Mary (Mattan) Cowan Passes Away

Mary was born on May 12, 1923 to Emil and Mary VandeVelde Mattan, She was born at home on the family farm northeast of Delia, Kansas where she was raised. She was the seventh of eight children.

Mary attended grade school at Adrian Public School District 65, a one-room schoolhouse two miles west of the family farm home. She was a 1941 graduate of Delia High school. In 1942 Mary moved to Topeka, Kansas and worked at Capper’s Weekly Publication in the advertising and subscription department. While in Topeka she was courted by Kenneth Vincent Cowan and they were married February 12, 1943 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Delia, Kansas.  

Six days after their wedding Kenneth joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Pennsylvania for training. Mary traveled by train from Topeka, Kansas to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in May 1943 to visit him. She stayed on base and in Jonestown, Pennsylvania for one month until Kenneth was sent to California for deployment to New Guinea. After which Mary returned home to stay with her parent’s and in-law’s until Kenneth returned in February 1946.

After Kenneth returned from World War II they settled in Rossville, Kansas where they lived until 1984. There they raised four children – Diana born in 1947, Vicki born in 1950, Denise born in 1956 and Mark born in 1959. In 1984 Kenneth and Mary moved to Silver Lake, Kansas. Kenneth passed away in 2003. In 2017 Mary moved to The Healthcare Resort of Topeka.

Mary was a member of the St. Stanislaus Catholic Church (Rossville) since 1947 and a former member of the church council, lay minister and lecture. She was a member of the Silver Lake Senior Citizens and a former board member. Mary was also a former member of the Silver Lake Community and XYZ clubs.

In addition to being a wife, mother and homemaker Mary provided childcare for several years.  Throughout her life she enjoyed dancing, card playing, gardening, and tending her flowers. Mary was a lady and the ultimate housewife, yet she could paint, refinish, upholster, ride a horse bareback, drive a team of horses, milk cows, feed livestock and perform many a household and farm chore.  

Most important to Mary was family and faith. She was a caring and loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, daughter, sister, and niece.

Survivors include her children, Diana Elevier and Denise (Tom) Denton, Silver Lake, Vicki (Michael) Wilson, Holton, and Mark (Jackie) Cowan, Kansas City, Missouri; 5 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents and husband; brothers, Remi, August, Albert and Henry Mattan; sisters, Ann Tholl, Elizabeth Tholl and Louise VanDeWoestyne; and son-in-law, Fred Elevier.

Memorial contributions may be made to Midland Hospice or St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas 66536.  To leave online condolences go to www.piperfuneralhome.com.

Due to Covid 19 restrictions, everyone attending will need to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

Services are pending.

Mark Jontra Passes Away

Willard - Mark Aaron Jontra passed away on Friday, August 14, 2020, at the Rossville Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Rossville, Kansas. He was 91 years of age.  He was born in Frankfort, Kansas, on May 2, 1929, the son of Arley Ernest Jontra and Violet Theresa (Fagan) Jontra.

He grew up in the area of Emmett, Kansas, and attended school there. When he was young he worked on the family farm. He served in the Korean War, in the Army Infantry, and was honorably discharged in 1953.  Mark was a charter member of Jimmie Lillard Post No. 31 of the American Legion at Rossville.

He was married to Kay Ann Sheets on May 7, 1960. They were married for 40 years. She preceded him in death on October 26, 2000. They had one child, a daughter, Carole.

He worked for many years as a Division Lineman in the Communications Department of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. He preferred to be outdoors. He enjoyed hunting and boating when he was younger and was an avid fisherman. He also liked to keep a large garden and did so for many years.

He was preceded in death by both parents, his wife, Kay, and his brother, Melvin Jontra.

Survivors include his daughter, Carole Jontra; two brothers, Marlin Jontra and Larry Van Horn; a sister, Millie Dravo; a sister-in-law, Mary Kay Jontra; two stepsisters, Sue Adams and Kay Williams; two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A public visitation will be held on Sunday, August 23, 2020, from 5:00 to 7:00pm at Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas 66536, (785) 437-2222. A private graveside service with military honors will be held for the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Rossville American Legion Post No. 31 of Rossville, Kansas, may be sent in care of Piper Funeral Home. To leave online remembrances and condolences to the family please visit www.piperfuneralhome.com.

