Obituaries

Dale A. Johnson, 63, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017 in Salina. He was born Jan. 4, 1954 in Ellsworth.

Dale married Nancy Soukup in Ellsworth on Aug. 10, 1991. He was a longtime resident of Ellsworth and worked for the buildings and grounds at USD 327. He was a member of Knights of Columbus and St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Ellsworth.

Dale is survived by his wife, Nancy Johnson of Ellsworth; son, Aaron Johnson (Saraya) of Ellsworth; grandchildren, Makenzie Stroede and Landin, Addilynn, and Axton Johnson; father, Clinton Houser of Jacksonville, Fla.; brother, Bob Houser of Jacksonville; brother, Gary Houser of Jacksonville; aunt, Marilyn Hines of Hutchinson; and uncle and aunt Rex Johnson (Louise) of Hutchinson. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mavis (Johnson) Houser.

Visitation is from 1-7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018 at Parsons Funeral Home, Ellsworth followed by a vigil and rosary service at 7 p.m.

Judith Lynn Voeltz, 76, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017 at her home in Wilson. She was born Jan. 21, 1941 in Missouri. A longtime resident of the area, Judith was a CNA working at many places including her most recent work at Wilson Care and Rehabilitation Center. She married Lester Voeltz on May 21, 1959. He preceded her in death.

Judith is survived by her daughters, Kathy Shoemaker (Kevin) of Ellsworth and Linda Lockhart of Salina; son, Lyle Voeltz (Tammy) of Lincoln; daughters, Susan Johnson (Otis) of Ellsworth and Amy Burmeister (Jeff) of Ellsworth; 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; and brother, James Betts of Kansas City. She was preceded in death by her husband and parents, George and Nadine (Howard) Betts.

A private family graveside was held.

Memorial contributions may be made to the ASPCA or Wilson Senior Center, in care of Parsons Funeral Home, PO Box 45, Ellsworth, Kan. 67439.

parsonsfh.com

Clarence W. Erhardt, 80, passed away Dec. 6, 2017. He was born Dec. 27, 1936 in Ellsworth to William Carl and Meta Ida Margret (Haase) Erhardt. He was a farmer and also worked at A1 Welding.

Clarence is survived by his sister, Shirley Deiser of Kanopolis; nephews, Alan Ploutz (Laura) of Ellsworth, Scott Ploutz of Ellsworth, and Darrell Ploutz (LeAnn) of Kanopolis; great nieces, Ashley Fulton (Luke) of Topeka, and Danielle Dittman (Josh) of Ellsworth; great nephews, Andrew Ploutz of Kanopolis, and Wyatt Ploutz of Ellsworth; great-great nephew, Haden Miller; and great-great niece, Skylyn Dittman. He was preceded in death by his parents; and great niece, Donetta Ploutz.

Memorial graveside service is at 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, rural Ellsworth.

Memorial contributions may go to Kindred Hospice, or to the family to help with expenses, in care of Parsons Funeral Home, PO Box 45, Ellsworth, Kan. 67439.

parsonsfh.com

Rusty Lee Witter, 67, passed away Dec. 17, 2017.

He was born May 3, 1950 in Hutchinson, Kan. to Lee and Aline (Ravenscroft) Witter. He was an owner/operator truck driver for 30 years.

Rusty married Roxanne Stroede in Ellsworth on May 8, 1977. She survives him.

He is also survived by his daughter, Dawn Cunningham of Ellsworth; son, Travis Witter of Black Wolf; daughter, Tanya Witter of Ellsworth; 10 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and brother, Dick Witter (Jean) of Sun City, Ariz.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Roylynn and Max; and son, Justin Witter.

The memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 22, at the Kanopolis United Methodist Church with a private family inurnment at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to the family for funeral service expenses, in care of Parsons Funeral Home, P.O. Box 45, Ellsworth, Kan. 67439.

Condolences may be left at parsonsfh.com

Elmer Claire Waymaster passed away Friday, Dec. 15, 2017 at Wilson Care and Rehabilitation Center in Wilson, Kan. at the age of 86.  

He was born May 24, 1931 in Hays, Kan. to Jacob and Caroline (Herber) Waymaster. He grew up in the Wilson area, having attended country school as a boy, and graduating from Wilson High School.

Always a country boy at heart, Elmer loved life on the farm especially working in his garden and tending to the animals. He always enjoyed having the nieces and nephews on the farm, where he could put them to work shocking feed for candy, and spending time with them. Although he rarely went into town, except for necessities, he liked going to the fair, watching the parades, and, of course, taking in all of the celebrations during the Wilson After Harvest Czech Festival. And in a style all his own, Elmer could turn a little can of Vienna Sausages into a delicacy fit for a king.

Doris A. Robl, 90, passed away Friday, Dec. 15, 2017 in Wichita.
She was born second of 12 children on March 19, 1927 in Hays to Dan and Hilda (Weigel) Leiker.
Doris married Leonard Robl in Bushton, Kan. on June 15, 1948. Before moving to Wichita, Doris and Leonard spent the last 10 years in Ellsworth having moved from the Claflin area where Doris was a homemaker and teacher. She was a member of the St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Ellsworth and the Catholic Altar Society. She was also an RCIA instructor.
Doris is survived by her sons, Terry Robl (Shirley) of Ellsworth and Steve Robl (Vera) of Wichita; daughter, Diane Robl (Peggy) of Louisville, Ky.; sons, Jim Robl (Maureen) of Sioux Falls, S.D. and Paul Robl (Ceilly) of Bailey, Colo.; daughters, Denise Guy (JT) of Abilene, Deanna Daniels of Wichita, and Darcie Green (Bryan) of Wichita; 20 grandchildren, nine great- grandchildren, and five brothers and sisters.

Thomas L. “Tom” Purma passed away Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 at the age of 73.
Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home of Wilson is handling the arrangements. A private family memorial service is planned for a later date.

Steven K. Vondra, 62, passed away Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. He was born March 4, 1955 in Ellsworth to Frank W. and Jean (Merrill) Vondra.
Steve was a longtime resident of Ellsworth County where he was a farmer at the family farm in his early years. Later on Steve worked in the oil field and as an over-the-road truck driver. He was a faithful believer in Christianity.

Clarence W. Erhardt, 80, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017 in Ellsworth.

Parsons Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be left at parsonsfh.com

     Steven K. Vondra, 62, passed away Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 in Wichita.
     Parsons Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be left at parsonsfh.com