Obituaries
Mabel Alice McDermed
GIRARD — Mabel Alice McDermed, 94, of Girard passed from this earth at 4:30 a.m. Monday, March 19, 2012, at Girard Medical Center. She had been in failing health for several months. She was born May 6, 1917, in Walnut, the last of 11 children born to William and Mary (Turner) Critcher. She grew up in Kansas and Missouri and attended a country school near Walnut. She married Lewis Franklin McDermed on Oct. 12, 1932, in Girard. He preceded her ...
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Mary L. McCoy
PITTSBURG — Mary L. McCoy, 68, of Pittsburg, formerly of Oswego and Parsons, died at 6:58 p.m. Saturday, March 17, 2012, at Via Christi Medical Center in Pittsburg. She was born Nov. 20, 1943, in Oswego to Woodrow W. and Martha Elizabeth (Smith) Bryant. She grew up in the rural Oswego area and graduated from Labette County Community High School in 1962. In 1969, she married Darrell McCoy at Oswego. He preceded her in death. She moved to Pars...
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Frank M. ‘Sonny’ O’Banion
Frank M. “Sonny” O’Banion III, 53, of Parsons died at 3:35 p.m. Sunday, March 18, 2012, in the emergency room at Labette Health. He was born Dec. 17, 1958, in Tulsa to Frank Marion O’Banion Jr. and Maggie Marie (Cape) O’Banion. While growing up, he lived with his family in various states. In his early teen years, his family moved to rural Erie, where he attended junior high school and was a 1977 graduate of Erie High School. Through the years,...
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Donna M. McElroy
ALTAMONT — Donna M. McElroy, 73, of Altamont died at 11:50 p.m. Saturday, March 17, 2012, at Landmark Hospital in Joplin. She was born Nov. 22, 1938, at Parsons to Harvey and Daisy (Blackburn) Shepard. She grew up at Parsons and attended Parsons schools. She married Robert L. “Bob” McElroy on Nov. 5, 1955, at Parsons. He preceded her in death on Feb. 14, 2006. She lived at several bases while her husband served in the U.S. Navy. She returned ...
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Frank M. ‘Sonny’ O’Banion III
Frank M. “Sonny” O’Banion III, 53, of Parsons, died at 3:35 p.m. Sunday, March 18, 2012, in the emergency room at Labette Health. He is survived by his wife, Sally O’Banion, of the home. The service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. After cremation, burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery at a future date. Memorials are suggested to t...
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Mary L. (Bryant) McCoy
PITTSBURG — Mary L. (Bryant) McCoy, 68, of Pittsburg, a former Parsons resident, died at 6:58 p.m. Saturday, March 17, 2012, at Via Christi Medical Center in Pittsburg. The service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Carson-Wall Funeral Home. Burial will be in Memorial Lawn Cemetery. Visitation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to Safe House in Pittsburg, Operation Bright Touch or American Cancer Society.
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John W. Raney
ALTAMONT — John W. Raney, 61, of Altamont died at 4:40 a.m. Friday, March 16, 2012, at Via Christi-St. Francis Campus in Wichita.  He was born at Louisiana, Mo., to Hurley L. and Viola R. (Joseph) Raney on Oct. 29, 1950.  He attended schools in Altamont He worked as a custodian at Labette County High School until retiring because of his health in 1999.  Survivors include a sister, Cherry Patton of Altamont; and a brother, Joe Raney of Minneapo...
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Eva Faye ‘Doad’ Young
ERIE — Eva Faye “Doad” Young, 90, of rural Erie, went home to be with her Lord at 6:10 a.m. Sunday, March 18, 2012, at Prairie Mission Retirement Village in St. Paul. She was born June 15, 1921, in Allen County to Harry Sherman and Ina Belle (Butler) Hunt. She graduated from Humboldt High School in 1938. On Feb. 26, 1939, she married Kenneth Leroy Young of Petrolia. They went to Las Cruces, N.M., where Kenneth worked on the railroad for six...
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Jack D. Carter
GRANBURY, Texas — Jack D. Carter, 80, of Granbury, Texas, died on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at his home. He was born Aug. 6, 1931, in Parsons to Beulah and Delbert Carter. He was raised in Parsons, graduating from high school and marrying his first wife, O’Reta Carter, and began his young family here. He joined the Navy and retired as a senior chief petty officer after 38 years of service, 16 active duty years and 22 years of reserve duty. He ...
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James Lee ‘Jim’ Williams
WICHITA — James Lee “Jim” Williams, 79, of Wichita, a retired Boeing Co. fabrication supervisor, died Friday, March 16, 2012, at Robert Dole Veteran’s Administration Hospice. Survivors include his loving family, his companion, Pat McNemar; a daughter, Tracy Williams of Wichita; a brother, Max (Janie) Williams of Coffeyville; a sister, Betty Mielke of Coffeyville; three granddaughters, Megan Williams, Regan Gillespie and Teresa Wilkinson; and a...
