Category: Obituaries

Kenny Stancil “Woody” Woodlief

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On Friday, October 15, 2021, Senior Master Sergeant Ret. Kenny S. Woodlief – Woody, known to all – died at age 68 after a short battle with cancer at Menorah Hospital in Overland Park, KS and was a resident of Lawrence, KS for 21 years.

Woody was born on January 28, 1953 in Louisburg, NC. He graduated from Youngsville High School in Youngsville, NC, then completed an Associates Degree in Communications from the Community College of the Air Force in 1994. He served in the United States Air Force for 26 years and retired in 1998. He then worked as a program/project manager in communications for the last 22 years.

Woody was bigger than life. He had a loving, joyful, energetic personality, and a kindness and smile for everyone. He was disciplined and active in every part of his life. He volunteered his time as an official for USA Swimming, built homes for those in need with Christmas in October, and served the Boy Scouts of America for 15 years. He dearly loved his family and friends and never met a stranger.

He was preceded in death by his father, Stancil Woodlief, and an infant brother.

He is survived by LeeAnne, his wife of 31 years, his two children, April and Kenny, his mother, Mattie Cash, his twin brother, Benny, his sister, Deborah, brother, Charles, sister, Charlotte, and many grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Everyone is welcome to attend a service, celebrating his life at 10:30am, at Connect Church on W 31st St in Lawrence, KS, and a 1:00pm graveside Military service at the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery in Fort Leavenworth, KS, on Friday, October 29, 2021.

Family and friends are welcome to gather at Haymarket Event Center, 618 Cherokee, Leavenworth, Kansas, following the graveside service.

The family suggests memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society or the Wounded Warrior Project, sent in care of the funeral home.

Joshua David “Josh” Vokins

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A memorial visitation for Joshua David “Josh” Vokins, 29, Lawrence, will be 5:00pm to 7:00pm Thursday at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home.

Mr. Vokins died Friday, October 15, 2021, at his home.

He was born February 28, 1992, in Winfield, Kansas, the son of David Scott Vokins and Sharon Elaine Sturgeon Vokins.  He graduated from Lawrence High School in 2012.

Mr. Vokins worked in parts assembly at Cottonwood, Inc. He enjoyed watching movies, playing video games, Disney, taking rides in the van, attending concerts and live shows like “Blue Man Group”.  He was a free spirit and liked hot air balloon rides, animals, eating Chinese which he affectionately called “rice and ice cream”, as well as visiting the Good Life Innovations Midnight Farm.

He is survived by his parents, Sharon Vokins of Lawrence, Kansas, and David Vokins of Fayetteville, Arkansas; a sister, Jennifer Vokins of San Diego, California; aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The family suggests that memorial contributions to Cottonwood, Inc. sent in care of the funeral home.

William Edward (Ed) Hoadley

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Graveside services for William Edward (Ed) Hoadley Jr., 73, Lawrence, will be 1 pm, Friday, October 22, 2021, at Mt Calvary Cemetery, Atchison, Kansas.

He died October 14, 2021, at LMH Health.

Ed was born December 25, 1947, in Atchison, Kansas, the son of William Edward Sr. and Ruth Elizabeth Banker Hoadley.

He graduated from Maur Hill High School and later attended Benedictine College and attended vocational school.

Ed worked and retired from Lacy Steel after many years of working with the Lacy family as a cost estimator for their steel projects. In his free time he enjoyed cooking, gardening and over the years became a bit of a wine expert.

Survivors include a sister ,Theresa Paris(Atchison, KS), a brother, John Hoadley and wife Susan(Independence, MO) a brother in law, Tom Page(Rushville, MO) numerous nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Ruth Page.

Memorial contributions may be made to Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1260 Lawrence, Kansas 66044.

Richard LeRoy Roberts Jr.

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Richard LeRoy Roberts Jr, 65, Lawrence, passed away on October 13th, 2021 at LMH Health after a long fight with cancer. He was the husband of Myrl Fewins-Roberts. They shared 26 years of marriage together.

