Albert Leon Niedens, 74, died June 18, 2007, at Hutchinson Hospital in Hutchinson. The son of John Henry and Bertha (Bitter) Niedens, he was born Feb. 17, 1933, in Hodgeman County. He moved with his family to northern Barton County in 1940 and to Hoisington in 1945. He graduated in 1951 from Hoisington High School, where he earned multiple varsity letters in basketball and track and field. Al served in the U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1963 and trained Naval reservists in Muncie, Indiana, in the early 1960s. He married Clara Dietz on Feb. 14, 1960, in Milberger. After concluding his military service, he and his family moved to Great Bend, where he worked as a shipping clerk for Scheuffler's, Thies Packing and APS and also as an oil field mechanic for FH&B. He retired in 1999. A longtime member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Al enjoyed sports and was an avid fast-pitch softball player in the service and with local amateur teams in the 1950s and '60s. Survivors include his wife of the home; three children, Douglas Niedens and his wife, Michelle, of Overland Park, Colleen Burton and her husband, Kelly, of Great Bend, and Lyle Niedens and his wife, Caryl, of Westwood; three sisters, Leona Karst of Great Bend, Viola Dumler of Russell and Lola Wilks of Derby; and six grandchildren, Molly and Sawyer Niedens, Tanner and Nina Burton, and Conley and Pierce Niedens. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Otto Niedens and Marvin Niedens. Funeral Services will be held Thursday, June 21, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, Great Bend with the Reverend James A. Strasen presiding. Interment will be at Great Bend Cemetery North, Great Bend. Visitation will be Wednesday, June 20, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a Prayer Service to be held at 7:00 p.m. at Bryant Funeral Home, Great Bend. Memorials are suggested to Trinity Lutheran Church or Heartland Cancer Center in care of the funeral home.