Obituaries

Dec 26, 2018

Tammy Jo Hayes, 59, passed away December 26, 2018, at her home in Great Bend. She was born August 24, 1959, at Spearman, Texas, to Ambrose and Victoria (Brack) Kramer.

Tammy grew up in Great Bend, moved to Larned where she lived for 17 years and then 4 years ago, she moved back to Great Bend. She...

Dec 22, 2018

Don R. Belt, 68, passed away December 22, 2018, at Hays Medical Center.  He was born June 16, 1950, at El Dorado, to A. D. and Fayrene (Usrey) Belt.  He married Connie Suchy June 26, 1976, at Great Bend.  She survives.

Don, a resident of Great Bend since 1965, coming from Louisiana and El Dorado, was a...

Dec 21, 2018

Delia Jean Leroy, 61, passed away December 21, 2018, at her home in Great Bend. She was born July 23, 1957, at Long Beach, California, to Freddy and Delores (Swearingen) Hines.

Coming from Pawnee Rock in October, Delia was a Great Bend resident. She was a kind hearted person and loved her dogs Mimi and...

Dec 19, 2018

Rodney Leon Gray, 56, passed away December 19, 2018, at his home in Great Bend. He was born December 16, 1962, at Hollis, Oklahoma, to Melvin Eugene and Norma (Allen) Gray.

A lifetime Great Bend resident, Rodney worked in the oilfield. He was an avid antique collector and fisherman.

Survivors include, one daughter, Kayla Davis...

Dec 18, 2018

Kenneth Morris Pryor, 77, passed away December 18, 2018, at Harry Hynes Hospice, Wichita. He was born January 1, 1941 at Great Bend and was the Great Bend Tribune's "New Year Baby of 1941". He was the son of M.F. "Hap" Pryor and Wanda (Morris) Pryor.

Kenneth graduated from Great Bend High School in 1959. During high...

Dec 17, 2018

Sandy Beyer, 64, passed away December 17, 2018 at her home. She was born January 2, 1954 at Hays to Elmer J. and Bertille (Meier) Herrman.

Previously from Great Bend and Wichita, she was an Encinitas, California resident. She was of the Catholic faith and a previous member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church. She was...

Dec 17, 2018

Harold Charles Weikert, 90, passed away Monday, December 17, 2018, at Showalter Villa, Hesston. He was born September 24, 1928, in rural Ellinwood, to Frank and Teresa (Heinz) Weikert. He married Rosaline Stegman on July 29, 1958 and they later divorced. He then married Darylene "Dee" B. Burns on December 15, 1967, at Medicine Lodge. She died December 19,...

Dec 13, 2018

Kathleen "Kay" Mae (Rajewski) Sander, 87, went to meet her Lord, December 13, 2018, passing away at Kansas Medical Center in Andover. She was born January 29, 1931, on the farm at Vincent Kansas, to Leo B. and Anna H. (Huser) Rajewski. She attended Vincent School through the 8 th grade and graduated from Victoria High School in 1949....

Dec 9, 2018

Iona May Leatherman, 79, passed away December 9, 2018, at Clara Barton Hospital, Hoisington. She was born May 2, 1939, at Otis to Fred and Elsie (Schneider) Lebsack. She married Billy J. Leatherman, January 10, 1960, at Otis. He died March 26, 2015.

Coming from Otis in 1952, Iona was a resident of Great Bend. She worked...

Dec 2, 2018

Lillie Madge Westfall, 81, passed away December 2, 2018, at Hays Medical Center, Hays. She was born July 21, 1937 at West Plains, Missouri to Harry Albert and Lillie Annabelle (Woods) Ferguson. She married Billy Laverne Westfall, April 5, 1958, at Kinsley.  He died August 21, 2013.

Living in Great Bend since 1957, coming from Kinsley, Kansas,...

Nov 29, 2018

Ruth E. (Unrein) Slater, 81, passed away November 29, 2018, at her home in Great Bend. She was born January 22, 1937, at the Baker Hospital in LaCrosse. She was the daughter of Jacob and Apollonia (Kreutzer) Unrein. She married Walter L. Slater March 27, 1956 at Raton, New Mexico.

Coming from California in 1976, Ruth was...

Nov 29, 2018

Nicholas J. "Nick" Schmitt, 74, passed away November 29, 2018, at Hays Medical Center, Hays. He was born May 29, 1944 at Hays, to Victor & Irene (Herman) Schmitt. He married Rose Oberle, May 4, 1965 at Holy Name Catholic Church, Bushton.

Coming from Kansas City in 1968, Nicholas was a Great Bend resident. He was an...

Nov 24, 2018

Carolyn J. Dewey, 70, passed away November 24, 2018, at Hays Medical Center, Hays. She was born March 4, 1948 in Great Bend to Harold & Flossie (Burhenn) Dewey.

Having lived in Larned for the past 35 years, Carolyn was a dog breeder and formerly a psychologist at Larned State Hospital. She loved to read and her...

Nov 24, 2018

Steven A. Kaeberle, 69, passed away Nov. 24, 2018, in Great Bend.  He was born Oct. 15, 1949, in El Dorado, Kan., to James Francis and Rosalyn Elizabeth (Snyder) Kaeberle Fishburn.  He married Diana Beth Beckum on June 20, 1992, at Wilson Lake, Kan.  Diana died on April 25, 2015.

Steven, a long time Claflin resident, was...

Nov 21, 2018

DeAnna Kay Robinson, went to be with Jesus our Lord on Wednesday, November 21, 2018, at the Village Care Center in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, after a long battle with dementia, at the age of 79. She was born April 30, 1939, to parents Dan and Lydia Brack on a farm northeast of Otis. Shortly after she was born, her...

Nov 21, 2018

Karen Sue Bishop, 78, passed away November 21, 2018, at Medicalodges of Great Bend. She was born January 11, 1940 at Russell County, Kansas to August & Adelia (Depiesse) Schremmer.  She married Paul R. Bishop on August 24, 1968 at Great Bend.  He died May 9, 2016.

A resident of Great Bend, Karen was a member of...

Nov 15, 2018

Donald E. Powers, 79, passed away at his home on Nov. 15, 2018.  He was born on February 15, 1939, at Cedar Rapid, IA, to Millard Eugene and Mary (Reid) Powers.  Don married Paula Jane Danner August 20, 1960, at Carroll, Iowa.  She died August 17, 2016.

A Great Bend resident from 1973 to 2001, Don moved...

Nov 13, 2018

Vara Lee "Sam" LaFoy, died November 13, 2018, after a brief battle with melanoma cancer. She was born in Fort Rucker, Alabama, August 20, 1943 to Jack and Vara C. LaFoy.

Her first year of formal education was spent in Paris, France, where she not only learned the French language, but also graduated second in her class...

Nov 12, 2018

Velma LaVerne Kraft, 85, passed away November 12, 2018, at Hays Medical Center, Hays. She was born January 9, 1933, at Holyrood to James and Mary (Brejcha) Kraft.

Coming from Hays in 1970, Velma was a Great Bend resident. She was retired, having previously worked for Phillips Oil as a bookkeeper and secretary. She was actively involved...

Nov 6, 2018

Amelia "Mimi" Raffelock, 88, passed away November 6, 2018, surrounded by her loving family, at Great Bend Health and Rehab Center, Great Bend. She was born August 26, 1930 at Kirksville, Missouri, to Dr. David L. & Lura Pearl (Hocker) Young. She married Ralph J. Raffelock, September 30, 1952, at Ottawa. He died July 11, 2008.

Mimi...