Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
John W. Sack
John W. Sack, 89, Seneca, died early Monday morning, February 14, 2005, at Life Care Center in Seneca.
He was born October 7, 1915, on the family farm northeast of Seneca, son of Bernard and Anna Waller Sack, the oldest of nine children. He attended Rock School through eighth grade and helped his Dad on the family farm, worked for neighbors, and harvested in Minnesota and Iowa.
On October 20, 1941, he married
Edna Stallbaumer. They lived and farmed north of Seneca for 20 years before moving to Corning in 1962 where they continued farming. In 1977 they retired and moved to Seneca. His wife, Edna, preceded him in death on December 11, 1999.
He was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Church, the St. Joseph’s Society, and a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus #1769 at Seneca. He was a former member of the Nemaha County Co-op Board, Nemaha Township Board, St. Patrick’s Church, and the Church Council in Corning.
John and Edna spent many enjoyable hours making quilts for family and friends. Each year they proudly anticipated which quilt to donate to the Sts. Peter & Paul Church Labor Day picnic. John also enjoyed gardening, playing cards, and spending time with his family, especially with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Survivors are six sons, John of Berryton, Gary and Leroy, both of Topeka, Daniel of Corning, and Timothy and Michael, both of Seneca; five daughters, Mary Ann Troxel of Shawnee, Judy Steinlicht of Topeka, Barbara Wells of Valley Falls, Laura Noland of Seneca, and Carol Nantz of Keller, TX; a brother, Elmer Sack of Seneca; four sisters, Winifred Heinen of Seneca, Helen Hartman and Margaret Walruff, both of Kansas City, MO and Elaine Feldkamp of Baileyville; and 23 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by a grandson, Nicholas John Sack, December 23, 1980; a brother, Wilfred Sack; and two sisters, Irene Devine, and Mary Sack who died at age two.
Mass of Christian burial will be 10:30 A.M. Wednesday at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. The burial will be in the church cemetery. A prayer service will be conducted at 2 PM and the rosary will be prayed by the Knights of Columbus at 7 P.M. Tuesday at the Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca, where he will lie in state after 8:30 A.M. Tuesday.
Memorials may be given for Sts. Peter & Paul School and sent in care of the family.
Florence L. Sauer
Florence L. Sauer, 84, of Seneca, Kansas, died Tuesday, April 3, 2001, at the Maple Heights care home in Hiawatha, Kansas. She was transferred there from the Hiawatha Hospital on March 6, 2001. She had Alzheimer's Disease and had been cared for by her family at home for a number of years.
She was born February 7, 1917, on a farm south of Baileyville, Kansas, the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Ann Haug Dalsing. When she was a young child, the family moved to a farm south of Kelly, Kansas, where she attended Old Lincoln School. After her father died in 1932, she moved to Seneca, KS with her mother and brother, Kenneth. Florence worked at Luebbe's Restaurant, Harsh Drug Store, and Springer's Variety Store.
On February 6, 1947, she married
Francis Sauer at Sts Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. He survives of the home. They lived and farmed northeast of Seneca on the Adolph Sauer homestead, their present home. They had been married
54 years in February.
She was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Church and St. Ann's Altar Society at the church. Florence was a homemaker who enjoyed sewing and gardening. Her special joys in life were her children and grandchildren.
Survivors besides her husband are a son, Keith Sauer of Seneca; three daughters, Karen Spielman of Topeka, Shirley Buessing of Troy, Kansas, and Beverly Hayden of Osawatomie, Kansas; a sister, Christine Hogan of Omaha, Nebraska; a brother, Kenneth Dalsing of Seneca; six grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Ernestine Wilhelm on July 7, 1989. The mass of Christian burial will be 10:30 A.M. Friday at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. The burial will be in the church cemetery. There will be a prayer service at 2 P.M. Thursday and a rosary service at 7 P.M. Thursday at the Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca.
Memorials may be given for the Alzheimer's Association or for Sts. Peter & Paul School and sent in care of the family.
Dorothy M. Sausser
Dorothy M. Sausser, 85, Seneca, KS, formerly of Colorado Springs, CO, died Thursday, May 12, 2005, at the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital in Seneca.
She was born October 26, 1919, the daughter of Joseph and Minnie Rosengarten Brinker on a farm south of Seneca. While she was in high school, she was employed at Harsh Drug Store. After graduating from Sts. Peter & Paul High School in 1938, she worked at the Courier Tribune.
In 1947 she moved to Colorado Springs and was married
to Bill Sausser on February 3, 1947. They lived on the Pine Valley Ranch where the U.S. Air Force Academy is now located. They were divorced in 1970.
