Frank Kennedy Passes Away

    It is always difficult saying goodbye to someone we love and cherish. Family and friends must say goodbye to their beloved Frank J. Kennedy of Rossville, Kansas, who passed away on July 28th 2018. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family.

   You may also light a candle in honor of Frank J. Kennedy or send a beautiful flower arrangement to the funeral service.

    To leave condolences,  go to:  http://piperfuneralhome.com/obituaries/frank-j-kennedy/

Ryoko Newsham Passes Away

    Rossville–Ryoko Takahashi Newsham left her earthly home for her eternal home on July 28, 2018. 
    She was born December 13, 1935 to Tsuru Oda  and Nikichi Takahashi in Masuda-machi, Akitaken, Japan. She was the eldest daughter and fourth of nine children. She married Charles Leroy Newsham on August 1, 1960 in Tokyo, Japan. She was a military wife and homemaker until the youngest of her four children began school. She then worked at Frito Lay in Topeka, KS for over 24 years before retiring, traveling and spending time with her growing family. Her greatest pride and joy were her grandchildren and she was very active in all of their lives. She was a member of the Rossville Christian Church, loved playing BINGO and all types of art, especially oil painting, sewing and knitting. She always said it was a wonderful life.  
    She was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers and one sister. She is survived by sisters Eiko Suzuki, Seiko Tanimura and Kuniko Takahashi all of Japan. Her legacy will live on through her loving husband of 58 years, Charlie, of Rossville, KS; daughters Ruth (Dave) Puvogel of Prescott, AZ, Doris (Kirk) Wagner of Wichita, KS, and Laura (Tony) Clarke of Bradford, PA; son Mike (Barb) Newsham of Rossville, KS; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren: David Wayne, Christina and Saron Puvogel; Nick, Kelly and Ronin Puvogel; Megan, Eric and Sophia Smith; Derek Swope; Gina, Graham, Nora and Nolan Patterson; Sheldon and Teresa Newsham; Jarret Clarke; and Courtney Clarke.  
    Memorial service will be held at 10:00 A.M. Thursday, August 2, 2018 at the Rossville Christian Church. Interment will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery near Ashland, NE. Mrs. Newsham will lie in state and the family will receive friends at the church from 9:00 until service time. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to either Oakley Place of Rossville or Rossville Christian Church and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas 66536. Online condolences may be sent to www.piperfuneralhome.com

Shawnee Co. Fair Starts Thur.

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - The Shawnee County Fair starts Thursday at the Kansas Expocentre. Exhibits and competitions run through Sunday.

Thousands of kids enter the Shawnee County Fair each year. These include a variety of projects like showing animals, baking, table setting, photography and much more.

"A lot of people think 4-H is cows and pigs and such like that, but there is everything from bugs to rocks to legos. You know there's rabbits, chickens, the whole nine yards," said Dawson Schaefer, a member of the Rossville Rustlers 4-H Club.

Schaefer is entering his dog, Pepper, in to the dog showing competition this year. He's spent five years training him and this is his last year in the program. Schaefer's sister Elizabeth will take over training Pepper next year.

The fair runs through Sunday when the 4-H King and Queen will be crowned at 1pm.  Click here for more information on the Shawnee County Fair

John Seibert Passes Away

John Seibert, 81, of Topeka, KS died Monday, July 23, 2018 at the Rossville Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.

He was born January 21, 1937 in Topeka the son of William and Magdalena (Ruhl) Seibert.

John was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

He retired from the Topeka Fire Department Station #1 in North Topeka. When John wasn't putting in his time at the fire station he stayed busy as a meter reader, videotaping weddings, graduations, school plays and varies sporting events, enjoying photography and spending time outside and going for walks.

John married Barbara Ann Schiffelbein on March 14, 1958 in Topeka. She preceded him in death on September 26, 2009. He is survived by his children, Cheryl (Jerry) Jones, Phyllis (Joe) Gaines, Paula (Doug) Gartner, Tim Seibert, eleven grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren. He was also preceded in death by a son, John E. Seibert along with seven siblings, Bill Seibert, Marty Lewis, Clarence Seibert, Bob Seibert, Joey Seibert, Rosie Kisner and Teresa Ashley.

The family will receive friends after 9:00 a.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church where a Parish Rosary will be prayed at 9:30 a.m. Following the rosary, Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. at the church where the Topeka Fire Department will conduct a Last Call Ceremony in his honor. Interment will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to St. Joseph Restoration Fund, sent in care of Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home, 800 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603.

Fond memories and condolences may be left at www.brennanmathenafh.com. John John Seibert Seibert

TCF Flier

Tall Corn Festival Aug 10-12 2018

Click on below image to enlarge

Taylor Bittner on Dean's Honor Roll

    Taylor A Bittner of Rossville was on the Wichita U. Dean's Honor Roll.  A GPA of 3.5 is required to be named to the Dean's Honor Roll.

Stephen Paxton Passes Away

Stephen A Paxton, 63, passed away at his home on Friday, July 13, 2018.

