Obituaries

Elsie W. Foran, 94, formerly of Ellsworth, passed away Wednesday, July 26, 2017 in Hutchinson. She was born Feb. 19, 1923 in Ellsworth to William and Bessie (Homolka) Bartunek.

Elsie married Owen Matthew Foran on Aug. 1, 1945 in Plainville, Kan. He preceded her in death in 2009. She and Owen were longtime residents of Beaver, Okla. where Elsie was the office manager at Beaver County Memorial Hospital. In 1985, they moved to Ellsworth where she remained until 2014 when she moved to Hutchinson. She was a member of the St. Bernard’s Catholic Church of Ellsworth and the Catholic Church Women.

Elsie is survived by her daughters, Nancy Foran of Hutchinson and Sharon Woodson (Bob) of Beaver, Okla.; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Owen; sons, Larry and Richard; sisters, Sylvia Kratky and Elizabeth Walter; and brother, William Bartunek.

     Gerald H. Siemsen, M.D., 85, of Ridgeland, Miss., passed peacefully on Friday, July 21, 2017 at Hospice Ministries.
     Gerald was born Oct. 31, 1931 on a farm near Holyrood, Kan., the son of Nellie Margaret (Finke) and Albert Walter Siemsen. He married Martha Lou (Knight) on June 15, 1991 in Steele, Mo.
     Gerald was a medical consultant for the Social Security Administration, a diplomat of the American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Medical Association.
     He is survived by his wife, Martha; daughters, Debra Kay Tillinghast, Clifton, Kan., Kimberly Maloney, Cedar Park, Kan., and Dana Smith, Houston, Texas; two stepdaughters, Lee Ann Cummings, Brandon, Miss., and Amy Michelle Krumalis, Southaven, Miss.; brothers, Donald Siemsen, Holyrood, Delbert Siemsen, Durham, Calif., and Harold Siemsen, Holyrood; and sister, Marilyn Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Loren L. Dees, 86, passed Saturday, July 22, 2017 at his home in Ellsworth. He was born July 1, 1931, in Ellsworth to Kenneth and Neita (Mehl) Dees.       

Loren was a lifetime resident of Ellsworth where he was a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church. He was a rural mail carrier for the USPS for many years. He served his country in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and was a member of the American Legion Post 174 in Ellsworth. He married Kathryn Barta in Ellsworth on Jan. 20, 1952. She survives him.

Along with his father Kenneth, Loren built the Garden Motel in Ellsworth then the family went on to manage the motel for 14 years.

Loren was known for being able to build, repair, or refurbish just about anything. He loved to wood carve and his carvings can be found in homes of many family members. He also had a passion for aircraft and flying. He rebuilt two airplanes and was a member of the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Betty Nienke, 85, passed away July 21, 2017. She was born May 10, 1931 in Ellsworth County to Sidney and Vera (Hartzel) Hoffman. She married Donald F. Nienke in Lincoln County on Jan. 25, 1953 and was a homemaker and farmwife.

Betty is survived by her husband, Donald F. Nienke, of Salina; daughter, Ellen Kempke (Don) of Kanopolis; daughter, Patricia Ramsey (Craig) of Moline, Ill.; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Tim Nienke; and sister, Myrtle Schultz.

Visitation is from 1-8 p.m., Monday, July 24 at Parsons Funeral Home, Ellsworth with family present from 7-8 p.m.  

The funeral service is at 2 p.m., Tuesday, July 25 at the funeral home with burial following in the Ellsworth Memorial Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, in care of the funeral home, PO Box 45, Ellsworth, Kan. 67439.

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Margaret Helen Conrad, 86, passed away July 21, 2017. She was born April 8, 1931 in Ellsworth to Charles James and Anna Katherine (Cerney) Soukup.       

Margaret attended Marymount College in Salina where she received her RN degree and worked at many different hospitals throughout her life. She was a longtime resident of Ellsworth and married Kenneth Conrad on July 24, 1956. She was also a member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Ellsworth.

Margaret is survived by her close friends, Greg and Cynthia Bender of Ellsworth. She was preceded in death by her parents; and husband.

