Category: Obituaries

Buford E (Bo) Campbell

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Buford “Bo” Campbell, aged 71, passed away on June 20, 2024, in Cape Coral, Florida. Bo was born in 1952 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Bo spent most of his life in Lawrence, Kansas, where he graduated from Lawrence High School in 1970. Shortly after graduation, he served in the US Air Force.

Bo embarked on a successful entrepreneurial journey. In 1979, Bo founded Beau’s Painting & Decorating, a business he owned and operated until 2011. He also co-owned C & L Transport, INC. from 1997 to 2010, showcasing his business acumen and commitment to providing quality services. His life was not all work; Bo’s personal life was rich with interests such as camping, boating, and enjoying a good movie or comedy show on a big screen, always seeking to make the most of his leisure time. Dining out was another favorite activity, reflecting his zest for life and love for good company and a good laugh.

Bo’s personal life was marked by love and loss. He married Beverly Lutz in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in August 1978. Her passing in 2010 was a profound loss. He found love again and married Vickie Hitchens in December 2012 in Cape Coral, Florida, where he spent his later years. Bo is survived by his wife Vickie; his children, Brandi (Tom) McNish, Mekell Stowe, Christi (Joe) Sciarrino, and Jeff Campbell all of Lawrence, Kansas; his stepchildren, David (Jessica) Gleason, Missouri, and Stephanie (Brian) Koomen of North Carolina; his siblings, Kathy, and Steve Gibler, also of Lawrence. He also leaves behind twelve grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Bo was preceded in death by his first wife, Beverly, his brother Mike Gibler, his mother Shirley Gibler, and his stepfather Kendrick Gibler.

A visitation will be held on July 17, 2024, from 6-8 pm at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home in Lawrence, Kansas. Funeral services will take place the following day, July 18, at 11 am at the same location, followed by a procession to Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Brandi McNish, P.O. Box 1260 Lawrence, Kansas 66044. Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements during this difficult time.

Bo’s life, marked by dedication to his family, service, and community, will be deeply missed and forever cherished by those who knew him.

Darryl Dale Vande Vooren

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Darryl D. Vande Vooren was born in Sioux Falls, SD 1948. He was the 1st born son of Henry Vande Vooren and Gladys Vande Vooren.

In 1972, he married Cary L. Vande Vooren and lived in Rapid City, SD, and Lawrence, KS, until his death.

Darryl proudly served and retired from the US Navy and US Army National Guard. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 1975 as an Electrical Engineer. He worked for Control Data Corporation, Magnetic Peripheral Incorporated, which he was very fond of, and then SCI-Sanmina Corporation.

Death came early Saturday morning, July 13, 2024, in Lawrence, KS.

A private family viewing and cremation will follow.

Survivors: wife, Cary; Son David (Amy) and grandson; Sisters and Brothers Linda (Jerry), Rhonda (Tom), Mark (Wanda), and families.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Memorial Contributions to:

Wounded Warrior Project:
4899 Belfort Road Suite 300
Jacksonville, FL 32256

Or

https://tinyurl.com/mr32jyan

Kay Louise Hamilton

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Funeral Mass for Kay Louise Hamilton, 77, of Lawrence KS, will be at 10 am Saturday, July 20th at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dodge City, KS. Burial will take place at Ensign Cemetary in Ensign, KS. following the service. A Rosary will be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dodge City, KS on July 19th at 7pm.

Kay died Sunday, July 7th , 2024, at Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living, Lawrence, KS after a long courageous battle with cancer.

She was born July 26th , 1946, in Spearville, KS. the daughter of Paul and Vera Tully (Klenke). Kay graduated from Windthorst High School in 1964. She graduated from The Dominican School of Nursing in Great Bend Ks on May 28th, 1967.

Kay dedicated her life to nursing for nearly 50 years. She often talked about one of her first jobs in Denver, Colorado where she took care of many patients with broken bones coming down the mountain on the train. Even when she was not working as a nurse, she took numerous phone calls from friends, neighbors, and relatives asking about their different ailments.

While working at Dodge City Medical Center, Kay met her husband in 1972 after being set up on a blind date by Richard’s Aunt who worked with Kay at the medical center. On February 9th, 1974, Richard and Kay were married at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dodge City, KS.

