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Flora Bethel (Davey) Joss
HOLCOMB - Flora Bethel (Davey) Joss, 88, died Friday, Jan. 31, 2003, at Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City.
She was born April 16, 1914, near Holcomb, the daughter of James Frederick and Flora Ellen Luckenbill Davey. She graduated from high school at Parker and also graduated from Emporia Business College.
On Sept. 5, 1934, she married Lyle W. Joss at Topeka. They were wheat farmers north of Holcomb for many years. Mrs. Joss enjoyed raising her children and doing various activities such as music lessons and 4-H. She also enjoyed sewing, reading, music, writing, gardening and raising flowers. In her later years, she lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Yukon, Okla.
Her husband died Dec. 30, 1983. She also was preceded in death by her parents; five brothers, Lloyd, Don, Roy, Glenn and Avis Davey; and two sisters, Loree (Davey) Lee and Christine (Davey) Coop.
She is survived by a son, Vern C. Joss, Loveland, Colo.; three daughters, Myrna Gay Ramsey of Yukon, Ava Jean Obermueller of Corpus Christi, and Deedra Darlene Miller of Aiea, Hawaii; four grandchildren; and a sister-in-law.
Funeral will be 2 p.m. Monday at Garnand Funeral Home, Garden City. Burial will be in Valley View Cemetery, Garden City.
Visitation hours are 9 a.m. until service time Monday at the funeral home. Memorials to the Flora Bethel Joss Memorial Fund may be sent in care of the funeral home, 412 N. Seventh St.
Deborah A. Varenhorst
Rosary for Deborah A. Varenhorst, 47, of Wichita, will be 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Downing & Lahey Mortuary East Chapel, Wichita. Funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Wichita. Burial will be in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Mrs. Varenhorst died Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003, after battling breast cancer for one year.
She was born Aug. 26, 1955, at Storm Lake, the daughter of John and Joy Pitstick. After graduating from high school, she attended the University of Iowa, where she received an undergraduate degree in 1977 and her law degree in 1981.
On May 21, 1977, she married Michael Varenhorst. They moved from Iowa City upon completion of their respective law and medicine degrees. They then spent three years in Kansas City, Mo., and two years in Philadelphia. Mrs. Varenhorst was in-house counsel for Mutual Benefit Life and Cigna. In 1986, she and her husband moved to Wichita where he joined Vitreo Retinal Consultants & Surgeons. He now has practices in Salina and Garden City.
While at home with her children, Mrs. Varenhorst continued to enjoy music, traveling, playing piano and family genealogical research, and had a strong interest in education (with an emphasis on learning patterns). Fluent in German, she spent last summer in Germany with her family. She was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by five sons, Christopher John, Eric Michael, Benjamin Peter, Thomas Landon and Alex Patrick Varenhorst, all of the home; her mother, Storm Lake; a brother, John Pitstick of Minneapolis; and two sisters, Mary Dahm of Novato, Calif., and Amy Tipton of Brownsville, Texas. Her father preceded her in death.
Visitation with the family will be 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the mortuary. Memorials are suggested to St. Thomas Aquinas School, 1321 Stratford Lane, Wichita, KS 67206.
Avenell Blake
Avenell Blake, 91, died Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003, at Garden Valley Retirement Village in Garden City.
She was born April 25, 1911, in Wheeler County, Texas, the daughter of Thomas Oscar and Georgia Adora Thomas Swanner. She attended schools in Copeland and Sublette.
A Garden City resident for 25 years, she worked for Fankhauser Drug Store and McClung Drug Store. She then moved to LaVeta, Colo., where she owned and operated the LaVeta Lodge for several years. After her retirement, she moved to Canon City, Colo., before returning to Garden City in 1999.
Mrs. Blake was a member of Community Congregational Church of Garden City, director of District 16 of Kansas Congress of Parents, served on the State Board of Parents-Teachers for 15 years, was president of the Parent-Teachers Association, and served on the Advisory Committee for Distributive Education. She belonged to the State Chamber of Commerce, was president of the local women's division of the chamber of commerce, was a life member and Noble Grand of Rebekah Lodge, served as president of the Finney County Safety Council, was director of the Garden City YMCA, was president of the American Legion Auxiliary, and belonged to Bells of St. Catherine, Business Club and Professional Club. She enjoyed being around children, her church activities, and playing golf and bridge.
On Aug. 5, 1928, she married Crawford Eugene Blake at Dodge City. He died Oct. 10, 1996.
She also was preceded in death by her parents; two sons, Donald and Gene Blake; a daughter, Jerolyn Stiny; and 11 brothers and sisters.
Survivors include a daughter, Carolyn Kinney, Garden City; a brother, T.O. Swanner, St. Paul, Minn.; three sisters, Kula Fosmight of Long Beach, Calif., June Grothis of Denver, and Opal Shoptau of Jackson, Miss.; 15 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
There will be no local services. The family suggests memorials to the donor's' choice, in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 412 N. Seventh St.
