Category: Obituaries

Larry Eugene Meyer

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Larry Meyer Pic 2Memorial service for Larry Eugene Meyer, 65, Lawrence, will be 11 am Wednesday, August 19, 2015, at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. A visitation with family will take place one hour before the service.

He died Sunday, August 16, 2015, at his home.

Larry was born February 24, 1950, in Lawrence, KS, the son of Herman Eugene and Juanita Maxine Hartman Meyer. He graduated from Lawrence High School, in 1968.

He was a lifetime member of the Sheet Metal Union Local #2, and worked as a Sheet Metal Journeyman. During his career he worked for Huxtable and Associates, Rhodes Heating and Air, and Beach Heating and Air.

Larry was a car enthusiast, and traveled to many car shows around the area. He kept his 1973 Corvette close to his heart. If he could he would have kept all the cars he has ever owned.

He married Connie I. Gerant on October 17, 1975, at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Topeka, Kansas, she survives of the home.

Other survivors include his mother Juanita Hodges, Eudora; stepfather Donald Hodges, Lawrence; mother and father in law Kathleen and Robert Gerant, Topeka, KS; brothers Gary and wife Mary Meyer, Dennis and wife Shari Meyer, stepbrother Eric Hodges, all of Lawrence; brother in law Robert and wife Stephanie Gerant, Topeka, KS; sister in laws, Patty and husband Al Meyers, Topeka, KS, Mary Gerant and spouse Penny Steelman, Omaha, NE; nieces and nephews, Jennifer Meyer, Dustin Meyer, Aaron Meyer, Katie Gerant, Rose Cantrell, Joe Gerant, and Jackie Gerant; great nieces and nephews Steven Cantrell, Ancel Meyer, Arlo Meyer, Jocelyn Cantrell; aunts Laura Mae Mason, Colorado Springs, CO, Joyce Meyer, Shawnee, KS, Ona Hartman, Halls, MO, Joanne Powell, Lawrence, KS; and many cousins.

He is preceded in death by his father Herman.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, sent in care of the funeral home.

Dorothy J. Roper

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Funeral services for Dorothy J. Roper will be at 10 am Friday at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. Friends may call from noon to 8 pm Thursday at the funeral home, where the family will receive friends from 6-7 pm.

Dorothy J. Roper, 92, Lawrence, died Monday, August 10, 2015. She was born March 3, 1923, at home in Lawrence, the daughter of William E. Marshall and Dorothy Marie (Brokmann) Marshall.

Dorothy was a member of West Side Presbyterian Church, where she was a member of the Women’s Circle.

She was married to Kenneth M. Roper on August 1, 1939. Of this union, two children were born, Dorothy Jean Roper and Kenneth E. Roper.

Her husband of 46 years preceded her in death on April 21, 1985. She is survived by her children, Dorothy J. Ransom (Tim Switzer) and Kenneth E. Roper (Paula); her sister, Barbara A. Bailey, Lawton, Okla.; eight grandchildren, Lisa D. Eller, Euless, Tex., David Neal Eller and wife Paula, Topeka, Kan., Wesley McCauley and wife Gwen, Lawrence, William (Billy) Roper, Chicago, Ill., Kenneth F. Roper and wife Meka, Lawrence, Penny L. Hickman, Topeka, Kan., Michael J. Roper, Moses Lake, Wash., and Keyna Bugner, Ellensburg, Wash; six great grandchildren, Olivia Eller, Annie Eller, Neal J. Eller, Jacob McCauley, Evayn Roper, and Zach Roper; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by three brothers, Herbert Marshall, John Marshall, and William E. Marshall, and two sisters, Minnie M. Rimmer and Edith G. Kester.

Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in care of the funeral home, 601 Indiana St., Lawrence, KS, 66044.

Vivian Norma Johnson

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Funeral services for Vivian Norma Johnson, 96 of Lawrence, KS will be 11 am, Saturday, August 15, 2015, at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home and burial will follow at Washington Creek Cemetery, Douglas County.

Mrs. Johnson died Sunday August 9, 2015, at Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living.

She was born December 12, 1918, in rural Douglas County, the daughter of Robert Lee and Eva Martha (Flory) Markley. Her childhood was spent in Colorado, western Kansas, California, as well as Douglas County, attending eight different schools and graduating from Liberty Memorial High School in Lawrence in 1937. She was baptized into the Lone Star Church of the Brethren in 1947. Vivian volunteered as a cooking leader for the Lone Star 4-H club and taught Sunday school. She worked in Lawrence at Hallmark Cards, Woolworths, and B.F Goodrich for many years. Vivian also worked at M and M Office Supply for 24 years before finally retiring.

Vivian and her husband Frank were members of 5 Lawrence Square Dance Clubs and square danced for 30 years serving as President and many other duties in the clubs. Besides her love of square dancing she enjoyed biking, hiking, traveling and writing poetry. She was a member of the International 1918 Birthday Club from 1969 to 2004 and also a member of the Lawrence “No Name Club” and a square dance Friends Club for many years.

