Arthur Lee “Art” Wilkens

Arthur Lee “Art” Wilkens, of Stockton, passed away on July 7, 2023, at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, at the age of 87.

He was born on April 2, 1936, the third son of Charley and Jessie (Herren) Wilkens at the family farm home in Cheyenne County, Kansas.

Art attended Walnut Grove country school through 8th grade, then Regis (a catholic boarding school) in Denver, Colo., his freshman year of high school. He then went to St. Joseph’s Military Academy in Hays for his sophomore year but graduated from McDonald Rural High in 1953.

He married Mae Erdman on November 28, 1956, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Benkelman, Neb. They were blessed with seven children: Chuck, Debra, Kent, Steven, Tony, Brenda, and Lisa.

After finishing school, Art farmed north of Parks, Neb., on school land for a short period of time. He then bought and fed cattle at the Gabe Wilkens homestead. They moved to Benkelman, Neb., and then Goodland, Kansas in 1970 to haul sugar beets. Within a couple of years, he bought a hay grinder and did custom work grinding and hauling alfalfa and corn for farmers and feedlots. Art became determined to find a better way to haul hay within this business. In his search for a solution, Art met Keith Foster, and the two became good friends. They continued a tremendous relationship throughout life. Soon he started putting Keith Walking Floors in his trailers. After admiring the work of Art and Keith, Jack Deroo told Art he owed it to himself and the rest of the hay-grinding world to make these trailers. In 1985 Art bought an old, abandoned plant at Bloomington (Osborne), Kansas and renovated it to begin manufacturing trailers from scratch with Keith Walking Floors in them. He stayed at that location until his business expanded and he built a new plant south of Stockton in 1995. He established additional locations in Texas in 1996 and Pennsylvania in 2002. He was an innovator of the walking floor with many patents.

Art loved to fly. He was proud to have over 5,000 hours as a pilot in command. He also loved to send his brother Jim to auctions to collect Diamond T Trucks and antique tractors. Art would display his collection in Bird City, Kansas, at the annual parade with great joy.

Art was a driven man who always moved forward, never letting anything stand in his way. As a straightforward man, you always knew where you stood. His commitment to faith, love, and service to his family, friends, and community knew no bounds. Art taught us by his daily example that a dream does not become a reality through magic—it takes sweat, determination, hard work, and the help of our Good Lord. He will be remembered in love.

He is survived by his wife, Mae, of the home in Stockton; children, Chuck (Alicia) Wilkens of Goodland, Kent (Nancy) Wilkens of Bismark, N.D., Steve (Tonya Bethel) Wilkens of Plainville, Tony (Lexy) Wilkens of Plainview, Texas, Brenda (Lonnie) Coon of Goodland, and Lisa (Brad) Eisiminger of Hays; brother, Larry (Patti) Wilkens of Merida, Mexico; sisters, Rita Wheeler of Santan Valley, Ariz., and Betty Tomlinson of Cheyenne, Wyo.; sister-in-law, Betty Wilkens of Atwood; 20 grandchildren: Drew (Kaylee) Wilkens, Grant (Mary Kate) Wilkens, Brock Wilkens, Taylor (Kyle) Schulte, Charley (Titus) Hopper, Jordyn (Felix) Talamantes, Jessica Wilkens, Joselyn (Luke) Lindgren, Gabriel (Ashton) Wilkens, Peyton Wilkens, Paisleigh Wilkens, Levi Coon, Katelyn (David) Murray, Kade Megaffin, Max Megaffin, Trae (Cami) Megaffin, Jessica (Jon) Morgan, Grant Eisiminger, Holden Eisiminger, and Trevor Eisiminger; and 20 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Charley and Jessie Wilkens; children, Debra (Russell) Birkholtz and Rex Megaffin; brothers, Ralph, Alan, and James “Jim” Wilkens; sister, Charlene Gunther; and brother-in-law Tom Tomlinson.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Stockton. Burial will be at 4:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. mountain time) at Goodland City Cemetery in Goodland, Kansas. Visitation will be Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the church, with a Parish Vigil Service and Rosary at 7:00 p.m.  

Memorials are suggested to the St. Thomas Catholic Church, Sacred Heart Catholic School, or Tri-State Antique Engine and Thresher Association of Bird City and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 723 N. 1st St, Stockton, Kansas 67669. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.plumeroverlease.com