David Leroy Griffin, 88, of Natoma, passed away at Hays Medical Center on December 20, 2023.
He was married to Barbara (Koehler) for 68 years.
He was born on June 4, 1935, at the Laton Family Farm in Rooks County, Kansas, to Melvin and Berniece (Manley) Griffin. He was one of six children.
Former Hays resident Lois Bell Abbott of Ellis passed away at the Hays Medical Center on December 19, 2023, at the age of 87.
She was born on January 25, 1936, to Walter Dixon and Winnie May (Hooper) Johnson in Hollis, Arkansas. She was married to Clarence Abbott on March 24, 1962. They were blessed with four children: Larry, Randy, Susan (Mick), and Bill.
A private family funeral service in Plainville is pending.
Robert J. “Bob” Berens, of Stockton, passed away on December 21, 2023, at the Solomon Valley Manor in Stockton, at the age of 90.
He was born on February 16, 1933, to Mattie Lee Cottrell, in Mobridge, South Dakota.
Bob came to Stockton with the oil field. He also worked for Sheets Paving, laying pavement on our highways and getting several accommodations. In the 1960s, he opened Bob’s Place and eventually added The Red Kitten. He sold Bob’s Place to Rick Lowry in 1990.
A long time ago, on February 15, 1961, in a town far, far away, Raymond E. “Ray” Shetterly III was born on the outer rims of Pittsburgh in a town called North Charleroi, Pennsylvania to Raymond E. and Gayle (Isaho) Shetterly, Jr. He passed away on December 19, 2023, at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, at the age of 62.
Kathryn “Kathy” (Forssberg) Cordell of El Dorado, Kansas, died December 14, 2023, at home with family following an extended hospital stay. Kathy was a longtime resident of the Kelso community near Council Grove.
James L. “Jim” Karns, of Plainville, passed away on December 18, 2023, at the Solomon Valley Manor in Stockton at the age of 90.
He was born on November 2, 1933, to Alfred Rolla “A.R.” and Hazel (Jones) Karns in Ada, Kansas. Jim married Geraldine Hake on August 30, 1958, in Plainville. They were blessed with five children: Michelle, Maria, Marianne, Martha, and Melissa.
Glenn L. Hays, 66, Larned, passed away on December 9, 2023, at Hays Medical Center.
He was born July 26, 1957, in Russell, Kansas, the son of Carl and Johnita (Zink) Hays.
He manufactured trailers.
He was a member of the St. Thomas Catholic Church, Stockton.
He enjoyed gardening, farming, and riding his Harley motorcycle.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Carl Hays and Johnita Zink Haines; step-father, Cecil Haines; and brother, Mark “Sparky” Hays.
Betty Jo (Gengler) Kaba, of Stockton, passed away on December 9, 2023, at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville at the age of 81.
She was born on October 22, 1942, to Joseph Charles and Edna June (White) Gengler in Osborne, Kansas. She married Paul Grieve in 1959, and he passed away in 1969. Betty later married Lee Kaba and their marriage ended in divorce.
Cynthia (DeRosear) Mooney passed away on December 1, 2023, at Carolyn's Senior Lodge Assisted Living Center in Houston, Texas, at the age of 82.
She was born November 19, 1941, in Ft. Madison, Iowa, to Roy and Althea DeRosear. She grew up in Galveston, Texas, and Burlington and Atlantic, Iowa, before moving to Stockton, Kansas, with her parents in 1952. She attended Stockton schools starting in the sixth grade and graduated from Stockton High School in 1959.
Phillipsburg resident Forrest R. Peters, Jr., passed away on December 5, 2023, at the Kearney Regional Medical Center in Kearney, Neb., at age 85.
Survivors include his wife, Marlene, of the home; daughters Lujeana Peters and Joanna Donohoe of Phillipsburg; his brother, John William Peters of Center Point, Texas; and seven grandchildren.
Cremation is planned. A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 9, at 2:00 p.m. in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel with Pastor Jay Brandon officiating.
