Curt Berkey (61) Passes Away

Curtis Deane Berkey, 77, Rossville, Kansas, passed away at his home, surrounded by his family, Thursday, June 11, 2020, following an heroic battle against pancreatic cancer.

Curt was born January 13, 1943, to the late Don and Mary Jane Nicholson Berkey. A life-long resident of Rossville, Curt graduated from Rossville High School in 1961 and attended Kansas State University. He was drafted by the LA Dodgers farm team as a pitcher, but a combine accident put an end to those dreams.

On October 25, 1989, Curt and JoAnne (Conway) McDonnell were married, enjoying more than 30 years together. For the last 13 years they were pleased to leave Kansas winters behind for the warmth of Mesa, Arizona.

Curt was very proud of farming for almost 58 years. A life-long educator in the farming community, Curt mentored many young farmers. He was old school and proud that his rows were straighter than those being put in by GPS. A very honorable man, Curt loved his family and friends and his presence will be greatly missed.

Grateful to have shared Curt’s life are his wife, JoAnne; children, Keith Berkey (Kim) Rossville, Angela Shriner (Kevin) Cape Coral, Florida, Shannon Frodge, Mobile, Alabama, Brad McDonnell, Denver, Colorado; grandchildren, Kalli Shriner (Jav Palomo) Boca Raton, Florida, Kohen Shriner (Lilly Sheridan) Las Cruces, New Mexico, Skyler McDonnell, Florida; great-granddaughter, Molly and her mother, Harlie Nemechek, Rossville; sister, PJ Berkey, Kansas City, Kansas; brother-in-law, Jamie Conway (Gayle) Topeka; and nieces and nephews.

Curt’s family will greet friends from 5 until 7 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home, 2801 SW Urish Road, Topeka KS 66614. A Celebration of Curt’s Life will be Friday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home. Inurnment will be private at Rossville Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Shawnee County Fire District #3, Rossville, or to Midland Care Hospice, sent in care of the funeral home.

Services For Kratinas

    The family of John and Marjorie Kratina will receive family, friends and community members during visitation on Sunday, July 19th from 1-3 p.m. at Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas. Memorial services for John and Marjorie will take place at 10 a.m., Monday, July 20th at Piper Funeral Home, followed by internment at the Czech Moravian Cemetery, near Rossville. The memorial service will be live-streamed at 10:00 A.M. Monday.

    The family sends an invitation to join them for lunch and fellowship at the Citizen Pottawatomie Nation Community Center, 806 Nishnabe Trail, Rossville following internment. Memorial contributions may be made to the Rossville Presbyterian Church or the Czech Moravian Lodge No. 128 and sent in care of the funeral home.
    John's obituary can be viewed at:    https://rossvilleksalumninews.blogspot.com/2020/05/john-kratina-passes-away.html

    Marjorie's obituary can be viewed at:    https://rossvilleksalumninews.blogspot.com/2020/04/marjorie-kratina-passes-away.html

Gerald Pearl Passes Away

Gerald T. “Jerry” Pearl, 88, died June 11, 2020 at his home with his loving family at his bedside. He was born May 14, 1932 on a farm near St. Marys, referred to as the “Sandy Hook” community.  He was the youngest of six children born to Thomas M. and Florence G. Doyle Pearl.  Mr. Pearl attended James Grade School in rural Shawnee County. He graduated from St. Marys High School in 1950.  He served in the U.S. Army from 1954-1956, in the post Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1962. He was nicknamed, “Muscles “in high school and “Gates” in the military, referring to the ”Pearly Gates.” When he returned from the service, he continued to work on the family farm. Jerry never knew a stranger and gave a helping hand to those in need.  Besides a firm handshake, you would know him from his signature wink and thumbs up. 

Jerry was a lifetime member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church; he was a faithful adorer, an Honorary Life Member of Knights of Columbus Council #657 and the Thomas A. McNeive Fourth Degree Assembly. For many years, he served as a member of the Honor Guard for deceased members of both the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion. On Memorial Day weekend, he would travel with the American Legion Firing Squad to the area cemeteries to honor the deceased veterans. In 2015 Jerry and other chosen veterans traveled to Washington, DC on the Wamego Honor Flight.