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Paul E. Myers
MOUND VALLEY — Paul E. Myers, 73, of rural Mound Valley went to be with his Lord at 1:07 a.m. Saturday, March 17, 2012, in the emergency room at Labette Health. He had been in his usual health, and death was not expected.  He was born Aug. 27, 1938, in rural Cherryvale to Lovell H. and Dorles (Straub) Myers. As a young boy, he grew up on the family farm and was a 1956 graduate of Labette County Community High School in Altamont. Through the ye...
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James L. ‘Jim’ Cashero
PITTSBURG — James L. “Jim” Cashero, 70, of Pittsburg died at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, March 17, 2012, at his home in Pittsburg. He was born Jan. 4, 1942, in Pittsburg to James and Leona (Regard) Cashero. He was a lifetime resident of the Pittsburg area. He was a graduate of West Mineral High School. Jim served his country in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. He married Mary E. Habjan on Aug. 29, 1970, in Pittsburg. She survives of the home. Jim...
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Donald E. Waldron
DENNIS — Donald E. Waldron, 85, of Dennis died Friday morning, March 15, 2012, at Elmhaven West nursing home in Parsons. Donald Eugene Waldron was born June 16, 1926, at Iola to Lloyd Waldron and Josephine (Derby) Waldron. He graduated from Altoona High School. He joined the U.S. Navy after high school and served during World War II. After his service, he joined Standard Oil in Neodesha and worked as an operator in the refinery until his retir...
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Paul F. Lynch Sr.
Paul F. Lynch Sr., 84, of rural Parsons died at 9:36 a.m. Thursday, March 15, 2012, at Labette Health. He had been in his usual health, and death was not expected. He was born Feb. 10, 1928, in St. Paul to Francis Alonzo and Blanda Katherine (Kime) Lynch. He grew up and attended schools in St. Paul.  For a time, he worked for the M-K-T Railroad. In 1946, he entered the U.S. Navy and served until 1948. Upon his discharge, he worked at Armstrong...
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Ophelia ‘Betty’ Foster
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Ophelia “Betty” Foster, 77, of Huntington Beach, Calif., formerly of Parsons, died Jan. 10, 2012, in California. Survivors include five children, Connie Habiger, Bill Foster, Mary Bullock, Patty Ridings and Mike Foster, all of California; a brother, John Flores of Parsons; and a sister, Juanita Yanez, of Parsons. The graveside committal service will be at noon Tuesday at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Parsons under the dir...
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John W. Raney
ALTAMONT — John W. Raney, 61, of Altamont died at 4:40 a.m. Friday, March 16, 2012, at Via Christi – St. Francis Campus in Wichita.  Bath-Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Altamont will announce complete obituary details and funeral arrangements later. Online condolences may be left at www.forbeshoffman.com.
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Earl G. Kirkpatrick
WALNUT — Earl G. Kirkpatrick, 89, of Walnut died at 8:12 p.m. Thursday, March 15, 2012, at Girard Medical Center, where he was admitted on Saturday. He was born June 5, 1922, in Bentonville, Ark., to John Wesley and Olive Jane (Williams) Kirkpatrick. He moved with his family to Chanute as a teenager. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in an anti-aircraft unit in the European, African and Middle Eastern theaters. He served on D-Day ...
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Rebecca Marie Jones Coleman
Rebecca Marie Jones Coleman made her debut on May 1, 1918, in Claiborne County, Miss., as the eldest of three daughters born to Thomas and Celia (Wilson) Jones. “Tiny Bit,” as she was affectionately called, grew up in Port Gibson, Miss., working on the family farm and, amongst other things, picking cotton. After graduation from high school, she completed two years of college at Alcorn College and one year at Jackson State University. She mar...
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Wilburn A. ‘Tater’ Walker
LAWRENCE — Wilburn A. “Tater” Walker, 89, of Lawrence, a former Parsons resident, died at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at St. Luke’s Hospital at Kansas City, Mo. He was born July 5, 1922, at Hulbert, Okla., to John J. and Lula B. (Hurley) Walker. When he was 5, the family moved to Parsons, where he grew up and attended schools. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the European Theater for 2 1/2 years as a sergeant first c...
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Joseph Elio Cabot
CANEY — Joseph Elio Cabot, 75, of Caney, formerly of Oswego, died Monday, March 5, 2012, at Caney Nursing Center after a long illness. He was born Oct. 29, 1936, in Oswego to Henry and Cora (Gomez) Cabot. He graduated from Oswego High School. He was a carpenter and worked in construction for many years. The graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Mitchell Cemetery, north of Oswego. Memorials are suggested to Derfelt Funeral Home of Oswe...
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