Obituaries

(1946-2026)John Ralph Westerman was born on April 7, 1946, in Ellsworth, Kan., to Ralph and Neva Westerman. He passed away peacefully on July 24, 2026, with his wife Dorothy and daughter Julie at his side.John was the oldest of his parents’ four children and grew up helping on his father’s farm.

(1952-2026)Elaine Jo Soukup-Legere passed away on Aug. 19, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas, at the age of 74.Elaine was born on May 4, 1952, in Ellsworth, Kan., to John Soukup and Arline Bettenbrock-Soukup.

(1937-2026)Shirley (Soukup) Sales was born Nov. 12, 1937, in Dorrance, Kan. She moved to Salina, Kan., after high school. Shirley peacefully passed away on July 14, 2026.She is preceded in death by her daughter, Joni, in June 2024.

(1938-2026)Roy Neil Shute was born on May 27, 1938, in Salina, Kan., to Edgar and Elva Shute. An only child, Roy spent his childhood in Geneseo, Kan., and graduated from Geneseo High School in 1957.On June 9, 1963, Roy married Nancy Householter.

(1962-2026)It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Alan D. Falk, who passed away on Aug. 13, 2026, in Bel Aire, Kan., at the age of 64. Alan was born on May 8, 1962, in Ellsworth, Kan., to Walter and Joyce (Schwerdtfeger) Falk.

(1948-2026)Dennis Dee Suelter, 77, of Brookville, Kan., passed away peacefully on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. Anyone who ever met him has a story — because Dennis never knew a stranger and he never missed a chance to share a laugh.

(1953-2026)Margaret Jean “Mugs” Kepka, 73, of Ellsworth, Kan., passed away peacefully on Aug. 9, 2026. Born on Jan. 8, 1953, in Ellsworth, Mugs spent her entire life in the community she loved so dearly and devoted herself to serving the people who called it home.

(1943-2026)Sandra “Sandy” Sue McAtee, 83, of Winfield, Kan., passed away Thursday afternoon, Aug. 6, 2026, at her home. Sandy was born on June 27, 1943, in Ellsworth, Kan., to Dan and Lillian (Deming) Urbanek. She spent her childhood in Ellsworth, graduating from Ellsworth High School.

(1933-2026)Emily Anne Zorn, 93, died Aug. 3, 2026, at her home in Hoisington, Kan. She was born Feb. 23, 1933, on the family farm in rural Ellsworth County, Kan., the daughter of Emil W. and Rose M. (Mattas) Podlena. Emily graduated from Wilson High School in 1951. On Oct.

(1968-2026)Patrick Shawn Perez, 58, passed away on July 26, 2026, at his home in Kanopolis, Kan. He was born on July 2, 1968, in Ellsworth to John Cleveland and Diana Petrie Perez. Although Pat had several forms of employment, he took the most pride in working at Kirkham Michael and Wear Techndoays.