He was a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the CPN Veteran Association.  Jerry and his wife Hildegard would make an annual trip to Shawnee Oklahoma to the festival and also were part of the Trail of Death caravan. They coordinated a naming ceremony for 28 family members to receive their Indian names.  They owned and operated G & H Pearl Farms and Pearl Trucking. He was a member of the Tri-County Drainage board for many years. Jerry also enjoyed his family, farming, ranching, traveling, and woodworking. He was a jack of all trades.

Jerry was an active member of AA for 43 years and was a mentor to many in recovery up until his death.

Jerry was united in marriage to Hildegard J. Taphorn, on April 12, 1958 at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church in Marysville, Kansas. They met through the CYO and loved to dance. Hildegard preceded him in death in 2014.  Mr. Pearl was also preceded in death by their infant son, Johnny, his brother, J.B. Pearl, his sisters Marjorie Guerich, Maureen Harris and his great-granddaughter, Parker Monhollon. 

He is survived by his eight daughters he called his “String of Pearls”.  Colleen Monhollon, (Jim Meyer), Rossville, Cathy Pearl, Manhattan, Christy (Dave) Ronsse, Gerry Lou (Dan) Marstall, St. Marys, Mary (James) Wurtz, Ginger (Jerry) Flach, Paxico, Angie Leuthold (John Burns) Wamego, and Michelle (Ryan) Martin, St. Marys, his brother, Bob Pearl of Parma Heights, OH, his sister, Sr. Virginia Pearl, CSJ, of Concordia, his sister-in-law, Eileen Pearl, formerly of St. Marys, and the entire Taphorn family.  Mr. Pearl has 18 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, and many great friends. Jerry’s fiancé, Betty Narolis, Topeka, her daughters, Laura McVay, and Georgianne Crow.  He loved to joke and tell stories and was very ornery with all. His smile was his greatest feature. He loved his pie first, followed by his cheeseburger, and shared these meals with his grandchildren.

Mass of the Christian Burial 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at the Immaculate Conception Church in St. Marys, Internment will be at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, St. Marys.  Mr. Pearl will lie in state Tuesday, June 16th from 4-7 P.M. at the Immaculate Conception Church, where there will be a rosary recited at 7 P.M. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Topeka Midland Hospice, Immaculate Conception Church Food Bank, the St. Marys Historical Society or charity of choice.

Dustin Dick Leaves Education

From the Capital-Journal:

The timing and opportunity both needed to be right to lure Topeka West principal and USD 501 lead principal Dustin Dick out of education.

The chance to join the family insurance business in Rossville, after helping West and 501 navigate through an unprecedented spring, convinced Dick that now was the time to make that move.

“We’ve talked about this for a long time,” Dick said. “In fact, if I go back to my first year teaching in 2002, my dad (Randy) kind of talked about it and I almost gave up teaching and joined the business, but I decided it wasn’t the right time.

“It came up all the time. Dad would say, ‘Hey, some day I want you to come.’ He kind of always wanted to have all his kids there, and now this just kind of seemed like maybe the time was right to do something a little different.”

Dick said that having the spring completely disrupted by COVID-19 played into his decision.

“I think not seeing kids every day and teachers every day here through the spring maybe made it a little easier to decide to walk away,” he said. “When you’re a high school principal, you always have something to be at and somewhere to go and something you can do and it just consumes everything you do. That’s just who you are.

“That just kind of stopped for the spring and the spring’s usually really busy, so I had a lot of time to think about it and thought, ‘You know, maybe it’s time.’ It just kind of seemed like the time was right.”

Dick, 41, will join his father, brother Derek, sister Melissa Horagan and stepmom Karen in the family’s multi-faceted insurance business.

“It’s kind of an all-in-one employee benefit kind of thing, health insurance and benefits,” Dick said.

