Author: RumseyYost

Margaret Florence Cheek

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Margaret Florence Cheek, 101, passed away Friday April 14th at Pioneer Ridge, surrounded by her loving family. She was born September 3rd, 1921. She married Earl Cheek on March 23rd, 1938 in Missouri and together they had 5 kids, 8 grandkids, 14 great grandchildren, and 9 great great grandchildren. Margaret dedicated her life to her children and grandchildren; they are what brought her absolute pure joy. Margaret was truly a remarkable woman whose impact will forever be felt by all of her loved ones. She was a selfless woman whose passing has left an unfillable gap in our hearts. As grandma always said, “a bushel and a peck and a hug around your neck”. We will love and miss you forever.

Graveside Services for Margaret Florence Cheek, 101, Lawrence, will be 11 am, Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Julie Ann Martin

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Julie Ann Martin, 68, of Lawrence, Kansas passed away on Monday, April 10th, 2023 in her home after a two-and-a-half year battle with cancer. She was born July 10th, 1954 in Hiawatha, Kansas, the daughter of Jack and Katie Brandau. She graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1972 and Marymount College in 1976.

Julie is survived by her husband of 48 years, Jerry, daughter Jennifer (Bill) of Lawrence and sons Andrew (Monica) and Timothy of San Antonio, TX, brother Jeff (Cindy) of Tonganoxie. Julie was also blessed with five grandchildren, Matthew of San Antonio TX, Nate, Ty, Macy and Lukas of Lawrence.

She retired in 2022 from Schwegler Elementary School where she was an Administrative Assistant.

Julie is preceded in death by her parents Jack and Katie Brandau.

A Celebration of Life will be announced later.

Memorial contributions can be made in Julie’s name to the American Cancer Society, Elara Caring Hospice Foundation or the Lawrence Humane Society, sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1260, Lawrence, KS 66044.

Ann North Cripe Merkel

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Ann Merkel is remembered and celebrated before and after February 19, 2023 with a full life of late night horse rides and 4-wheel drive trails.

Ann was born on January 18th, 1940 in Lawrence KS, to mother Evelyn North and father Eugene North.  Ann is survived by her sister in law Faye North, two step-children Debbie Dixon and Darrin Cripe, her daughter in law Joan Goldman, her two grandchildren William Merkel and Dana Hunter, and three great grand-chidren Cecilia Hunter, Cayden Hunter, and McCandless Russell.

Ann graduated from Lawrence High School where she participated in a wide variety of activities including marching band and twirling.  Also involved in extracurricular she was the first woman to be admitted to the Hot Rodder Club and the first woman to participate in the Demolition Derby.

In 1965 Ann was offered a job as Secretary of Sunflower Ammunition (later known as Hercules). Ann worked with the plant for almost three decades and rose through the ranks to Director of Computer Technology.  She eventually retired in 1993.

During those three decades Ann raised dogs, taught dog obedience training and owned The Corral Club.  She bought her first house on Tennessee Street and completely remodeled the house from “top to bottom”.  She was known to do plumbing, electrical work, and carpet laying. Ann’s free time was mostly riding and raising horses, skiing or driving her fat two wheeler through the mountains.

Upon her retirement Ann grew her emu farm.  Her business, Sundance Emu Ranch, was named after one of her most beloved horses. Born on a farm, and knowing how to do anything farm related she jumped into all things Emu.  Her passion for this unique market allowed her to hold various positions on the national Emu board and was a fixture at the local Lawrence Farmer’s Market for over 20 years.

Bill Merkel, Ann’s husband, passed in 2015 following 35 years of marriage. Together they enjoyed the outdoors, skiing and, in particular, Colorado.

Ann’s service will be on April 10th, 2023 and will be held at Rumsey and Yost funeral home at 2:00 pm. All are welcome to come to celebrate her memory and her long, beautiful life.

Christopher Claterbos

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Christopher Claterbos died Thursday, March 30, 2023, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital of a sudden heart failure.

Chris was born February 1, 1953, in Ottawa, Kansas, the second son of Henry (Hank) Louis Claterbos and Jane Lee (Conway) Claterbos. He graduated from Claremont High School, Claremont, California, in 1970. Chris earned a Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, in 1975 and Master of Science, Civil Engineering, in 1981, both from the University of Kansas.

Chris was the third generation in the Claterbos family to serve in the United States military. He a member of the Navy ROTC while a student at KU and served in the United States Navy Reserve, Navy Construction Battalion, 1975-1979. He was on the Commandant’s Staff at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, supervising a team of 15 architects and engineers. He was a member of the Navy’s construction team that built the Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Washington State.

After leaving the Navy, Chris and his wife Joyce returned to Lawrence, KS, where he earned his Master’s degree, specializing in transportation engineering. His master’s research thesis was the first in the School of Engineering to utilize a personal computer for data analysis. After graduation, Chris was a senior research engineer for the Transportation Research Center, School of Engineering. He left academia in 1982 and began working in personal computers. He later moved into business analytics, working for Hall-Kimbrell, Terracon, Olsten Kimberly Quality Care, and Vlamis Software Solutions. He specialized in building Oracle-based business analytics systems for many businesses and organizations, including the US Food and Drug Administration, Walmart, the World Bank, and the American Petroleum Institute.