All-State Dawg XCountry Runners.

Sports in Kansas 

Returning Girls All-State Cross Country Runners from 2019 season

12. Julia Streit (sr)

17. Amelia Foster  (soph)

Bo Reeves In Sports In Kansas

From Sports In Kansas

Bo Reeves #10.  Photo by Shari Gentry

The Rossville High School football team has high expectations this football season, for that matter every football season. The Dawgs, now in Class 2A, won three consecutive 3A state titles from 2014-2016 and are hungry to get back to that level. Several key pieces are back this year that could make Rossville and head coach  Derick Hammes a major contender.

Rossville returns eight starters on offense and nine on defense from a squad that went 7-3 one year ago. We’ve talked about Torrey Horak earlier this season headlining that group but it’s by far not just Horak. Another name that kept coming up to us this summer was 6-foot-5, 215-pound, senior, receiver and defensive back, Bo Reeves. Reeves may be one of the most under-the-radar players in 2A, for that matter maybe Kansas.

Reeves, is a big bodied target, that is looking to be a big-time playmaker this year in Kansas. The four-year starter has been an all-state honorable mention pick in each of the last two seasons. He had 515 receiving yards last season and will look to be one of the best players in 2A for 2020.

He's not just a tall kid either, he’s very athletic. Reeves is a first team all-state baseball player as a sophomore, missing his junior year to COVID. He’s also an all-state caliber jumper in track and field, going 22’4” as a sophomore, missing state track due to state baseball. He also missed track this year due to COVID-19. Reeves is also on the 4x100 team in track. He’s one of those players you should know a lot about but has missed some opportunities as you can see that have been uncontrollable. He may just be one of the most under the radar players in all of Kansas with his speed and versatility.

Reeves is also very explosive with a 4.6 40-yard dash time and 275 clean. He is also a 4.0 GPA student at RHS.

Reeves and teammates are looking for a huge season this fall. We caught up with the potential all-state pick below in the latest Q&A edition of Faces in Kansas.

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Capital Journal Top 125 In County

The Capital=Journal has just published a list of the top 125 athletes from Shawnee County.  Among them are:

102. BENNIE SIMECKA, Rossville

Prep All-American and All-Stater became a three-year starting lineman and honorable mention All-Big Eight player for Kansas.

109. TUCKER HORAK, Rossville

Horak became the state’s first QB to rush and throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season before becoming a standout at Pittsburg State.

112. TAGEN LAMBOTTE, Rossville

Lambotte captured four straight wrestling state championships for the Bulldawgs before continuing his career at Iowa.

121. DUANE ZLATNIK, Rossville

An All-Stater in football and three-time state wrestling champion at Rossville, Zlatnik went on to start 31 games for KU football.

Dawgs Are 2A Pre-season Favorites

   According to CatchItKansas, Rossville is the likely preseason 2A favorite.  The Dawgs return four of its top-five receivers  who had 26 catches for 512 yards and eight scores. The Dawg receivers were led by Bo Reeves with 24 grabs for 381 yards and four TDs.   Rossville was sixth in 3A at 37.8 points per game with a run based offense led by QB Torrey Horak who is a senior this year.

Grade School Reopening Plan

http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/schools/rgs/reopening-base-plan.html

Willard Water Advisory

    The Kansas Dept. of Health has issued an advisory  to boil water in the area around Willard, KS.
For  details,  go to:
https://www.wibw.com/2020/08/10/kdhe-issues-boil-water-advisory-monday-for-portions-of-shawnee-and-wabaunsee-counties/

Glenda Lasswell Passes Away

Glenda Lasswell of Emmett passed away Aug. 8, 2020.  Her obit can be read at:   https://www.piperfuneralhome.com/obituary/Glenda-Lasswell

John Failer Passes Away

    Rossville—John L. Failer, 79, passed away Friday, August 7, 2020, at the Rossville Health and Rehab Center.
    He was born May 26, 1941, at Rossville, the son of John E. Jr. and Frances Brayman Failer. John attended Rossville schools.    John was a welder for C&D in Emmett many years and later was a custodian for the Washburn Rural School District.
    John was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Dale, a sister, Marjorie, and a granddaughter.  Survivors include two sons, Marc (Cheryl) Failer, Paxico, and Michael Failer, Emmett; two daughters, Penny Jenkins and Crystal Lamb, both of Topeka; two brothers, Richard Failer, Topeka, and Jim Failer, Grantville; a sister, Kathy Maus, Emmett; 13 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
    A memorial visitation will be from 10:00 until noon Saturday, August 15, 2020, at Piper Funeral Home. Inurnment will be in the Rossville Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made in John's name and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas 66536. Online condolences can be sent to www.piperfuneralhome.com.