But while Dick is excited about the future, he knows he’ll miss his career in education, which has included stints at Highland Park as a teacher, assistant principal and associate principal as well as time at St. Marys, Eisenhower Middle School and Seaman.

Dick has been principal at West for six years and USD 501′s lead principal for three years, in addition to being in charge of district athletics.

“I like what I do,” he said. “I’ve got a good job, I’ve got a good place to work. It’s just kind of worked out all the way. There’s been jobs that I thought I wanted that I didn’t get and jobs that I got that I wasn’t completely sure I wanted and everything has worked out really well for me.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better career in education. I’ve been blessed. It’s been a really good career and Topeka’s been great.”

Dick’s final day at West will be June 30, and associate principal Colin Cathey has been named interim principal.

Although education is going through an extremely tough time because of the coronavirus pandemic, Dick knows it will survive and thrive.

“Whether it’s something with the budget or the legislature, it seems like there’s always something in education that’s challenging, but one way or another it all works out really well,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for almost 20 years and every time we thought, ‘Oh, this will be the worst thing ever,’ it all works out.

“This year we had something happen to us that nobody had ever experienced before and all the administrators and the teachers came together and figured things out and made learning happen for kids. We pulled it off and kids learned and they finished classes and they earned credits and we still graduated kids. Everybody finds a way and we make it work.”

Norma Adame Passes Away

Norma Sue Cable Adame went to her heavenly home on Saturday, June 6, 2020 in Rossville, KS.

Norma was born June 28, 1954 in Lawton, OK to Gloria Wermy Cable and Vernon Cable Sr. Norma graduated from Cache High School in 1973 and attended Haskell University. She was a proud grandmother to her grandchildren as she helped raise all of them. In her free time she enjoyed going to the casino, gardening, dancing to oldies and spending time with her family. Especially the annual Prairie Band Potawatomie Powwow in Mayetta, KS. With her inlaws.

To read her complete lengthy obituary,  go to:     https://www.swoknews.com/obituaries/norma-sue-cable-adame/article_c0fea5f4-ff88-575b-9e9a-5217c878cb2c.html

Lyle Raine Passes Away

Lyle Raine, age 89, of Maple Hill,  passed away June 7 at his home.    His obituary can be read at:
https://www.piperfuneralhome.com/notices/Lyle-Raine

Larson's Have a Girl

Garrett and JoBeth Larson are the proud parents of a new baby girl born June 7 at Stormont-Vail.

How Rossville Came To Be

From the Rossville Centennial Book, 1971 

The early village was known as “Cross Creek,” taking its name from the nearby creek. In January,
1862, James Dahoney applied for a post office in the name of “Rossville,” honoring Wm. W. Ross,
Indian Agent. When the request was granted by the United States Government he received the
appointment as the first postmaster. James Dahoney lived in a log cabin on Walnut Street (where
Mrs. Ora Pelfrey now lives) and this was Rossville’s first post office.

From Kansas Daily Commonwealth, 19 May, 1870, Topeka, Kansas.
A New Town
Edna is a new town recently laid out on the K.P.R.R., 18 miles west of Topeka. This
town has a most beautiful and attractive site on Cross Creek, near its junction with the
Kaw River.
No part of the Kaw Valley presents a finer location for an active business place. The
surrounding country for miles is of the most fertile character, and is being rapidly settled
by an industrious and intelligent class of citizens. We are informed by one of the
proprietors, Mr. Harvey H. Wilcox, that the town is now platted and everything ready for
business. Messrs. James and Line of Topeka have established themselves here and
are doing a thriving trade in dry goods, groceries, tinware, etc.
There are several other business houses in the course of erection, and many live men
are procuring locations for trade and residences. The liberality of the citizens has
already erected a comfortable school house in which the day school is maintained; also
Sabbath school and regular preaching.
A generous policy has been adopted by the proprietors toward settlers. To those who
will erect substantial buildings and engage in any legitimate business, lots will be given
them sufficient to place their buildings on; but lots will neither be given nor sold to those
contemplating a traffic in whiskey.
It is the design of the proprietors to render Edna, in all respects, an attractive and
profitable point to engage in any respectable business, but they will spare no pains to
prevent the sale of intoxicating liquors, believing that to be suicidal to the interests of
any town.
All those desiring to avail themselves of the opportunity there presented, will do well to
call on Wilcox, Adams & Co., opposite court house, Topeka.

