Private family services and inurnment were held for Shirley Mae Walker, 71, Lawrence, who passed away Friday, June 17, 2022, at LMH Health.
She was born July 1, 1950, in Lawrence, the daughter of Eugene E. and Ida Mae Puckett Walker. She worked for many years at King Radio.
Services for John Lee Haslam, 83, Lawrence, KS, will be at 1 p.m., Friday, July 15, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3655 W 10th Street, Lawrence, Kansas. There will be two visitations, one at the church prior to the services from 12 noon to 12:45 p.m. and the other, Thursday, July 14, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana Street, Lawrence, KS.
John died peacefully July 8, 2022, surrounded by his family and friends. He was born Jan. 4, 1939, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from Olympus High School in 1957 and from the University of Utah in 1966 with a Ph.D. in physical chemistry. He spent two years doing post-doctoral work at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He worked for Interx in Lawrence (later a part of Merck), the KU BIOCENTER, and the University of Kansas for more than 30 years. He was a research professor and co-authored papers on rapid rate reactions, enzyme kinetics, pharmaceutical drug formulations and methods of delivery, and was granted a number of patents.
John served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia, 1959-1961, returning to the country where his father served in the US Army Corps of Engineers building airstrips during WWII. John has maintained contact with several people who became members of the church during his mission. He could throw a wicked boomerang.
He married Gale Christiansen in 1966 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She survives of the home. Other survivors include two sons, Jeffery (Angie), Livermore, CA, and Kirk (Debbie), Wichita, and four grandchildren, Amber, Nick, Dillon, and Bethany. He is also survived by his sister, Rosemary Morgan, his brother, Reed (Sherry), both of Salt Lake City, Utah, by nieces and nephews, and one aunt who is over 100 years old.
John was preceded in death by his parents, LeGrand and Mary Berg Haslam, a brother-in-law, Gary Morgan, the rest of his beloved family of aunts and uncles, and a nephew who died too young.
John was bishop of the Lawrence Ward (congregation) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, later, the Lawrence 2nd Ward, for eight years. After that he became a cub scout den leader, a job he relished. When John was asked to be the Patriarch of the Topeka Kansas Stake (Lawrence-Topeka area), his one regret was that he had to give up cub scouting. He was a patriarch for nearly 30 years.
John was always doing something with his hands; he made decorated leather purses and belts, built wood boxes, turned wood bowls and Christmas decorations; he collected dozens of forged metal puzzles that he solved each Christmas turning his hands black with oxide from the puzzles but leaving the puzzles shiny. He tried his hand at making puzzles, one of which he never figured out. He had very strong hands made so by hours of hoeing and wrestling a rototiller in the garden; he loved beautiful rows of sweet corn and hills of squash, cucumbers, and melons. His favorite flowers were irises followed by daffodils, day lilies and dahlias. When those were gone, sunflowers were unbeatable. John’s hands remained strong all during his long hospitalization; he constantly reached for the bed rails to help the nurses roll him from side to side to prevent bed sores. He wasn’t home this spring to plant the dahlias or the corn and melons; the sunflowers this summer will all be volunteers which could be spectacular blends of what John planted last year.
John loved the Kansas City Royals, the Kansas City Chiefs, and KU basketball easily recognizing each player on the court.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to LDS Charities, the John L . Haslam Fund for Pharmaceutical Chemistry Students at KU, or the charity of your choice in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana Street, PO Box 1260, Lawrence KS 66044.
The funeral, scheduled to begin at 1:00p CT, will be broadcast via Zoom. Please click the link below to join: https://zoom.us/j/92210143922?pwd=cjVFT25wblUrNHhXZUVPek90Nm9NUT0
Alternatively, you may join via Zoom client using the information below.
Meeting ID: 922 1014 3922
Passcode: 071522
A Celebration of Life visitation for Deanna J. Posik, 72, Lawrence, will be Wednesday, July 20 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home & Crematory. Deanna passed away Tuesday, July 5, 2022, at her home.
She was born August 5, 1949, in Abilene, Kansas, the daughter of Oscar and Ruth Gowing. She graduated from Perry Lecompton High School.Deanna married John Newman on June 30, 1967. They divorced. She married Robert Posik in the earlier part of the 2000’s, and resided in Pipe Creek, Texas.Deanna was an employee at Hallmark, and Kansas University, in Lawrence. She worked for many years as an employee with various duties for USD 497.Deanna is survived by her 2 sons, Charles and wife Crystal, and Chris Newman, both residents of Lawrence, Kansas. She is also survived by 2 brothers, Dennis, of Lecompton, and David, of Kansas City; and a sister, Donna, of Bend, Oregon.Online condolences may be sent at www.rumsey-yost.com
Rodney Blevins, 56, of Lawrence died July 1, 2022, at LMH Health in Lawrence, KS.
He was born April 4, 1966, in Lawrence, KS, the son of Janice Marie Blevins Sanders.
He grew up in Lawrence and graduated from Lawrence High School.
He enjoyed riding his bike, watching eagles at the river and a nice ice cold beer.
He is survived by his daughter Memorie Hall of Lawrence along with her children, Jaden and Skilynn and his sister, Dana Sanders.