She married Frank Johnson in June of 1938. He preceded her in death in July of 1991. She is also preceded in death by a brother, Merle Lee in 1925 and sister, Yvonne Markley in 1993 and sister, Lila McMillen in 2011.

Survivors include two sons, Jim Johnson (wife Etha) of Lone Star and Robert Johnson (wife Fran) of Lawrence and one daughter, Cheryl Durrant (husband Jerry) of California and one sister, Flora Ott of Lawrence, 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Vivian’s family would like to thank Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living for the loving care and attention they gave to her over the last two years. They were greatly appreciated for everything they did.

Friends may call from 8 am to 8 pm, Friday, at the funeral home where the family will receive them from 6:30-7:30.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Lone Star Church of the Brethren or Visiting Nurses sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home.

Dorothy Jean Demby-Rayton

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Services for Dorothy J. Demby-Rayton, 56, Topeka, will be at 4p.m. Saturday at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Ms. Demby-Rayton died Friday, August 7, 2015, at St. Francis Hospital.

She was born on December 26, 1958, in Greenville, Mississippi, the daughter of Frank Demby and Maple Dentmond.

Preceding her in death father; Frank Demby, mother, Maple Madison-Dentmond and a brother, Nathaniel “Nate” Demby.

Survivors include a husband, Larry Rayton, Topeka; daughters, Natasha Demby-Rayton, Topeka and Danielle Demby-Pennington, Lawrence; and a son, Shamar Demby-Pennington, Topeka.

The family suggests memorials in her name to be sent in care of the funeral home.

Ramona Jane DeMint

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Services for Ramona Jane DeMint, 68, Lawrence, will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home.

Ms. DeMint died Wednesday, August 5, 2015, at her home.

She was born January 21, 1947, in Syracuse, Kansas, the daughter of Raymond Cecil and Emma Jane Thomas DeMint.

Ms. DeMint worked for the University of Kansas as a custodian. She enjoyed reading, knitting, dancing, and KU basketball. She was a member the Eagle’s Club, the Worden United Methodist Church, and has been a member of a church wherever she has lived. Ramona was an AVON sales rep. for many years, a great supporter of her children’s soccer games, loved going to Las Vegas, and collecting many things.
She was very involved with her children and family.

Survivors include a daughter, Patricia and husband Jim Thornton of Baldwin City; son, Wayne Jackson of Topeka; mother, Emma DeMint, of Eudora; brothers, Bob DeMint of Salina and Mike DeMint of Eudora; grandchildren, Sharelle Thornton of Baldwin City and Austin Wayne Jackson of Topeka; and great grandson, Jackson Gage Micheal Higgins of Baldwin.

She was preceded in death by her father.

The family suggests memorials to Susan G. Komen for breast cancer research, sent in care of the funeral home.

Maxine E. Whaley Egner

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Maxine E. Whaley Egner, 83, of Baldwin, KS, passed away on Thursday, August 6, 2015, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Maxine was born on July 17, 1932, in Hiawatha, KS, the daughter of Ulysses M. and Helen Cheatham Whaley. She grew up in the Mt. Zion community northeast of Hiawatha and graduated from Hamlin High School in 1950. Maxine received a secretarial certificate from a business college at Omaha, Nebraska.

She married Joseph A. Egner on September 20, 1952. They made their home in various places across the Midwest, following his employer, Williams Pipeline, until his death on July 10, 1986. After his death she moved to Baldwin, KS, to be near family.
Maxine enjoyed baking, gardening, and spending time with her family and friends.

She is survived by a brother, Lee Whaley, her six children, Michael Egner, Kathleen Trussell, Linda Egner, Timothy Egner, Daniel Egner, Mary Eickhoff, and their families.

A memorial service for Maxine will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home on Friday, August 14th. Visitation will be from 1:00-2:00 p.m. prior to the service. Private family inurnment will be held at Falls City Cemetery in Nebraska.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana St., Lawrence, KS, 66044.

James O. ‘Jamie’ Kelley

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KelleyJames Owens Kelley, known to his friends as Jamie, passed away August 4th at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, the result of a long illness. He was surrounded by friends and family who traveled hundreds of miles through the night to be by his side. He is survived by Shawn Kemberling-Kelley, his wife of fifteen years; six-year-old twin boys Jax and Croix; mother Charlene Flood-Johnson; father and second mother Ivan and Vi Kelley; sister and brother-in-law Monica and Sonny Hasvold; brother and sister-in-law Rusty and Patty Holiday; nephews Dacotah and Wyatt Hasvold; sister-in-law Charmaine Kemberling; donor sister Margie St Croix and family; along with many aunts, uncles, cousins, great nephew, and friends.

Born June 28, 1966 in San Francisco on a military base, his father, Ivan, was a Marine on his way to Vietnam. After Ivan’s deployment, his mother, Charlene, returned to Lawrence where Jamie was raised and lived most of his life. He graduated from Lawrence High School in 1984 and attended the University of Kansas, ultimately graduating from Haskell Indian Nations University with a Bachelors Degree in Business.