From the above article in the Kansas Daily Commonwealth we learn that the city now known as
Rossville was originally called Edna. The village of Edna was conceived by a group of four men, A.C. Sherman,
Colonel George W. Veale, H.H. Wilcox and Fielding Johnson. These four original
proprietors purchased in 1870 100 acres of land on the east side of Cross Creek, from Anthony
Navarre and So-na-ne-que, his wife. The townsite was surveyed and platted by J.B. Whittaker,
County Surveyor, Topeka.
Of course there was already a rather haphazard village on the west side of Cross Creek, dating back
to the first settlements made in 1848 when the Pottawatomi Indians were moved to this area. In 1862
this village was granted a United States Post Office in the name of Rossville. There was no formal
city government in Rossville and things were probably rather wild and woolly, judging from
 Dr. Robert Gabbey’s account of the early days.

The founders of the new village of Edna saw an opportunity to purchase some land, promote a new
town and in turn benefit financially. This entire area was opening up to settlers and was bound to
grow. It is difficult to promote a new town in an entire new region, but they tried to make Edna spring
up like a mushroom beside a village with another name already established. The settlers already here
simply would not accept the town of Edna. With all the grandiose plans of the promoters, Edna was
not a success. The railroad stopped on the west side of the creek at the village of Rossville. There
was a small water tank filled by a pump, operated by one horse, pumping water from the creek to
service the engines. There was not a depot building as we think of depots today but there was a rude
shelter for the use of the passengers.
Colonel Veale and A.C. Sherman realized that where the depot was located would determine the
success of their town, so after much haggling and some pretty hot arguments a compromise was
reached; they would abandon the name of Edna and accept the name of Rossville; and they paid
$1,000 to build a depot in their town. This first depot stood in the area where Mrs. Andricks now lives.
Early in 1871 the town of Rossville became a reality and a success for the townsite promoters.

Christian Church Resumes Services

From the Capital-Journal:

The Rev. Caleb Falk said Rossville Christian Church was able to quickly mount an online presentation that included live music and preaching. The church, which has a normal attendance of about 100, has resumed meeting, with slightly fewer than normal attending.

“It was great to finally be back in person,” Falk said. “It was good to see everybody and to be back together, and not just preaching to and singing to a camera.”

Falk said the Rossville church will continue streaming its services for the next several weeks, but that isn’t something it plans to carry on long term. He said the building has ample space for social distancing but the church hasn’t resumed a lot of the programs it normally offers.

“We’re kind of having to play it by ear,” Falk said about getting back to normal. “It’s hard to say how things are going to progress. This situation is constantly changing and adapting.”

Indian Taco Dinner June 14

Delia Community PRIDE

 

Make a trip to Delia Sunday, June 14th from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to enjoy a delicious Indian Taco and homemade dessert. All for $7!!! You can'teat the price....

Caila Hill On President's Honor Roll

Kansas Wesleyan University announced its spring honor rolls on Tuesday.   A GPA  of 3.75 or better is required for the Presidents Honor Roll.  Caila Hill of Rossville achived that honor.

Senior Awards and Scholarships

Zachary Archer has received the RHS Opportunity Scholarship and the KSHSAA Citizenship Award.  He intends to major in Computer Science at Kansas University.

Kaleb Badura has received the following scholarships:  Washburn Presidential, the Shawnee County Farm Bureau, Rossville High School Alumni, Pete Darting Memorial, RHS Opportunity, and the Dale Dennis Award.  He intends to attend Washburn U. majoring in Radiology Technology.

Danielle Bittner has received the Rudd Foundation Scholarship.   She intends to major in psychology at Witchita State U.