John Gentry Assists Small Businesses

Kansas City, KS, Aug. 2020] — Josh Gentry has a vision to assist small businesses and young entrepreneurs to succeed. As an entrepreneur himself, he knows how tough it can be to launch successfully in today’s world. Born and raised in Rossville, Kansas, Josh has been in tune with the issues facing the communities of eastern Kansas for decades.

Now as Senior Vice President at Financial Independence Group, Josh has created The Small Business, Big Deal Podcast. Each week he features a different Kansas entrepreneur who then deconstructs their businesses, and piece by piece, tells the story of how they were made.

To read the complete article,  go to:    http://newssourcedouglascounty.com/2020/08/kansas-business-owner-highlights-surrounding-small-businesses/

"Matt" Floersch Passes Away

Mathias H. “Matt” Floersch, age 97, of Highland, Kansas, formerly of Ottawa, passed away Monday, August 3, 2020, at Two Timbers Alternative Living.

Family will meet with friends from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Friday, August 7, 2020 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Rosary will begin at 10:00 a.m., Friday, followed by a funeral mass at 10:30 a.m.

Interment Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Ottawa, with military honors by the United States Navy.

Mathias was born February 19, 1923, in St. Mary’s, Kansas, the son of Mathias and Rosa (Baumchen) Floersch.

He grew up in St. Mary’s, moving to Delia, Kansas, and in 1959 to Ottawa, Kansas. In 2014, Matt moved to Highland, Kansas, where he made his home until his death.

Matt served in the United States Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater from March 1944 to May 1946.

Matt was united in marriage to Jean Marie McGrath June 5, 1952, at Delia, Kansas. They were happily married nearly 51 years and had six children, Jim, Matt, Bernice, Frances, Jean, and Janice.

He was a lifelong farmer/stockman.

Matt was an active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Ottawa.

Matt’s life centered around farming and spending time with family and grandchildren. He enjoyed fishing, Dominos and Pitch. Matt and his wife Jean wanted to serve the poorest of the poor. In his later years, he became a strong supporter of the Immaculate Heart School in India and it was a source of great joy for him.

He was preceded in death by his wife Jean, August 19, 2003; son Jim Floersch; grandson Matthew Floersch; his parents and 8 siblings, Rosemary McCoy, Gene Floersch, Margaret Glick, Regina Storck, Louise Ronsee, Joe Floersch, and 1 sister and 1 brother that died in childhood.

Survivors include five children, Bernice (Craig) Altenhofen of Junction City, Kansas, Francie (John) Falk of Leona, Kansas, Jean (Steve) Frank of Colony, Kansas, Janice (Richard) McPherson of Clarksburg, Maryland, and Matt (Elizabeth) Floersch of Goodlettsville, Tennessee; daughter-in-law, Sandy Floersch-Toothman of Osawatomie, Kansas; twenty-three grandchildren and thirty-five great grandchildren.

The family suggests memorial contributions to Immaculate Heart Foundation c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, 235 S. Hickory, Ottawa, Kansas 66067.

Recent KSU graduates

The  following people have recently graduated from Kansas State University: Rachel Day, BS in Education; Danielle Glotzbach, BS in Agriculture; Stephen Goldade, BS in Applied Business and Technology; Nola Miller, Master of Science; Spencer Rieschick, BS in Mechanical Engineering; Shana Woods, Master of Arts in Teaching.

Bruce Reynolds (01) Passes Away

Bruce Reynolds, who graduated from Rossville High in 2001, has been reported as passing away in July.  He was the son of Robert and Dora Miller Reynolds of Delia.  No other info is available.