Steve was born July 9, 1955, in Topeka, KS. He attended Highland Park High School and then served in the army.

He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Paxton; mother, Martha L. Paxton; and brother, Rick Paxton. Steve is survived by his sister, Becky Roth of Phoenix.

He will be laid to rest Friday, July 20th at Rossville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Jalyn Porter (18) Gets P.O.E. Scholarship

   The local P. O. E. Chapter HX of Rossville has given over 115 scholarships  to girls from St. Marys, Rossville, and Silver Lake.
    Jalyn Porter, daughter of Dusty and Jodi Porter was the recipient at Rossville High.
    Marci Schoemann, daughter of Scott and Daphne Schoemann was the St. Marys High winner.
    The Silver Lake recipients were Olivia English, daughter of Chris and Jill English and Nicole Gerber,  daughter of Doug and Michele Gerber.

Rick Norman Ulrich (72) Passes Away

Mr. Rick Norman Ulrich, 59, died at his residence after a long illness.
He was preceded in death by his father, Norman Ulrich.
He is survived by his mother, Mary Gregory of Louisville; his wife, Susan Ulrich of Mount Eden; his daughter, Courtney Hansen of Montana; and his brother, Tim Ulrich of Hutchison, Kan.
Cremation was chosen by the family and a memorial is planned at a later date.
Greenwell-Houghlin Funeral Home of Taylorsville, KY, is in charge of arrangements.
www.houghlingreenwell.com/obituaries/obituary-listings

Delores Partridge Passes Away

   Delores (Hanrahan) Partridge, 82 years old, formerly of Delia, KS, died July 7, 2018, in Fort Myers, Florida. Cremation with burial in New York state. She will be missed by many family members and friends in Kansas.

Robert Martinek Passes Away

Robert Eugene "Bob" Martinek, 89, passed away in Las Cruces, NM Friday night July 13, 2018 at La Posada Mesilla Valley Hospice having resided there a short time.

Bob was born August 10, 1928 in Delia, KS to Agnes and William Martinek. He grew up with a slightly older brother Bill and younger brother Orville and sister Louise on their family farm. He and Bill were inseparable growing up, so much so that when Bill entered first grade Bob had to go too, thereby being in the same class throughout their school years.

He married Nancy Frey on April 16, 1950 in Topeka, KS while both worked for the Santa Fe railroad in Topeka, Bob in the railyard and then the office.

He graduated from Silver Lake High School in Silver Lake, KS in 1945 where he was known for his athletic ability and many pranks pulled with friends. He attended Washburn University in Topeka for 1 1/2 years on a football scholarship, finishing his education at Kansas University in Lawrence, KS and earning a BSEE with a minor in Math. He enrolled at Kansas University on the GI bill after enlisting in the Air Force in 1951 and serving for 4 years attached to the Special Weapons Project. His service exposed him to the field of electronics which eventually became his life's work. After graduating from Kansas University in 1958 he and his young family moved back to Albuquerque, NM, having been stationed there in the service. He first worked for Sandia Corporation remaining there 3 years before joining Neely Enterprises in 1961, which eventually became a sales division of Hewlett Packard. During his tenure with Neely and Hewlett Packard he was named Salesman of the Month in 1965, promoted to Field Engineer in 1968 and moved from Albuquerque to Thousand Oaks, CA in early 1969, operating out of the North Hollywood office, then on to the Las Cruces office as manager in August 1969, retiring in 1986. 

He was a big sports fan, especially baseball - he & Nancy honeymooned in Chicago and attended a Cubs game - and enjoyed football and college basketball too. He tried out for a semi-pro baseball team prior to their marriage but the team disbanded due to infighting among the managers, leaving the team members stranded in Oklahoma City left to find their own way home. He and Nancy were avid bowlers for over 50 years. In Las Cruces he bowled in multiple leagues, served as league secretary many years, and bowled with the Chiles de Las Cruces and Las Cruces International Club. He and Nancy enjoyed traveling for bowling tournaments around the country and state, and he qualified for and bowled in many Senior National tournaments in the 75+ age group and the New Mexico Senior Olympics. They made many lifelong, awesome friends through bowling. Bob and Nancy traveled extensively in addition to that for bowling, visiting Spain and Morocco, multiple states, a 5 week self guided tour through 8 countries in Europe in 1984, Germany multiple times, England & Scotland, Sweden, Norway & Denmark, and cruised Alaska, the Caribbean & the Rhine River. They also enjoyed playing the slots at various casinos in New Mexico and Nevada. In earlier years he loved to fish with his brothers when visiting in Kansas and later with good friends from Las Cruces. At home Bob could be found taking meticulous care of their beautiful yard, conquering the daily crossword puzzle, sudoku and cryptoquip, watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, and avidly reading spy and intrigue novels, favorite authors being Clive Clussler, David Baldacci, Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum. 