Born in Lawrence, KS, he was the son of Richard Sr and Martha Roberts. Richard was the owner of Midwest Billiards. He was also a long time employee of Schlumberge.

Richard is survived by his wife, Myrl Fewins-Roberts; a daughter Raegan Roberts (Sean Galloway); two granddaughters, Brianna Brown and Scarlett Galloway.

Other survivors include his mother, Martha Roberts and father, Richard Roberts Sr; a sister, Diane Roberts.

There will be a visitation on Wednesday, October 20th at 5 pm at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be Thursday, October 21st at 1 pm at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Visiting Nurses Association.

Michael Aron Howell

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Michael Aron Howell, beloved husband, father, son, family member and friend, passed away Friday, October 8th, 2021 in Lawrence at the age of 32.

Michael was born August 30th, 1989, to Cindy Everson Howell and Orval Howell in Wichita. He grew up mostly in Lawrence, earning his high school diploma and later received his associate’s degree from Johnson County Community College. Michael worked in construction as a young man and he also cooked in a number of local restaurant kitchens during his life. For the last several years Michael was the Lead Service Tech for Wicked Broadband in Lawrence. Michael had a great many talents in a variety of things, especially those in the electronic and technical areas. Video games were his greatest passion, and his love of the outdoors led him to go camping and fishing at any opportunity.

Michael met Kyleigh Howell (nee Bowen) in 2009, and they married in 2014. Together they made their home in Lawrence with their children Cohen and Elsie.

He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, acquaintances, and all who knew him.

Surviving Michael are his wife Kyleigh, son Cohen and daughter Elsie Howell, all of the home. Other survivors include Michael’s mother, Cindy Howell, sister Kali Howell and spouse Nathan Beebe, grandmother Vicki Everson and her husband Bryant Philgreen, parents-in-law Eric and Stephne Bowen, brother-in-law Xavier Bowen, and nieces and nephews Matthew, Kaylin, Jaxon, and Raya Beebe, all of Lawrence.

Michael was preceded in death by his father, Orval Howell, grandfather Jim Everson, grandmother Sharon DeGarmo, and aunt Cheryl Coleman.

Private family services are pending, and a Celebration of Life gathering is scheduled for family and friends on Saturday, October 23rd from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at The Garage, 1404 E 24th Street, Lawrence.

Memorial contributions made payable to Kyleigh Howell may be sent to The Howell Children’s Education Fund, P.O. Box 442545, Lawrence, KS 66044.

Rebecca Jean Frazier

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Rebecca Jean Frazier, (45), passed away on October 8th, 2021, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. She was the wife to John Frazier. They shared 24 years of marriage together.

Born in Ottawa, Kansas, she attended Lawrence High School. She was a stay at home mom and worked in volunteer work for the community for many years.

She will be remembered for her big heart, her creativity,  her loud intoxicating laugh and bright beautiful smile that could light up any room. She enjoyed her artwork such as rock paintings and wall art. She also enjoyed singing , gnome collecting, poetry,  reading her favorite author James Patterson books and storm watching.

She is survived by her husband John Frazier (55), Children Tyler Frazier (28), Lucas Frazier (27), Thelma Frazier (26) , Cheyenne Frazier (23) , 4 Grandchildren Kaylea Beiter (9) , Gavin Frazier (7) , Jackson Frazier (5) , and Madilynn Frazier (5) and 5 siblings sisters Vanessa ,  Tina , Chaz, Tammy, and brother Freddie.

She was preceded in death by her father Freddie Lester.

A celebration of life will be held privately by the family at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to the Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home or to the family’s gofundme page.

 

Dr. David Thomas MacFarland

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A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Manhattan for Dr. David Thomas MacFarland, 78, Lawrence, formerly of Manhattan, who passed away Friday, October 8, 2021, at LMH Health.

Dr. MacFarland was an Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University.

Survivors include his wife, Charlotte, and two sons, Mike and Jeff.

Jay D. Pratt

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A visitation will be held from 5-7 pm on Tuesday, October 12th, at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home in Lawrence, Kansas.

Jay D. Pratt, 59, of Baldwin City, KS, passed away on Wednesday, October 6th, 2021 in his home.

