ORIGINALLY WRITTEN
Sam Classen
Samuel H. Classen, 84, retired foreman for Holstein Motors, died Dec. 8 in North Newton.
The service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Koerner Heights Church of the Mennonite Brethren in Newton. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery in Newton.
He was born Nov. 16, 1922, to Henry and Sarah Classen in Meade. He attended Tabor Academy and was a former Hillsboro resident.
On March 9, 1944, he was married to Lula F. Nickel, who survives.
He is also survived by three sons, Ray and Janice of North Newton, Mark and Linda of Buhler and Luke and Ellen of Vero Beach, Fla.; a daughter, Beverly and Frank Willems of Newton; a brother, Albert of Wichita; a sister, Elsie and Walter Goertzen of Henderson, Neb.; 12 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Union Rescue Mission in care of Broadway Colonial Funeral Home in Newton.
Robert Edmunds
Robert Stanley Edmunds, 80, retired employee of Irv Schroeder Motors of Hillsboro, died Dec. 5.
The service was held Dec. 9 at Valley United Methodist church in Marion. Burial was in Marion Cemetery.
He was born Sept. 30, 1926, to John and Ellen Meredith Edmunds in Marion. On Dec. 27, 1951, he was married to Pauline Best, who survives in Marion.
He is also survived by a son, Mike and Diane of Covington, Ky.; a daughter, Kathy and Phil Logsdon of Edmond, Okla.; a sister, Dolores Ottensmeier of Marion; and five grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Valley United Methodist Church in care of Zeiner Funeral Home in Marion.
Rita Meredith
Rita Kay (Pauly) Meredith, 59, died Dec. 6 in Atchison.
The service was held Dec. 9 at St. Benedict Church in Atchison with Gerard Senecal officiating. Burial was in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.
She was born May 26, 1947, to John A. and Catherine “Kay” (Finnegan) Pauly in St. Joseph, Mo.
She is survived by a son, Dennis D. and Heather of Tampa; her mother, Kay Pauly of Hiawatha; three sisters, Marjorie A. and Clem Becker of Centralia, Carol J. Strum of Kansas City and Janet M. and Tim Hutsell of Gladstone, Mo.; a brother, Jay D. Pauly of Portage, Wisc.; and one granddaughter.
A memorial has been established with the Rylee Dale McAfee College Fund in care of Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home in Atchison.
Lorene Nelson
Lorene Nelson, 82, homemaker, died Dec. 3 in Marion.
The rosary and funeral mass was held Dec. 7 at St. Mark Catholic Church, Holy Family Parish, in Marion. Burial was in Marion Cemetery.
She was born Nov. 11, 1924, to Jerry and Frances Klenda Holub in rural Pilsen. On April 11, 1944, she was married to Harry Nelson, who survives in Marion.
She is also survived by five children, Sharon Ball of Las Vegas, Nev., Pat Bina of rural Newton, Jerry of Newton, Fred of Hutchinson and Robin of Newton; a brother, Eddie Holub of Peabody; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with St. Jude Children’s Hospital in care of Zeiner Funeral Home in Marion.
Martha Schroeder
Martha Schroeder, 100, retired nurse aid, died Dec. 10 at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro.
The service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Trinity Mennonite Church in Hillsboro with pastor Bruce Porter officiating. Burial will be in Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Cemetery.
She was born Jan. 2, 1906, to George and Marie (Moehlman) Thye in Burlington, Iowa. On June 5, 1932, she was married to Peter W. Schroeder, who died in 1989.
She is survived by a son, Gerald of Santa Barbara, Calif.; a daughter, Diane Wollman of Sioux Falls, S.D.; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church in care of Jost Funeral Home in Hillsboro.
Georgia Smith
Georgia Rae Smith, 63, cashier for National Life and Accident Insurance Co., died Dec. 5 in Hutchinson.
The service was held Dec. 7 at Jost Funeral Home in Hillsboro with pastor Gaylord Goertzen officiating. Burial was in Lehigh Mennonite Cemetery.
She was born June 6, 1943, in Wichita to Lewis R. and Anna (Martens) Smith of Hillsboro.
She is survived by a sister, Bonnie and Bob Swartzendruber of Dallas, Texas.
Memorials have been established with Reno County Cancer Council and Kansas Humane Society in care of the funeral home.
Rosella Thomas
Rosella Thomas, 93, homemaker, died Dec. 10 at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro.
Visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at Jost Funeral Home in Hillsboro. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Friday at South Fairview (Okla.) Mennonite Brethren Cemetery.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Mennonite Church in Hillsboro with pastors Dave Plett and Marvin Hein officiating.
She was born July 15, 1913, to J.C. and Minnie (Hein) Grunau in Isabella, Okla. On Oct. 1, 1933, she was married to Jacob Thomas, who predeceased her.
She is survived by a son, James and Betty of Hillsboro; five daughters, Loretta and Archie Heide of St. Catherines, Ontario, Shirley and Waldo Neufeldt of Roswell, Ga., Nevonna and David Schroeder of Oklahoma City, Okla., Betty Turner of Marietta, Ga., and Jaylene and Jim Gudenkauf of Broomfield, Colo.; a brother, Clifford and Polly Grunau of Perryton, Texas; two sisters, Ruby Suderman of Hillsboro and Wilma Ewert of Elk Grove, Calif.; 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church Building Fund and Tabor College.
Oliver Unruh
Oliver A. Unruh, 87, farmer, died Dec. 10 at Memorial Home in Moundridge.
The service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Meridian Church of God in Christ Mennonite in rural Hesston with Franklin Wenger and Shawn Giesel officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
He was born Aug. 12, 1919, to Abraham H. and Elizabeth (Wenger) Unruh in Goessel. On April 7, 1940, he was married to Sadie Edna Koehn, who survives in Moundridge.
He is also survived by a son, Stanley L. of San Francisco, Calif.; three daughters, Deloris Nikkel of Inman, Leona Unruh of Moundridge and Viola Koehn of Montezuma; four brothers, Conrad and Chester, both of Moundridge, Clifford of Sharon Springs and Russel of Olathe, Colo.; a sister, Martha Becker of Fredonia; eight grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
A memorial has been established with Memorial Home in Moundridge, in care of Moundridge Funeral Home.