No public services are planned at this time.
Private family services for Michael P. Dreiling, 84, of Lawrence, Kansas will be held at Ramsey-Yost Funeral Home. Mr. Dreiling died on July 5, 2022 at his home surrounded by his family. His remains will be interred in the Dreiling Family Plot in Junction City on August 6, 2022. Mike was born on July 1, 1938 in Junction City, Kansas, the son of Dr. Daniel D. and Felicitas Dreiling. He graduated from Maur Hill Prep School in 1956 and earned his bachelors of science degree from St. Benedict’s in Atchison, Kansas in 1960. He enrolled in post graduate courses at Kansas State University. Mr. Dreiling enlisted in the Air National Guard of Kansas and the Reserve of the United States Air Force on August 27, 1962. Mr. Dreiling rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant and he was honorably discharged from the Reserves on August 26, 1968.
After serving his country, Mr. Dreiling enrolled in the Washburn University School of Law in 1964 and graduated with his juris doctorate in 1967. Upon graduation, Mr. Dreiling accepted an offer to work for the Kansas Insurance Commissioner’s Office. Mr. Dreiling married Judy Singer in Topeka on June 22, 1968. Together, they moved to Liberal, Kansas in October 1968 where he began a 32-year career in the practice of law with the law firm of Vance, Hobble, Nordling, Neubauer, Sharp, McQueen and Dreiling.
During his time practicing law in Liberal, he was the Seward County Campaign Chairman for Robert J. Dole, first as a United States congressman and later as a United States senator. Governor Bennett appointed Mr. Dreiling to the Kansas Highway Commission where he served for multiple terms.
In July 2002, he and his wife, Judy, moved to Lawrence to be closer to family. In October of that year, he accepted an offer to join the law firm of Riling, Burkhead & Nitcher in Lawrence as Of Counsel where he practiced law for a decade until his retirement.
Survivors include his wife, Judy, of the home; son Michael P. Dreiling, Jr. of Prairie Village, Kansas; son Timothy A. Dreiling (Michelle Park) of Lawrence, Kansas; daughter Megan Bergen (George) of Leavenworth, Kansas; two sisters, Mary Agnes Rauh, Denver, Colorado, and Diane Vader (Joseph), Olathe, Kansas; three brothers, Daniel Dreiling (Beverly), New Orleans, Louisiana, Thomas Dreiling (Debi), Lenexa, Kansas, and William Dreiling (Linda), Springfield, Missouri. Mike was preceded in death by his identical twin brother, Patrick M. Dreiling in August 2020.
He is also survived by one grandson, Maxwell Dreiling of Lawrence, Kansas and 18 nieces and nephews. The family suggests in lieu of flowers one may make a contribution to the American Cancer Society or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Bob Kent died unexpectedly on July 4, 2022 at Lone Star Lake doing what he loved—swimming. He was born on March 16, 1941 to James B. and Lucy Ellen (Beal) Kent in McMinnville, Oregon. His family moved to Kansas City, Kansas, when he was eight. He graduated from Wyandotte High School and went on to earn a B.A. in Religion from Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota. Bob was a competitive swimmer at both Wyandotte and Carleton, where he was on a student work grant.
He met Kay Jones in 1964 on a blind date arranged by Kay’s nursing instructor, who was married to Bob’s high school friend. Bob and Kay were married on June 3, 1966 in Kansas City, Missouri and recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. Bob went on to finish his Masters of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Boston. They moved back to Kansas where Bob earned a PhD in American Studies from the University of Kansas.
Bob and Kay wanted to stay in Lawrence, where Kay was the director of the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department. Faculty positions within commuting distance were hard to find. A friend recommended that he apply to be a firefighter. Despite being older than most recruits, Bob at the age of 43 passed all the physical tests and in 1984 he joined the Lawrence Fire Department. Bob was the only firefighter in the history of the department with a doctoral degree.
Being a firefighter allowed Bob to pursue independent research as well as serve as an adjunct researcher in the Departments of Special Education and American Studies at the University of Kansas. He also taught courses and seminars on American history, political science, and civic professionalism. His academic interests included critical social theory, education and democracy, American liberalism, and social justice.
During his 20-year career with the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical Department, Bob was a lead negotiator for the local union of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), a member of the advisory board of the IAFF Hazardous Materials Training Project, and a grant reviewer for the U.S. Department of Energy training grants through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. He was instrumental in changing the way the union negotiated with the department. When he retired from firefighting at the age of 63, he was believed to be the oldest firefighter in Lawrence to actually hang off the side of the truck and run into burning buildings.
Bob was an avid reader and lifelong learner. He loved good food, cooking, hiking, dancing, traveling, listening to classical music, working out, and spending time with family and friends. He was a member of the Lawrence Masters Swim Club and the Mad Dogs and Englishman running group. Bob was well-liked and a loyal friend. He treated people kindly and was nonjudgmental. He was described as “all sunshine” when he entered a room. A person like Bob does not come along very often and he will be greatly missed.