In January 1957 she started work as an office clerk at the Colorado Springs Public Library. Later this library became the Pike's Peak Regional Library, where Dorothy officially retired as Financial Development Officer in 1983. She continued as a financial consultant at the library after her retirement. Dorothy also worked at the Juniper Valley Ranch Restaurant as a cook and at the Little Britches Rodeo for young children for many years. In May of 2004, she returned to Seneca.
In Colorado Springs she was a member of the Divine Redeemer Catholic Church. In Seneca she was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Church and the Altar Society at the church. She liked making baby quilts and other quilts for the family as well as other sewing and embroidery.
Survivors are nieces and nephews.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Elmer Brinker, February 23, 2001 and Gerald Brinker, November 16, 1994.
A memorial mass will be offered at 10:30 am on Tuesday, May 17, 2005, at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. Inurnment will be in the church cemetery. A prayer service will be conducted at 7 P.M. Monday at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca.
Memorials may be given for Sts. Peter & Paul School or for the Pike's Peak Library in Colorado Springs, and sent in care of the family.
George A. Sausser
George A. Sausser, 90, Osage City, KS, died Thursday, February 10, 2005, at the Peterson Care Home where he had been a resident since 1966.
He was born March 2, 1914, at Omaha, NE, the oldest of a family of six, and the son of George A. and Margaret McNally Sausser. The family moved to a farm near Corning, KS for a year and then to Seneca, KS. George attended Seneca Public School and made his home with his parents.
In 1958 he went to a Topeka hospital and later moved to Peterson Care Home where he lived until the present time. He was well-liked and was able to do some domestic work besides helping with his fellow residents. George had a good disposition and was always glad to see his family. He liked going to the local bank for coffee and visiting and helping with recycling in the city by collecting the aluminum cans people saved for him. His health remained good until the last two years.
Survivors are a brother, William “Bill” Sausser, Pawnee, NE and four sisters, Mamie Beyreis, Prairie Village, Marguerite Blaylock, Sabetha, Helen Foltz, Raytown, and Bessie Droge, Seneca.
A memorial service will be conducted by Pastor Richard Meyersick at the Peterson Care Home on Friday, February 18, at 11 A.M. The organist will be Alice Roberson. Graveside inurnment services will be conducted by Pastor Debra Traxler at 3 P.M. Friday afternoon at the Seneca City Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be given for the Peterson Care Home and sent in care of the family.
Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca, KS, was in charge of arrangements.
John W. "Bill" Sausser
John William “Bill” Sausser, 92, of Sabetha, Kansas, formerly of Seneca, died Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at the Sabetha Community Hospital in Sabetha.
Bill began his eventful life in Seneca on February 9, 1920, born to George A. and Margaret "Maggie" McNally Sausser.
Bill graduated from Seneca High School, class of 1938, where he was a star football player. His senior year he led his team to a great season and was chosen the most valuable player. The autographed football he was awarded remained a prized possession all his life.
Following high school, Bill worked for Red Kelly at his gas station and at Winterscheidt Milling. He also helped his father in his business of moving and remodeling houses.
He entered the U.S. Army in 1942, and on the day he left for the service, the whole family gathered to see him off and took a family photo. He attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was commissioned June 3, 1943. Bill served until 1946 in the 613th Field Artillery Battalion, MARS Task Force. This was a very special unit in which mules carried heavy artillery along the Burma Road, helping to keep supply lines open from India to China, and preventing southeast Asia from falling to the enemy.
Captain Sausser was commander and leader of his unit, and was awarded a bronze star for his service. His commanding officer, Lt. Col. James Donovan, stated in his award recommendation: “Captain Sausser's performance was characterized by outstanding energy, efficiency, skill, leadership and devotion to duty. I have never seen an organization as devoted to their commanding officer as his battery has always been to him.”
The story of the mule trek supply route was retold in The New Yorker magazine, November 27, 1954 issue, and Bill is mentioned prominently in the article. To his last day, Bill kept in contact with the remaining members of his unit as best he could.
He was discharged from active duty and remained in the Army Reserves until 1953.
After the war, Bill moved to Colorado Springs and worked on the Lazy B Ranch and then spent a number of years as manager of the Pine Valley Ranch near Colorado Springs. This ranch land was destined to be included in the site of the U.S. Air Force Academy. During this time and after, he was justly proud of the registered quarter horses that he owned, trained and rode at many shows. He amassed a large collection of trophies, ribbons and awards, and was featured on the cover of a booklet called “Your Horse and You, ” published by the Humane Society, Pikes Peak Region, in 1958.
Three of his horses were especially dear to him, namely Old Blue, a blue roan and according to Bill, “the best horse I ever had, ” Pony McCue, who won the first “Champion of Champions” award at the Colorado State Fair along with many other awards, and Patty's Queen, an outstanding mare, who produced a number of champion offspring. Bill's knowledge of horses and mules was peerless, as was his love and appreciation for them.