Visitation is from 1-6:30 p.m., Monday, July 24 at Parsons Funeral Home, Ellsworth, with family present at 6 p.m. A vigil and rosary service will begin at 6:30 p.m.

The funeral mass is at 10 a.m., Tuesday, July 25 at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, Ellsworth, with burial following in the Ellsworth Memorial Cemetery.

     Dean Roy Curtis, “White Bear,” was called home by his Lord Monday, July 10, 2017. He leaves behind his loving wife, Donna (Nily) Curtis, four children and nine grandchildren.
     A service to celebrate his life will be conducted in the future in Omaha, Neb.
     Memorials may be made to Hospice at kindredhospice.com or the Lang Memorial Library, Wilson.

Gary R. Rupert, 65, of Salina, passed away Friday, July 14, 2017. He was born Feb. 12, 1952 in Lindsborg, the son of Marion L. Sr. and Henrietta (Woodard) Rupert. He married Radene Zoe Timmons on Nov. 5, 1970.

Gary worked at Crestwood, was a Reserve Police Officer with the Salina Police Department. He also worked North American Phillips, Midwest Security, Walmart and retired as a Sergeant from Ellsworth Correctional Facility.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Sharon Koehn and her husband Richard.

Survivors include his wife, Radene; a son, Brent Rupert and wife Ashley; a daughter, Christina Rupert; two brothers, Marion L. Jr. and Kim; a sister, Karen McKinney; and five grandchildren, Ava and Noah Rupert and Justine, Teagan and McKinley Keil.

Lucy J. Vopat, 78, passed Thursday, July 13, 2017 in Salina.

She was born April 27, 1939 in Ellsworth County to Winslow and Ruby (Zelenka) Janda.

Lucy married Charles D. Vopat, Sr. in Wilson on Sept. 17, 1957. He preceded her in death in 2016. She was a member of the St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church of Wilson where she participated in the Altar Society. She held many jobs in her life, including milking cows at the dairy, positions at Elkan and Cashco in Ellsworth as well as the nursing home in Wilson, and time spent operating her knick-knack shops.

Lucy is survived by her daughter, Veronica Kyler (Tim) of Ellsworth; son, Charles Vopat, Jr. (Ellaine) of Ellsworth; son, Mark Vopat (Rachel Muro) of Kanopolis; daughter, Joan Johnson (Brad Kralik) of Ellsworth; daughter, Mary Ann Heard of Ellsworth; daughter, Amanda Vopat (Travis Oakes) of Loveland, Colo.; brother, Winslow Janda, Jr. (Lucille) of Wilson; 14 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

Heather M. Larsen, 36, Kanopolis, was welcomed into Heaven on July 12, 2017 to be with her mother, Vicki, and her aunt Carla.

She was born Oct. 3, 1980 to Tom and Vicki Hay. She married Chris Larsen in Kanopolis on July 11, 2012. She will be reunited someday with her husband, Chris; dad, Tom; grandpa, Gene; two boys, Logan and Jake; sisters,

Janet and Ginger; brothers, Tom and Jason; cousins; nephews; and nieces of whom she loved very much.  

Ann Marie Soukup, 88, passed away July 12, 2017. She was born March 15, 1929, in Codell, Kan. to Walter J. and Marcella (Keegan) Schulz. She married Edward Soukup, Jr. in Ellsworth on Nov. 28, 1945.

A longtime resident of Kanopolis, Ann worked as a dietician at the Good Samaritan Society in Ellsworth for 18 years and as a curator for the Fort Harker Museum in Kanopolis for 15 years. She attended the Kanopolis United Methodist Church and was a member of the United Methodist Women and the Ellsworth County Historical Society.

Ann is survived by her son, Ronny Soukup (Susan) of Arvada, Colo.; son, Randy Soukup (Shelby) of Kanopolis; daughter, Crystal Munoz (Nick) of Kanopolis; nephew, Dr. Thomas K. Schulz; and niece, Cindy Schulz Long.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brothers, Joseph and Tommy; and sisters, Mary and Pauline.

Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Friday, July 14 at Parsons Funeral Home.