Survivors include his wife, Kay, brother Jay Kent (Carol), brother-in-law Wendell Jones (Charlotte), sisters-in-law Wanda Jones and Willene Arthur (Lawrie), and several nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents. A Celebration of Life is planned for Friday, August 19 at 2:00 p.m. at Arterra Event Gallery, 2161 Quail Creek Dr., Lawrence.
The family suggests memorial contributions made to Visiting Nurses, sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1260 Lawrence, Kansas 66044.
Mary Kaiser is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Lois Vearl (Stephenson) Niehaus-Wrightsman passed away Mon. April 25, 2022 in Arab, Alabama after a long illness.
Memorial Services for Lois will be 2 pm, Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. She was born on Feb. 17, 1934 in Bloomington, Indiana to Katherine (Stickles) & Paul Stephenson.
She graduated from Anderson College and was a teacher for most of her life.
She earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from University of Kansas and worked in Topeka, KS hospitals and the Veteran’s Administration. She returned to KU to complete her Master’s Degree in Special Education and resumed teaching at Piper High School before retirement. She continued with private tutoring in Corpus Christi, Texas after retiring.
She was a life-long advocate for Huntington’s Disease research and funding, continuing with initiatives and legislation in both the U.S.Congress and the State of Kansas.
Education was a passion for her (as well as music) and she was always thrilled to see the “light-bulb” of understanding flash ‘On’ for anyone!
She married Ormand ‘Bud’ Niehaus and had two sons. They were divorced & she later married Dr. Lawrence Wrightsman and they divorced. Bud and Larry are deceased. She is also predeceased by her parents and stepmother Ethel, brother Paul Jr., sister Margarite, and son Steven Niehaus.
She is survived by her twin sister Ruth, brothers Joe and Tom, and son Ted.
Special thanks to her assistant in Arab, Regina and the staff of the Diversacare Memory Care Unit – particularly Tim, Laura, Marygina & Becky. Thanks to Shepherd’s Grove Hospice staff, and the care they provided.
Memorial contributions in her memory can be made to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America or any Alzheimer’s/Dementia organizations or charities of donor’s choice and sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1260 Lawrence, Kansas 66044.
George Franklin McCleary, 85, passed away Sunday, June 26, at Neuvant House in Lawrence.
George was born April 9, 1937, in Springfield, Ohio, the son of George and Timmer McCleary. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1955 and then attended Yale University on a Naval ROTC Scholarship. He graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in geography in the spring of 1959 and was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy. After leaving the Navy, he earned his master’s degree and his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He taught at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., before becoming an associate professor at the University of Kansas, where he worked for more than 35 years. During his tenure at KU, he was also heavily involved with freshman advising and commencement ceremonies for several years.
He married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Baldwin, in June 1959. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn, Lawrence; his sister, Ann Shuttleworth, Springfield, Ohio; three sons, Joe, and his wife, Heather, Centennial, Colo., John, and his wife Zoe Ann, Woodbridge, Va., and Frank, Blue Springs, Mo.; one grandson, Eli, three granddaughters, Evan, Audrey and Sydney; and two nephews, Eric and Joel.
George was involved for several years with the Boy Scouts of America, including planning camping trips and organizing pine wood derbies. He traveled the world for work, visiting Antarctica while in the Navy, and presenting papers at international cartographic conferences. He also traveled for pleasure with his family. He was also a connoisseur of wine, frequently visiting wineries during his travels and bringing home a case or two of wine. That passion also led him to work with friends in Lawrence to produce their own wine.
He also was a fan of the fine arts and frequently attended concerts at the Lied Center at KU.
The family encourages donations to the Friends of the Lied to help support the performing arts.
Services will be announced at a later date. Online condolences may be left at www.rumsey-yost.com.
Graveside services for Ted L. Jarvis, 55, Lawrence, will be held at a later date on the Eastern Shoshone Indian Reservation in Fort Washakie, Wyoming. Ted passed away Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Lawrence.
He was employed by Berry Plastics.
Sergey Nazarenko of Lawrence passed away on June 21, 2022, at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
Sergey was born July 10th, 1960, in Krasnodar, Sherbenovka Russia to Nikifor Nazarenko and Anna Nazarenko. He graduated from school #13 before achieving his diploma in coal mining. After moving to the United States, he worked as an auto mechanic in Lawrence, Kansas until an early retirement.
Sergey was a man of peace who embraced it through gardening and his love for nature. He will be remembered for his unparalleled loyalty, selflessness, nurturing spirit and ingenuity.
Sergey is survived by his dog, Ruben and 5 children. Dennis, Dasha, Oleg, Yaroslav and Galina Nazarenko, as well as his 9 grandchildren, Andre and Katy Nieder-Nazarenko. Neiva, Wriley, and AubriAnna Courter. Anastasiya and Milania Ayala. Alexis and Nicholi Nazarenko. He was predeceased by his life partner Luybov Chayka and his beloved dog Durby.
Graveside services will be held on Wednesday June 29 at 11:00 am at Oak Hill Cemetery, 1605 Oak Hill Ave., Lawrence, KS, 66044. A visitation will be held on Tuesday June 28th from 6 to 7 pm at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana St,, Lawrence, KS, 66044.