Bill was the last surviving charter member of the Pikes Peak Range Riders that began in 1949. Bill made 18 rides with them, his last in 1974. The ride was organized to publicize the Pikes Peak Rodeo, and was a challenge for many riders, but also a great social event and opportunity for some “horse trading, ” according to Bill. The Range Riders still sponsor a ride every year and fund a charitable foundation.
Bill took up real estate sales in Colorado and Nebraska, and later returned to Seneca to help care for his mother, who lived to the age of 102.
In 1986, he married
Gwendolyn (Warrick) Glenn of Pawnee City, Nebraska. Gwen was a high school classmate and the two met again many years later at a class reunion. As they say, the rest is history. They were married
for 22 years, and when Gwen's health failed, Bill was a loving and devoted caregiver. Gwen passed away in 2010 and Bill continued to live in Pawnee City until recently moving to the Apostolic Christian Home in Sabetha, Kansas, where he resided briefly until his final illness.
Bill always enjoyed being up to date on recent sports events on TV, and was an excellent correspondent who kept in touch with all of his relatives and friends with cards and letters. He never failed to ask about the lives and families of others.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, George Jr.; a sister Marguerite Blaylock and an infant sister, Florence; and brothers-in-law, Herman Beyreis, Arden Droge, Robert Foltz and Burr Blaylock.
He is survived by three sisters, Mamie Beyreis and Bessie Droge of Sabetha, Kansas, and Helen Foltz of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; three nephews, Michael (Molly) Droge of Parkville, Missouri, Richard (Susan) Droge of Lakewood, Colorado, and Craig (Linda) Foltz of Lee’s Summit; a niece, Elizabeth (Mike) Wells of Carrollton, Texas; a number of grandnieces and grandnephews; and special family friend, Laurie Cavin. He is also survived by two step-daughters, Karen (Tom) Hamer of Tecumseh, Nebraska, and Kathy Glenn of Lincoln, Nebraska.
A funeral service will be held at 2:30 PM Saturday, February 2, at the Friedens United Church of Christ near Bern, Kansas, with Pastor Ken Tubessing officiating.
A graveside service and inurnment with military honors will be conducted at a later date. Memorials may be designated for the Pikes Peak Range Riders Foundation or the Friedens United Church of Christ.
Cletus J. Schmelzle
Cletus J. "Clete" Schmelzle, 82, of Rt. 3, Seneca, Kansas, died Wednesday, May 30, 2001, at the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital in Seneca. He had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on May 24 and was hospitalized in Topeka before returning to the hospital in Seneca.
He was born May 31, 1918, on a farm in Union Township, Pottawatomie County, southeast of Westmoreland, Kansas, the son of Joseph E. and Agnes Mary Baumchen Schmelzle. He attended Broderick Grade School near Westmoreland and graduated from the Flush High School at Flush, Kansas. The Schmelzle family moved to Kelly, Kansas, in 1935. Clete and his brothers, Clem and Gilbert purchased the Williams cattle farm southeast of Seneca in 1940. In 1946 Clete and Clem bought out Gilbert and expanded their operation. Their dairy was among the top ten producers of cream for the Sabetha Co-op Creamery. They sold out the dairy in 1950 and went in the cattle business until July of 1985.
In 1969 they started LCC Eggs, a large modern egg producing business which was continued by the family after Cletus retired on December 31, 1996. He continued his active interest in farming by helping his sons
On October 13, 1958, he married
Lorestine Steinmetz at St. Joseph's Church at Flush, Kansas. She survives of their home, the farm southeast of Seneca.
He was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Church and the St. Joseph Society at the church; the Knights of Columbus #1769 for over 50 years, also in Seneca; and the State Line Egg Producers, who meet in Beatrice, Nebraska.
Survivors besides his wife, Lorestine are three sons, Michael Schmelzle, Douglas Schmelzle, and Martin Schmelzle, all of Seneca; a daughter, Amy Miles of Claremore, Oklahoma; two brothers, Eugene Schmelzle and Gilbert Schmelzle, both of Seneca; three sisters, Loretta Umscheid of Manhattan, Kansas, Bernadette Burns of Wichita, Kansas, and Mary Cooper of Tampa, Florida; and 8 grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Clement and Herman Schmelzle and three sisters, Sr. M. Ositha Schmelzle, O.S.B., Sr. M. Christine Schmelzle, O.S.B. and Sr. Suzanne Schmelzle, O.S.B.
The mass of Christian burial will be 10:30 A.M. Saturday at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. The burial will be in the church cemetery. The Knights of Columbus will pray the rosary at 7 P.M. Thursday and there will be a vigil prayer service at 7 P.M. Friday at the Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca, where he will lie in state after 4 P.M. on Thursday.
Memorials may be given for the Cletus Schmelzle Fund to be designated later for local community organizations.
