Obituaries

Graveside memorial services for Marlene Wiles, age 76 of Hunter, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 24, at the Rose Valley Cemetery near Hunter followed by a lunch at the Grace Chapel in Hunter. Mrs. Wiles died Dec. 30, 2020 at the Lincoln Park Manor in Lincoln.

Paula Mae Schneider, 82, passed away Friday, July 16, 2021, in Ellsworth. She was born March 5, 1939 in Ellsworth to Paul and Flora (Ruetz) Sparks. Paula was a lifetime resident of Ellsworth County, where she married Edward Marvin Schneider on April 28, 1956.

Dale George Grothusen, 101, originally of Ellsworth, died Dec. 7, 2020 in Salina. He was born Dec. 17, 1918 on a farm in Ellsworth County to William and Christine (Strella) Grothusen.

Delbert Siemsen, 84, Chico, Calif., passed away July 4, 2021 in Chico.He was born June 14, 1937 in Holyrood, Kan. to Albert and Nellie (Finke) Siemsen. After studying at the University of Kansas and serving in the U.S.

Rosa Lee (Hirt) Whitmer passed away Saturday, July 3, 2021, at the Hospice House in Hutchinson, Kan. at the age of 82. She was born to Bethold Joseph and Evelyn Rosalyn (Bouska) Hirt Oct. 31, 1938, in Ellsworth, Kan. Rosa Lee lived a life full of love, faith, and music.

Rylan Alexander Gier entered into the arms of his savior on Saturday, July 3, 2021, at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. at the young age of 14. He was born to Ryan and Sara (Fisher) Gier June 22, 2007 in Hays, Kan.

Patricia L. Bender, 90, passed away Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Abilene, Kan. She was born Sept. 12, 1930 in Scandia, Kan. to Raymond and Grace (Sandborn) Cooper. Patricia married Donald C. Bender Dec. 31, 1950. She was a longtime resident of Ellsworth, Kan.

Cleo Zvolanek, 89, of Ellsworth, Kan., passed away Thursday, July 1, 2021, in Ellsworth. She was born in Lincoln, Kan. Feb. 25, 1932, the daughter of Reinholdt and Minnie (Plinski) Peterman. Cleo married Victor Zvolanek Aug. 1, 1951 in Ellsworth.

Thomas Virgil Phelan, Phoenix, Ariz., passed away Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, at John C. Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Phoenix at the age of 69. He was born Nov. 19, 1951 in Great Bend, Kan. A midwestern man at heart, he grew up in the small town of Holyrood, Kan.

Donald R. Urbanek, 75, passed away June 22, 2021 in Ellsworth. He was born Feb. 25, 1945 in Ellsworth to Benjamin and Margaret (Schroeder) Urbanek. Donald married Opal Jones in Norton, Kan. Nov. 6, 1971. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Enterprise.