Chris was a internationally known expert in Oracle-based business analytics, teaching many training courses for clients and organizations. For years he presented technical seminars at the annual international conference of the Oracle Applications and Technology Users Group. He also published articles and co-authored `a book on Oracle-based business analytics.

After retiring from consulting in 2014, Chris was asked by Dean Neeli Bendapudi of the School of Business to develop a bachelor degree program in business analytics for the School. This degree program was one of the earliest undergraduate degree programs in business analytics in the United States and became the fastest growing undergraduate degree program in the history of the School of Business. During the first few years, Chris was the principle instructor in the degree program. Chris subsequently developed a Master’s in Business Analytics degree program for the School.

After retiring from KU in 2020, Chris was able to enjoy his hobby of building model trains, using 3D printing to build buildings and components for his train diorama. He was a lifetime lover of everything Disney, filling his home with art and memorabilia. Chris’s last family trip was to take his granddaughters to Walt Disney World in November, 2022. He was also a devoted fan of KU basketball.

He is survived by Joyce, his wife of 48 years, his daughter Jill and her husband Charles, two beloved granddaughters, Elizabeth (Ellie) and Evelyn (Evie), and his wife’s parents, Fred and Liz Aumick, whom he viewed as honorary parents. He is also survived by his older brother John and younger sister Mary. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hank and Jane, sister Janet and maternal uncle Jack.

The family will receive visitors from 6:00-7:30 pm., Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at the Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. He will be buried later in Pioneer Cemetery in a private ceremony.

The family suggests memorials be sent to KU Endowment, in memory of Chris Claterbos, in lieu of flowers.

James (Jim) Joseph Buckley

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James (Jim) Joseph Buckley, 87, died March 29, 2023, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital surrounded by family.

He was born in Blue Island (Chicago), Illinois on December 10, 1935, to Gwendolyn H. (Moore) Buckley and Earl C. Buckley. Both parents and a brother, Robert (Bob) Buckley preceded him in death.

He grew up in Blue Island, graduated from Blue Island Community High School in 1953, and worked for the Rock Island Railroad until 1979. Following the railroad, he worked in engineering as a construction inspector for multiple consultants, finally retiring from the City of Overland Park in 2018.

He served in the U.S. Army at Fort Gordon, Georgia from November 1958 to November 1960. In 1966 he married Marlene Rigoni and adopted her daughter Janine. Their son Steven was born in 1967. The family moved to Leawood (Kansas City), Kansas in 1972. They divorced in 1979. A few years later he met the love of his life, Arlois McLay, and they married October 1, 1988, enjoying nearly 35 years of demonstrating what love looks like.

He enjoyed family, friends, and serving others. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Lawrence, Kansas.

He is survived by his wife Arlois, daughter Janine (James) Owens of Raytown, Missouri, son Steven (Nelda) Buckley of Auburn, step-daughters Kerry McLay of Lawrence, and Kristi Black of Lawrence, as well as grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends, neighbors, and those who had the misfortune of never knowing him. To those who had the fortune of calling him Dad, Daddy, Jim, or Papa, he will be sorely missed.

A service to remember his life will be held Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 1:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Lawrence. Memorial contributions may be made to the church at 2415 Clinton Parkway, Lawrence, Kansas 66047.

Alfredo Cruz (Alfred) Hernandez

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Alfredo Cruz “Alfred” Hernandez, age 76, of Lawrence, Kansas passed away surrounded by his family on Monday, March 27, 2023 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Alfred was born on December 7, 1946, in Selma, California to Sylvestre Hernandez and Benita Cruz Hernandez. He was the fourth of 12 siblings. He met and married Bonnie Sue Hernandez and they were together for 48 years before his death.

Alfred worked at Smoot Green Company and also managed Big D’s Carwash for much of his life. He loved Alaska and loved to watch shows about Alaska. Alfred enjoyed fishing with his brothers and his children and was an avid Chiefs, Jayhawks, and Royals fan. Even up until recently he would always tell his children he was going out for jogs and would jog to Eudora, Olathe, or any other place…but no one ever actually witnessed him jogging! He always had a great sense of humor and loved to tell tales. We will all miss his silly stories!

Alfred is survived by his wife, Bonnie (Susan) of the home, daughter Sylvia Avey (Bret) of Anchorage, Alaska, daughter Melissa (Missy) Hernandez (Larry) of Winchester, Kansas, son Richard Wise of Lawrence, Kansas, son Al Hernandez of Lawrence, Kansas, and daughter Chastity Lattin (Todd) of Blue Springs, Missouri, 15 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his four loving sisters and one brother.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Sylvestre and Benita Hernandez, his son Jackie Wise, his brothers Julian, Junior, Frank, Eleno, Guadalupe, and Ramiro Hernandez.

Services for Alfred will be held Sunday, April 2, 2023 at the Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044 at 2:30 pm. There will be a potluck dinner following with the location to be announced at a later time.

Flowers and cards may be sent to Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044.