Bob is survived by his wife of 68 years Nancy of Las Cruces, NM, daughter Mona Martinek of W Lafayette, IN, son Jay Martinek (Verena) of Schwalbach, Germany, grandchildren Sean, Samantha, and Macy Martinek of Schwalbach, Germany and great granddaughter Felicitas Luna also of Germany, brother Orville Martinek (Janet) of Silver Lake, KS, sister Louise Redmon of Silver Lake, KS, sister-in-law Donna Neuner of Topeka, KS, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Bob was predeceased by father William (1981), brother Bill (1989) and mother Agnes (1994).

Visitation will be held from 5 pm to 7 pm, Thursday, July 19, 2018 at Getz Funeral Home. A Funeral Service will be held at 2 pm, Friday, July 20, 2018 at Getz Funeral Home in Las Cruces, NM. 

Visitation will be held from 10 am to 11 am, Monday July 23, 2018 at Kevin Brennan Funeral Home, 2801 SW Urish Road, Topeka, KS 66614. Burial will follow at Prairie Home Cemetery in Topeka, KS. Arrangements by Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home, Topeka, KS. 

Arrangements by Getz Funeral Home, corner of Solano and Bowman Ave. To sign our local online guestbook, please log onto www.GetzCares.com

Tonya Heslet Wins Award

From the Capital-Journal:

Washburn University Institute of Technology students recently won medals at the SkillsUSA Championships held in Louisville, Ky., with 22 of them finishing in the top five.

SkillsUSA Nationals is an annual event that involves more than 6,300 competitors from across the country who compete in 102 different trade, technical and leadership fields.

Among the winners were Cody Bayless and Cameron Smith, both of Topeka, and Tonya Heslet, of Rossville, competitors in the Community Service contest, post-secondary division, who earned a bronze medal.  Bayless graduated in May from the auto collision program, Smith graduated in May from the auto service program and Heslet graduated in May from the auto service technician program.

Ruth (Diehl) (35) Martinek Passes Away

Ruth Agnes Diehl Martinek, 101, Topeka, died July 13, 2018 at Midland Hospice.

She was born February 19, 1917 in Stockton, Kansas, daughter of Myrtle and Frank Diehl and graduated from Rossville High School in 1935. She spent most of her life in the Rossville and Delia communities as well as Wimberely and Canton, Texas.

She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Delia.

She married Bennie Joseph Martinek on August 24, 1937 in Delia, Kansas. He died March 4, 1995. Two sons preceded her in death, Bennie (Sonny) V. Martinek and Dwight J. Martinek. Siblings preceding her in death were George and Earl Diehl, Alice Gentry, Ralph Nitzche and Ina Marney.

Survivors include son, Douglas F. Martinek (Pat), Topeka, grand-children Michelle (Mike) Berry, Doug (Amy) Martinek, Melissa (John) Kuckelman, Darren (Denise) Martinek and Mandi Martinek and Dustin (Robin) Martinek and great-grandchildren Jacob and Joseph Berry, Caroline and Ben Martinek, Jack and Mary Margaret Kuckelman, Christian, Courtlyn, and Cameron Martinek and Madison and Davis Martinek.

Visitation will be Wednesday July 18, 2018 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 9:00 am with a Rosary following at 9:30 am. Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:00 am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Delia. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery in St. Mary’s. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Sacred Heart Oratory or the Moravan Lodge #128 in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas 66536. To leave online condolences please go to www.piperfuneralhome.com

Randall Scott (65) Passes Away

Randall William Scott, 70, Phoenix, Arizona, (formerly of Topeka, Kansas) passed away Friday, July 13, 2018.

Randy was born December 29, 1947, in Corning, Kansas the son of Gilbert and Rosalia Broxterman Scott. He was a 1965 graduate of Rossville High School. Randy was a Vietnam veteran who served our country in the US Navy.

In 1980 he moved to Phoenix and in 1981, was united in marriage to Pamela Sue Waldo, enjoying over 37 years together. 

Randy was employed by Sanderson Ford in Glendale, Arizona and by Chapman BMW in Chandler, Arizona, from which he retired. Randy like fast cars and Harleys. He was overly generous helping large numbers of family and friends whenever needed. He was greatly loved and will be dearly missed.

Grateful to have shared Randy’s life are his wife, Pam, Phoenix; daughter, Kelley Kuta (Jason) Topeka; siblings, Marsha DeDonder, St. Marys KS, Keith Scott (Cindi) Mesa AZ, Sheryl Bahr (Dick) Rossville KS, Glen Scott (Holly) Tampa FL, and Ralph Scott (Lauri) Shawnee KS. 

Randy was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Michelle Cowger, brother-in-law, Frank DeDonder and sister-in-law, Cindy Scott.

A Celebration of Randy’s Life will be Monday, July 16, at 11 a.m. at Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home, 2801 SW Urish Road, Topeka KS 66614, where family will greet friends one hour prior to service. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Midland Hospice, sent in care of the funeral home.

Brennan Funeral has prepared a video memorial which can be viewed at:
https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/BNQSLSNCL8FP3H3B