Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Rose T. Bergman
Rose T. Bergman, 90, formerly of the St. Benedict community, died Friday, May 14, 2004, at a Kansas City, KS, care home near her daughter.
She was born January 12, 1914, on a farm west of Kelly, KS, the daughter of Frank and Mary A. Stegeman Haverkamp. She attended St. Bede’s School at Kelly.
On June 25, 1946, she married
Raymond B. Bergman at St. Bede’s Church at Kelly. They lived in Seneca and in 1955 moved to a farm west of St. Benedict, where they farmed and raised livestock. Her husband, Raymond, died February 13, 1996.
She was a member of St. Mary’s Church and the Altar Society at the church at St. Benedict. She enjoyed quilting, crocheting, baking, and gardening.
Survivors are a son, Marvin Bergman of Seneca; a daughter, Darlene Bergman-Armstrong of Bonner Springs; a brother, Alphonse Haverkamp of Seneca; a sister, Alma Holthaus of Centralia; and a granddaughter, Amy Bergman.
Besides her husband she was preceded in death by five brothers, George, Lawrence, Frank, Edwin, and Joseph; and four sisters, Anna Boeding, Dora Steinlage, Mary Haug, and Josepha Steinlage.
The mass of Christian burial will be 11 A.M. Monday, May 17, at Sts. Mary’s Church in St. Benedict. The burial will be in the church cemetery. The rosary will be prayed at the Lauer Funeral Home on Sunday at 2 and 7 P.M.
Memorials may be given for St. Mary’s Church Restoration Fund, and sent in care of the family.
Zita M. Bergman
Zita M. Bergman, 81, of St. Benedict, Kansas, died early Friday, January 16, 2009 at St. Francis Hospital in Topeka.
She was born March 30, 1927, on a farm east of Seneca, the daughter of Joseph H. and Clara C. Vondemkamp Phillips. She attended Victory School and graduated from Sts. Peter & Paul High School. She moved to Omaha, Nebraska to live and work with her Aunt Anna Mulcahy. Later Zita worked in Grand Island, Nebraska. In 1946, her family moved to Dyersville, Iowa where she worked in a shirt factory until returning to Seneca in March of 1948.
On July 20, 1948, she married
Melvin B. Bergman at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. They lived in St. Benedict where Melvin had started a pool hall and bar. Melvin’s brother, Callistus, ran the family grocery store. Zita and Melvin purchased the Bergman Hy Klas store from Callistus and Florence in 1956. They operated the store until February of 1987 when they retired. Zita then worked at the Seneca Variety Store for five years.
She was a member of St. Mary’s Church and the Altar Society at the church in St. Benedict, the Nemaha County Historical Society, the Seneca Memorial Post #7548 of the VFW Auxiliary, the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital Guild, and the Guild Pitch Club. Zita also served on the Richmond Township Board.
She enjoyed quilting, sewing for her family, gardening and canning. She was a kind and thoughtful friend and neighbor who was always ready to help others.
Survivors are her husband Melvin of the home; three sons, Ed, Mike, and Jerry, all of Topeka; two brothers, Fr. Walter Phillips of Seneca and Lyle Phillips of Leawood, Kansas; two sisters, Vera Knudson of Seneca and Elda Haverkamp of Wetmore; and five grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a son, Daniel on January 12, 2005; and three brothers, Leonard, Regis and Arthur Phillips.
Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 2 PM on Monday, January 19, at St. Mary’s Church in St. Benedict. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Rosaries will be prayed at 3:30 & 8:30 PM Sunday at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca.
Memorials may be given for St. Mary’s Church andCemeteryFund, and sent in care of the family.
Jacqueline E. Berkley
Jacqueline E. Berkley, 41, Vermillion, KS, died on Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at her home. She had battled cancer bravely for three years.