Jamie lived a truly remarkable life. Upon meeting him, you would learn that he was half Native American, half Irish and intensely proud of his heritage. He was a raucous force of nature. He lived hard and loved hard with a passion seeded deep in the marrow of his bones that would infect all those he touched. Jamie was larger than life, with an undeniable presence everyone felt. He was an instant friend to those fortunate enough to cross his path. For many, he became a best friend. He was constantly challenging people to be better. Any coarseness in his character was softened by an inherent sense of right and wrong. Jamie was at once mischievious, dangerous, kind, loyal, loving, thoughtful, considerate, but above all generous.

Jamie and Shawn Kemberling were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony on a ranch outside of Lawrence in 2000. Jamie was so excited when, upon giving their vows, he looked up to see an eagle circling in the sky above them. He took it as a blessing on their union- an auspicious sign. Jax and Croix, the loves of his life were born on June 26th, 2009 two days before Jamie’s 43rd birthday. He affectionately referred to them as “the twinadoes”, for good reason because they are wild and rambunctious like their dad. Jamie was an amazing father. He taught his boys to be polite and considerate. He was patient, parenting with thoughtfulness and love, understanding that boys will be boys, always challenging them to learn and grow. He wanted nothing more than to see his boys into manhood.

Throughout his hardships, Jamie was and remains the most positive person any of us ever knew. He never complained about the hand he’d been dealt. Instead, he wore each of his challenges as a badge of honor, proof of his strength and perserverence. His generosity was boundless and he was constantly an example to us to be and to give more. He was such a good friend and, in turn, taught us to be better friends, to live our lives to the fullest.

When Shawn announced his death she wrote simply, “Jamie is in the stars…”. Jamie was agnostic. His spirituality was rooted firmly in Native traditions, in nature, in the earth and the sky. He believed we never truly die, that our matter and energy are conserved and converted into something else, continuing on for eternity. Jamie will live forever in our hearts, kept alive through the stories we will share, forever in the heavens where we will fondly look to remember him.

A celebration of Jamie’s life will be Saturday September 5th at the family home, 530 N 955 Rd Lawrence, KS. Guests are welcome anytime after 1:00 pm with his rememberance at 3:00 pm.

At the behest of friends a memorial fund has been established: James Kelley Memorial Fund, C/O Central National Bank, 711 Wakarusa Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049.

Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway

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Robert “Bob” Hemenway, pioneering African American Literature scholar, lifelong educator, and 16th Chancellor of the University of Kansas, passed away on Friday, July 31, 2015, in Lenexa, Kansas. He was 73.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. August 9th, at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence, following a private burial service.
Hemenway, a graduate of the University of Nebraska Omaha (BA, ’63) and Kent State University (PhD, ’66), will be remembered for his seminal work, the first biography of Harlem Renaissance novelist Zora Neale Hurston, which was named a New York Times’ Best Book of 1978. Subsequent articles in the Times referred to the book as “groundbreaking” and “revelatory.” Hemenway’s work and original research is regarded as a principal force in the worldwide resurgence of Hurston’s fiction. When Hurston died penniless in 1960, none of her books were in print. Today, Hurston’s masterpiece Their Eyes Were Watching God is required reading for most high school literature courses.
He will also be remembered as a dedicated educator and community leader who had a career spanning nearly six decades as a professor, scholar, mentor, and administrator. After serving as Chair of the English Department at the University of Kentucky and Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma, he returned as Chancellor of the University of Kentucky’s Lexington campus, before being named Chancellor of the University of Kansas in 1995.
Affectionately known as “Chancellor Bob,” Hemenway led the University of Kansas to a top 30 ranking in the US News and World Report evaluation of all national universities. He also oversaw a renaissance of the University of Kansas Medical Center, culminating in a committed drive starting in 2006 to gain National Cancer Institute Designation, signifying the highest possible standards of national cancer research, an achievement which was realized six years later.
Even as he became an administrator, Hemenway never lost his passion for teaching and engaging with students. He led 7:30 am English and American Studies courses throughout his tenure as Chancellor. Hemenway also served as Chair of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education.
Upon retirement in 2009, his legacy was honored by the Dole Institute Robert Hemenway Award for Outstanding Public Service, and by the Robert E. Hemenway Life Sciences Innovation Center, a 200,000 square foot research facility on the KU Medical Center’s campus.
Around the university, Hemenway was known for his straw hats and warm, personable approach, often stopping to chat with students, professors, personnel, and parents during the regular campus walks he took with his wife.
Hemenway will be remembered by his wife of 34 years, Leah, as well as his daughter Gina Ruskamp (and husband Ron), his daughter Robin (and husband Gary), his son Jeremy (and wife Kim), his daughter Karintha (and husband Matthias), his son Langston (and partner Heather), his son Matthew (and wife Laura-Kathrin), his son Zack (and wife Meghan), his son Arna (and wife Marissa), as well as 12 grandchildren. He encouraged his children and students alike to always, in the words of Hurston, “jump at the sun,” because “we might not land on the sun, but at least we’ll get off the ground.”
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Robert E. Hemenway Scholarship at the University of Kansas. Gifts may be sent care of KU Endowment, P.O. Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Condolences may be sent at rumsey-yost.com.