Obituaries
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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Joe Allen Helms Jr.
DENNIS — Joe Allen Helms Jr., 44, of Dennis died at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at Elmhaven West nursing home in Parsons following a courageous battle with cancer.  He was born Jan. 31, 1968, in Parsons to Joe Allen Helms Sr. and Connie Kay (Wass) Helms. As a young boy, he grew up in Dennis. Joe attended Mound Valley Grade School and was a 1986 graduate of Labette County High School in Altamont.  From 1986 through 1991, he served in t...
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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 is survived by his wife, Esther Lynch, of the home. Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home will announce complete obituary details and funeral arrangements later. Online condolences may be left at www.forbeshoffman.com.
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Joan Gress
Joan Gress, 89, a longtime resident of Independence, died at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at Labette Health in Parsons, where she had been a resident of Good Samaritan Society nursing center. She was born March 11, 1923, at Chanute to Archie and Hazel (Cottrell) Newland. She grew up there and graduated from Chanute High School in 1941. On Sept. 29, 1943, she married George Gress Jr. in Tonganoxie. They moved to Independence in 1950 an...
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Floyd R. Horton
Floyd R. Horton, 88, of Parsons died at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at Labette Health in Parsons.  He was born Jan. 5, 1924, in St. Paul to Julius A. and Della Mae (Spoonamore) Horton. He grew up and attended schools in St. Paul and was a 1942 graduate of St. Paul High School. While attending high school, he was basketball team captain for four years and was also named Outstanding Athlete of the Year. On July 1, 1944, he married Rita M....
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Joan Gress
Joan Gress, 89, a former longtime Independence resident, died at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at Labette Health in Parsons. She was the mother of Parsons City Manager Fred Gress. Carson-Wall Funeral Home will announce complete obituary details later.
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Rebecca Marie (Jones) Coleman
DAYTON, Ohio — Rebecca Marie (Jones) Coleman, 93, of Dayton, Ohio, formerly a longtime Parsons resident, died at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, March 10, 2012, at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Carson-Wall Funeral Home will announce further obituary details and funeral arrangements later.
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