She was born May 16, 1962, at the Seneca Hospital, the daughter of Leonard and Ruth Barnes Tanking and grew up on the home farm south of Baileyville, KS. In 1980 she graduated from B & B High School. Following high school, Jackie worked for Dr. Norman Berkley as a receptionist for eight years. On June 5, 1982, she married
Douglas R. Berkley at Sacred Heart Church at Baileyville. In 1988 she began work at the Sixth Street Diner in Centralia as a waitress for several years. Recently, she had worked as a para-professional at the Centralia Elementary School until she had to retire in May of 2002 due to her health.
She was a member of Sacred Heart Church and a past president of the Altar Society at the church at Baileyville. Jackie was a devoted mother, and she followed her children in all their sports activities. She did volunteer work at the Pony Express in Seneca and helped set up trail rides and parades. She liked horses in general.
Survivors include her husband, Douglas, a son, Tyler, and a daughter, Amber, all of the home; her parents, Leonard and Ruth Tanking, Baileyville; her grandmother, Millie Tanking, Seneca, and a sister, Terry Plumberg, Salina, KS. She was preceded in death by a sister, Connie Remby on April 1, 2003.
Mass of Christian burial will be 10:30 A.M. Saturday at Sacred Heart Church in Baileyville. The burial will be in the church cemetery. The rosary will be prayed at 2 and 7 P.M. Friday at the Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca where she will lie in state after 4 P.M. Thursday.
Memorials may be given to a fund for the Education of the Berkley Children or for Sacred HeartCemeteryand sent in care of the family.
Darrell Lee Bingham
Darrell Lee Bingham, 64, of Centralia, died unexpectedly on Friday, October 24, 2014, at the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital in Seneca.
He was born on January 19, 1950 to William Curtis and Dorothy Mae (Bolling) Bingham in Iola, Kansas. He attended Grade School and High School in Iola and graduated from Iola High School with the Class of 1968. He worked various jobs in construction, agriculture and trucking.
He married
Becky Myers on September 1, 1981; they raised four children. The couple divorced in 2004. He married
Pamela Scott on September 19, 2006 In Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
He was a good son and a loving father and grandfather, the “cool” uncle and great friend. He had a great sense of humor and was always willing to lend a helping hand to someone in need. He was a lifetime member if the NRA.
He is survived by his wife, Pam of Centralia; children, Nicholas Myers of Wichita, Kendra Bingham of Wichita, McKenzie (Nate) Engelken of Centralia and Caleb Bingham of Wichita; his mother, Dorothy Bingham of Centralia; a brother, Jerry (Janice) Bingham of Topeka; ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his father; and a sister, Janice Cantrell.
The family selected cremation, and will have a private service.
Memorials are for the Shriners Hospital, sent to the family.
Marguerite A. Blaylock
Marguerite A. Blaylock, 90, Seneca, Kansas, died early Saturday morning, April 28, 2007, at the Sabetha Manor in Sabetha.
She was born February 16, 1917, in Seneca, the daughter of George A. and Margaret McNally Sausser. She grew up in Seneca and graduated from the Seneca Public High School in 1936. Following high school, she attended beauty school in St. Joseph, Missouri and then worked in a beauty shop in Concordia, Kansas.
While she was in Concordia, Marguerite met Burr Luther Blaylock, a watchmaker and jeweler; they were married
June 26, 2006 in Seneca. They moved to Kansas City in the early 1940s where she worked in the office of the Douglas bomber plant in the Fairfax District. After the war, they opened Blaylock Jewelry Store in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. They later moved to Prairie Village. Her husband, Burr, died December 26, 1966.
Marguerite kept the store open on her own for 10 years and then went to work for Stix-Baer & Fuller in their jewelry department. She also worked for Dillard’s after they bought out Stix. Her whole life was centered on being in the jewelry trade, where she enjoyed meeting people. She retired in 1980, and in 1983 moved to Seneca to take care of her mother.
She was a former member of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Seneca and the Prairie Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. She was a member of the Nemaha County Historical Society, where she served in the board. Marguerite also enjoyed the outdoors and nature.
Survivors are a brother, John “Bill” Sausser of Pawnee City, Nebraska; and three sisters, Mamie Beyreis of Prairie Village, Helen Foltz of Raytown, Missouri, and Bessie Droge of Seneca.
Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by a brother, George Sausser, Jr.
Funeral service will be 11 AM Saturday, May 5, at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca. Inurnment will be in the Seneca City Cemetery.
Memorials contributions are left to the donor’s choice, and may be sent in care of the family.
Marcella I. Block
Marcella Ida Block, 96, of Seneca, Kansas died on Sunday, February 2, 2014 at Crestview Nursing & Residential Living.
Marcella was born on January 31, 1918 to Joseph and Mary Volkmer Gergen in Shickley, Nebraska. She attended Turkey Creek School, graduating from the 8th Grade. As a young woman, she was worked for neighboring families cleaning their homes. When World War II broke she and her sister moved to Santa Monica, California to work for Southwestern Bell. She later returned to Lincoln, Nebraska to care for her dying mother.
On September 16, 1954 she married
Francis J. “Fritz” Block at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Geneva, Nebraska. The couple made their home on the Block family farm south of Seneca until July of 1991, when they retired and moved into Seneca. The couple celebrated 40 years of marriage before Francis’s death on July 27, 1995. Marcella had made Crestview her home in 2008, after a stoke left her unable to live at home alone.
She was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Seneca, St. Ann’s Altar Society and she volunteered at the Mission Center. She was also a member of the QAF Club. She enjoyed playing cards, embroidering, planting a vegetable garden and tending to her flowers.
Besides her parents and husband she was preceded in death by siblings, Wilfred Gergen, Alfred Gergen, Leona Schwabauer, Marie Garritson and Bertha Weyand.
Marcella is survived by her children, Stan Block, Mary Jane Hunninghake and Ray Block all of Seneca; a sister, Maxine Lowery of Hastings, Nebraska; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A rosary will be prayed at 6 PM on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11AM Thursday, at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. Burial will be at Sts. Peter & Paul CatholicCemeteryin Seneca.
Memorials may be given for the Sts. Peter & Paul School.
Lawrence Boeckman
Lawrence J. Boeckman, 90, of Seneca, passed away Thursday, January 2, 2014 at Nemaha Valley Community Hospital in Seneca.
He was born January 14, 1923, on a farm southeast of Kelly, the son of Henry and Josephine Sextro Boeckman. He graduated from St. Bede’s Grade School and from Kelly High School in 1941, the then helped on the family farm.
On September 5, 1953, he married
Dolores M. Haug at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in St. Benedict. They lived and farmed on the Boeckman homestead southeast of Kelly. Besides farming, he also operated a dairy and was a stockman. He retired from farming in November 1992 and moved to Seneca.
Lawrence was a member of St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca and a former member of St. Bede’s Catholic Church in Kelly. He was a member of Knights of Columbus #1769 for over 50 years; and recently a member of Knights of Columbus Kelly Counsel #14639. He enjoyed family gatherings and playing cards. He especially enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s sporting events.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dolores of the home; sons, Bill (Joyce) Boeckman of Goff and Brian (Collete) Boeckman of Netawaka; daughter, Barbara (John) Fencl of Tecumseh; sisters, Mary Ann (Ambrose) Schmitz of Baileyville and Arlene (Richard) Schmitz of Seneca; seven grandchildren, Kayla Jones, Renae Strader, Amber Boeckman, Ryan Boeckman, Maegan Boeckman, Ross Boeckman and Brad Boeckman; one great-grandchild, Liam Strader; six step-grandchildren; and one step-great grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Clarence, Raymond and Alvin Boeckman; and sisters, Clara Segenhagen, Rosalia Deters, Dorothy Henry, Augusta Hutfles and Frances Wichman.
Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 AM on Saturday, January 4th at Sts. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church in Seneca. Burial will be in St. Bede’s CatholicCemeteryin Kelly. Rosaries will be prayed at 2 & 7 PM Friday at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca.
Memorials may be left in Lawrence's memory to St. Bede’s CatholicCemeteryand C.O.I.N.S. for a Cause.