Jay, born on November 16th, 1961, was the son of William (Bill) and Doris Pratt of Baldwin City. He was raised on the farm and attended school in Baldwin, where he played football and baseball. Jay graduated Baker University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching. Jay utilized his degree by serving in multiple teaching positions in Baldwin and surrounding school districts. Being a devoted sports fan, he officiated baseball, basketball, and football at the high school and collegiate level. His favorite sports teams were KU, the Chiefs, and the Royals. Additionally, Jay volunteered at Worden United Methodist Church’s afterschool program Faith Weavers.

Jay is survived by his mother Doris Pratt, and four children; Heather, Katlyn, Lexie, and Jon, along with two
grandchildren.

During a private burial, Jay will be laid to rest at Colyer Cemetery, close to the family farm.

Mary Jane Moore

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Mary Jane Moore passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on September 30th. She was born July 23rd, 1935, in Abilene, Kansas and was intensely proud of her Abilene roots. She often referred to Abilene as ‘God’s Country’.

She attended the University of Kansas where she was a Kappa Kappa Gamma. This started a long line of Kappa legacies down through the next few generations. She married Jack Moore on April 7, 1956, in Lawrence.

Mary Jane was an incredible cook and passed down her love of cooking and baking to much of her family. Her tasty creations were enjoyed by family and friends alike. You never walked away hungry when Mary Jane was in the kitchen. Her most celebrated meal was her famed Christmas Brunch, which was months in the making. It was crowned ‘our favorite meal of the year’ by her family. She loved Christmas. The music, the family gathering and her attention to detail in gift wrapping was unmatched.

Mary Jane was an avid golfer and bridge player and developed so many wonderful friendships through these activities.

She worked for H and R Block for over 40 years and relished the many relationships she developed over that time with both her coworkers and long-time clients.

When her grandchildren came along, she was a grandmother extraordinaire. She made quilts for each and every one of them, attended their activities and had the sleepover of all sleepovers every summer. Each one had a special bond with her and she loved them dearly.

She enjoyed gardening, the Peanuts gang and a glass of wine on her patio. Her ability for choosing the perfect birthday card for each family member was something she took pride in and the cards always miraculously arrived on time.

She is survived by her three children, Julie McDonald (Greg), Joanne Renfro, and Tom Moore (Mike Horak) and her six grandchildren, Michael, Marti and Kim McDonald, Adam Renfro, Emily Gallagher and Kelly Lewis, as well as by her four great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband Jack, her parents Ken and Helen Conklin and her siblings, Suzanne Sexton and Ken, Tom and Chris Conklin.

A mass will be said in her name at Corpus Christi Church on Monday, November 22nd at 8:15 a.m. and a celebration of life will be held on Wednesday, November 24th , 12-3 p.m. at Johnny’s West.

Donations in Mary Jane’s name may be made online to LMH Health Foundation (Designation: Cancer Center Expansion) or can be sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044.

 

Darrel E. Spain

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No public services are planned at this time for Darrel E. Spain, 82, Lawrence, who passed away Friday, October 1, 2021.

He was born on July 4, 1939, in Leavenworth, Kansas, graduated from Baldwin High School and was a Communications Specialist and Paratrooper in the US Army.

Darrel worked at the University of Kansas as a painter and later owned and operated his own company, Spain Painting.

Darrel married his wife Julie, on March 25, 1965. They have three children: Gina (John), Darren, and Kelly (Peter), and 4 grandchildren: Erin, Chandler, Claudia & Juliet.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Edith Spain Lauderback; his sisters Darlene Smith and Kathy Worden; and brother Keith Spain. His surviving sisters are Barbara Lee Spain Brizendine (Larry) and Peg Hawkey.

He was an avid bowler and golfer and enjoyed hunting and fishing, crossword puzzles and cheering on the Jayhawks, Royals and Chiefs. Darrel was a man of few words but a master of dad jokes. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and attended as many of their sporting events and school activities as possible. His smile and sense of humor will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association or Alzheimer’s Association, in care of the funeral home, 601, Indiana St., Lawrence, KS 66044.