Edward Brockamp plans to attend Emporia State U. majoring in Crime and Delinquency Studies.

Alexandra Broughton has received the RHS Alumni Scholarship and plans to attend Wichita State U.

Gregory Cooney has received the Dana and Louise Hummer scholarship and plans to attend Ft. Hays working on a degree as a wildlife biologist.

Trevor Cunningham plans to attend Kansas State U. Polytech majoring in Computer Systems Technology.

Kody Davoren has received the Limestone Award, the RHS Opportunity Scholarship, KSU Yell Leader, Senior Inspirational Award, Toby McCullough Award and plans to attend Kansas State to major in mechanical engineering.

Liam Ganson plans to attend Washburn Tech working on a welding certification.

Erika Hatina has received the Duane Parr Memorial Scholarship, the Cecile Zlatnik Memorial Scholarship, and the John Johnson Award and plans to attend Emporia State U.

Kennedy Haynes plans to attend Kansas U. to major in engineering.

Leah Hudson has received the 1863 Landmark Award, The Rossville Alumni Scholarship, Rossville Rustlers 4H Scholarship, KSU Yell Leader Award, Bank of the Flint Hills Scholarship, RHS Opportunity Scholarship, and plans to attend Kansas State U. majoring in agronomy.

Meagan Huston has received the Custom Wood Products-Lake Family Scholarship, ESU Band Scholarship, and the KVEA Scholarship and plans to attend Emporia State U. majoring in elementary education.

Kinlyn Lundin has received the Harriet Hayes Austin Memorial Scholarship and plans to attend Kansas U. to major in nursing.

Rayna Miller plans to attend Washburn Tecch majoring in cosmotology.

Taylor Morelli has received the ESU Presidential Scholarship, the Rudd Foundation Scholarship, the Majorie Helen Lanning Memorial Scholarship, the KSHSAA Scholarship Award, and the Michael Keller Award, and plans to attend Emporia State U, majoring in Secondary Math Education. 

Michaela Paulsen has received the Harriet Hayes Austin Memorial Scholarship and will attend Fort Hays State U. majoring in nursing.

Allison Perry plans to attend Fort Scott Community College majoring in nursing.

Jenna Rodehorst has received the WSU Merit Scholarship, the Rudd Foundation Scholarship, and Victor Murdock Scholarship in Journalism and plans to attend Wichita State U. to major in Journalism.

Mary Shults has received the Band Scholarship and will attend Colby Community College majoring in Vet Tech.

Colleen Stalbaumer plans to attend Allen County Comm. College.

Emma Streit has received the Cole Arnold Memorial, Doug Perine Memorial, Les and Dorothy Hallmark memorial, Bryan Lindstrom Inspirational and Ron Monhollon Scholarships and plans to attend  Washburn Tech majoring in Nursing.

Natalie Trice has received the Newspaper scholarship and plans to attend Allen County Community College.

Jordan Whitaker plans to attend Kansas State U. majoring in business and ROTC.

Sydney Wonnell has received the Washburn Presdential, RHS Alumni, Academic, Cheerleading and Rural Water District #2 Scholarships and plans to attend Washburn U. to major in nursing.

James Catt Gets Diploma 78 Years Late

James Catt Sr.  holds his high school diploma that 

he received Monday, 78 years after he was drafted into 

the U.S. Navy before he could finish high school.

    James Catt Sr,  just received his diploma from Rossville High,  though late by 78 years.  A native of Willard,  he attended Rossville schools until he was drafted in 1943.  After 3 years in the Navy,  he returned to civilian life,  but didn't go back to school and spent most of his adult life in Havre NE where he met and married his wife.  You can read about how he got the diploma at:  

https://www.havredailynews.com/story/2020/06/02/local/havreite-receives-diploma-after-78-years/529140.html

    Is he included in the 2020 graduating class?

Graduation July 26, 2020

Rossville and St. Marys  High Schools will hold graduation for the senior class of  2020 on July 26, 2020.