Donald 'Casey' Huelskamp
Funeral for Donald "Casey" Huelskamp, 69, a former Garden City resident, was to be today at Ridgemoor Chapels in Chicago.
Mr. Huelskamp died Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of North Shore in Skokie, Ill.
He was born Nov. 1, 1933, at Garden City, the son of Vincent and Olive Huelskamp. He grew up in Garden City and attended schools here.
While living in Garden City, Mr. Huelskamp worked in residential and light commercial construction and went on to establish his own construction firm of Huelskamp & Burghart Builders. He was a member of St. Dominic Catholic Church and Knights of Columbus. In his later years, he moved to Chicago, where his daughter lives.
On June 11, 1955, he married Merriam Wilson at Emporia.
Survivors include his ex-wife, of Chicago; three sons, Clinton Huelskamp of Glendora, Calif., Casey Huelskamp of Miami, Ariz., and Bryan Huelskamp of Chicago; three daughters, Luann Babcock of Chicago, Monica Pharr of DeSoto, and Christie Britt of Bucyrus; two brothers, C. Vincent Huelskamp of Longmont, Colo., and Sy Huelskamp of Pierceville; and nine grandchildren.
Memorials are suggested to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research or the Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of North Shore, both in care of Luann Babcock, 2050 W. Farwell, Chicago, IL 60645.
Pansy Lorene Skipper
Funeral for Pansy Lorene Skipper, 71, of Booker, Texas, was 3 p.m. Sunday at the United Methodist Church, Booker, with the Rev. Larry Holder officiating. Burial followed in Heart Cemetery.
Mrs. Skipper died Friday, March 28, 2003, at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo.
She was born Oct. 17, 1931, at Lucerne, Mo., the daughter of Cecil and Elsie Carter Collins. She grew up in Lucerne and graduated from high school there.
On Nov. 2, 1947, she married Gerald Leroy Skipper at Kirksville, Mo. They were engaged in farming and ranching near St. John, Mo., until moving to Garden City in 1959. She was employed by Jennie Barker Country School until 1974 and then worked as a dietary supervisor at Garden Valley Retirement Village. In 1994, she and her husband moved to Booker where she worked as a dietary supervisor for Twin Oaks Manor and the Beaver Nursing Home.
Mrs. Skipper was an active member of the United Methodist Church of Booker, served as president of the Friendship Quilting Guild in Perryton, Texas, was a member of Timeless Treasures Quilt Guild of Guymon, Okla., and belonged to Needles and Friends Quilt Guild of Liberal. She served on the Site Base Committee of the Booker Independent School System, was a member of the Crises Center in Perryton, and served on the Booker Beautification Committee.
Her husband died in 1997. She also was preceded in death by a son, Gary; and her parents.
Survivors include three sons, Ron Skipper of Elmwood, Okla., Larry Skipper of Garden City, and Duwane Skipper of Booker; a daughter-in-law; two sisters, Crystal Cooley of both Lucerne and Brownsville, Texas, and Emma Jean Klingensmith of Longview, Wash.; 13 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorials are suggested to the United Methodist Church of Booker, in care of Johnson's Good Samaritan Funeral Service, Booker.
Helen M. Bell
LAKIN - Helen M. Bell, 87, of Lakin, died Saturday, March 29, 2003, at Kearny County Hospital in Lakin.
She was born March 1, 1916, on a farm near Pretty Prairie, the daughter of John and Carrie Flickner Graber.
Mrs. Bell was a member of the Wesleyan Church and the Women's Missionary Society of Lakin. She enjoyed spending time with her family.
On April 30, 1934, she married George Bell at Scott City. He died Jan. 27, 1987. She also was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Selma Ross; one grandchild, William Hayden Parks Jr.; and one great-grandchild Jayme Nelson.
Survivors include a son, James R. Bell of Lakin; four daughters, Dorothy Shankle, Jane Vanover and Elizabeth Parks, all of Lakin, and Bonnie Bell of Houston; two brothers, John and Marvin Graber, both of Kendall; two sisters, Florence Boese of Syracuse, and Alice Jury of Pratt; 12 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Wesleyan Church, Lakin, with the Revs. Steve Sparks and Marvin Moberly officiating. Burial will be in Lakin Cemetery.
Visitation hours are at the church from 3 to 8 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Memorials are suggested to the church, in care of Grant County Funeral Home, 218 S. Main, Ulysses, KS 67880.
John W. Murphy Jr.
John W. Murphy Jr., 62, died Wednesday, March 26, 2003, in Harper.
He was born Sept. 29, 1940, in Grant County, the son of John W. Sr. and Ella F. Meyer Murphy.
On Sept. 29, 1973, he married Sharon Tomlin at Ulysses.
A farmer and construction worker, Mr. Murphy had served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
Memorial graveside service will be 3:30 p.m. Monday at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Garden City.
Elliott Funeral Home, Harper, is in charge of arrangements.
