service.
Other survivors include her son, Joseph C. Glotzbach of Topeka; daughters, Christine M. Davidson of Lee’s Summit, Mo., Susan M. Battenberg of Shawnee, Beth Z. Kelley of Wichita; brother, William Cooper of Dallas; sisters, Kitty Hunter of Wichita, Edwina Roy of El Dorado; 19 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with the church and Leavenworth Hospice.
MERLIN SHEPHERD
Merlin D. “Shep” Shepherd, 55, of Wichita, died May 6, 2002. Service was May 8 at Petersen Funeral Home, Newton, with Rev. Roger Megli of Meridian Baptist Church, Wichita, officiating.
He was born May 8, 1946, in Newton, the son of William W. Shepherd and Kathryn Marie Diringer. They preceded him in death. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1968, and was past president of the Valley Center Jaycees. He also enjoyed fishing and gardening.
Survivors include his daughter and son-in-law, Heather and Matthew Lackrone of Nixa, Mo.; brothers, Stan Shepherd of Kansas City, Mo., Steven Shepherd of Wichita; sisters, Lucretia A. Peterson of Wichita, Sharon Grosse of Peabody, Ellen Richards of Kansas City, Mo., and a granddaughter, Haley Lackrone of Nixa.
A memorial has been established with the Multiple Sclerosis Society, in care of Petersen Funeral Home.
MICHAEL BONER
Michael Boner, 53, of Wichita, brother of Pat Mabie of Park City, died May 4, 2002. He was a former Park City Police Department volunteer. Service is at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at St. Anthony’s Cemetery, Garden Plain.
Survivors include his mother, Mary Catherine Boner of Parsons; brother, Robert of Westminster, Md.; sisters, Mary Ann Miner of Phoenix, Susan Pavey of Minneapolis, and companion, Judy Thimesch of Wichita.
Watson Funeral Home had charge.
VIRGINIA GOODRICH
Virginia S. Goodrich, 86, of Wichita, retired U.S.D. 259 secretary, died May 3, 2002. Service was May 6 at Cochran Mortuary.
Survivors include her sons and daughters-in-law, Jan Goodrich, Dale and Jeanette Goodrich, all of Wichita, Martin and Nancy Goodrich of Littleton, Colo.; grandchildren, Chris, Ashley, Nicolas and Melanie Goodrich, Tiffany Gideon, and a great-granddaughter, Taylor Gideon.
A memorial has been established with American Diabetes Association, 837 S. Hillside, Wichita 67211.
Alfred Riffel
Dated: May 20, 2002
When Gregory and Tracy Riffel had important news for his parents, they usually knew just where to find them. Alfred and Irene Riffel often worked with the Park City Youth Program.
“When my husband and I got engaged, we had to go down to the ball field to tell them,” said Tracy Riffel. “They were very big into the youth program when we first got married, and they just always have been.”
Alfred Riffel, a longtime Park City resident, died Friday. He was 70.
Riffel and his twin brother both participated in sports when they attended high school in Ramona, near Herington, and he was eager to become involved when his sons were old enough to take part in the youth program in Park City.
Riffel began participating in the program in 1957. He served as a coach, umpire, referee and even president of the youth program. He officiated at youth and adult basketball, baseball and softball games. Riffel had worked everything from Salvation Army basketball to high school girls’ softball games.
His two sons, Gregory of Valley Center and Les of Wichita, attended Wichita Heights High School. Later, Tracy Riffel quickly learned that she had joined a family wild about athletics.
“They love their sports,” she said. “If our kids weren’t playing, he would go watch high school football even when he didn’t know anybody playing. He just liked being involved with kids.”
George McKee, who worked with Riffel to maintain the ball fields in Park City, said it was his interest in kids that drew him to the youth program. McKee described him as “a great person plus a great teacher.”
McKee also became involved in the youth program through his children after the family moved to Park City in 1977. He and Riffel worked together and soon became friends. Eventually, Ball Field No. 1 was named in McKee’s honor and Ball Field No. 2 was named for Riffel.
The two worked last week maintaining the fields, and both were planning to be umpires for games this summer. McKee said his friend’s absence was strange Tuesday as he briefly waited, hoping Riffel would be there to work.
“I caught myself hesitating, waiting for him to come in,” McKee said. “And it just dawned on me he wasn’t coming in.”
The service for Riffel was held May 13 at Carlson-Becker Funeral Home, Hope, with Rev. Clark Davis officiating. Burial was in Lewis Cemetery, Ramona.
He was born June 24, 1931, in Ramona, the son of Daniel Riffel and Wanda Hamm. He graduated from Ramona High School. He married Irene Ohm on Jan. 10, 1953, in De Ridder, La. She survives of the home. They moved to Wichita in 1955. He retired from Beech Aircraft in 1993 after 42 years of service at Herington and Wichita. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of Christ Lutheran Church and American Legion Post 256, and he served on the Park City advisory board. He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, twin Eldred C., Keith and Burton; and an infant sister, Katherine E.
Other survivors include his son, Leslie Fred Riffel of Wichita; sisters, Dolores Brooks of Herington, Dorothy Boettecher of Greenville, Texas; four grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial has been established with Park City Youth Program.