Kay enjoyed cross-word puzzles, reading, bowling league, cross-stitch, watching sports on TV, especially the Jayhawks, Chiefs, and Royals. Kay loved cooking and was especially known for her delicious fried chicken and amazing pies.

She continued working part-time as a nurse and being a dedicated homemaker to her husband and 4 children. In 2014 Richard and Kay moved to Lawrence to be closer to their grandchildren. Most of all, Kay passed on her dedication to faith and serving others.

She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Richard; 4 children, Chad and wife Hilary (Lawrence, KS), Ramona (Kansas City, MO), Clint and wife Lisa (Cimarron, KS), Clark and wife Katlin (Topeka, KS); 3 grandchildren, Grant, Myra and Dynaste; 5 siblings,Peggy and husband Paul Conrardy, Dwight and wife Kathy Tully, Keith and wife Donna Tully, Tim and wife Cathy Tully, Tom and wife Scarlett Tully; numerous Nieces and Nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a niece, and two nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the LMH Health Foundation or American Red Cross, sent in care of Ziegler Funeral Chapel, 1901 N. 14 th Ave., Dodge City, Kansas 67801.

Thomas (Tom) G. Jerome

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Thomas (Tom) G. Jerome led a faith-filled life, born on August 15, 1939, in Seneca, Kansas to Clifford M. & Bernadine (Huerter) Jerome, and was raised in Buffalo, KS with 8 siblings and 5 half siblings.

Tom was an exceptional athlete, excelling in basketball, track, baseball, handball, racquetball, and later became an avid cyclist.

After studying at Neosho County Community College and Mortuary Science College in Dallas, TX, Tom worked at funeral homes in Chanute and Ark City before transitioning to education. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education from Pittsburg State University.

In 1967, Tom became the principal of Eudora’s Nottingham Elementary School, serving the community for 35 years. He also engaged in diverse roles including ambulance driver, body shop mechanic, mortician, and wedding photographer, and was an award-winning gardener.

Tom and his first spouse, Linda Campbell, had six children together. Following their parting, he remained deeply committed to his children into their adulthood with quiet generosity, never seeking recognition and always ready to offer more.

In 1989, he married Deloris Oliver (Thatcher) and gained a step-daughter, spending the next 35 years in a loving home filled with warmth and care.

Tom was an active member of Holy Family Parish in Eudora for decades, attending daily mass and serving as a communion minister and lector. He devoted his free time to exploring life’s deeper meanings through reading, devotion, and meditation.

Tom was predeceased by his parents, seven siblings, and five half-brothers. He is survived by his wife Deloris; children, Joe (Marilyn), Judy (Ed Odom), Pat, David, Diana, Michael (Angela); stepdaughter, Linzi; 14 grandchildren: Sarah, Matthew, Hannah, Lucas, Meghan, Alannah, Rebecca, Sofia, Maya, Rock, Amanda, Micaiah, Elliana, and Avery; and 3 great-grandchildren: Braedyn, Brecken, and Maddox; and brother, Jim, along with many loving nieces and nephews.

Tom will be deeply missed by his family and community. He was our steadfast support and comfort in challenging times, always there to guide and uplift us. We are grateful for his enduring love, wisdom, and the inspiring example of faith, hope, and charity he set, which will continue to resonate in our lives.

Tom’s Rosary and visitation will be on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, from 9-11 am, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am at Holy Family Parish, Eudora, 820 Birch St. Burial at Holy Family Cemetery and a luncheon in the parish hall will follow.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Eudora Schools Foundation or the Eudora Food Pantry in memory of Tom Jerome, sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1260 Lawrence, Kansas 66044.

Jean Lee Reiff

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Jean Lee Reiff, 80, of Lawrence, KS, died July 3, 2024 at Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living, with family by her side. She was born August 1, 1943, in Moline, IL, the daughter of Enoch and Lucille (Roussel) Lundahl. After graduating from United Township High School, she married Alvin Reiff of Kewanee, IL, on September 23, 1961, residing in Silvis, IL, until moving to Cambridge, IL, in 1968 to raise their four children.

Jean held a variety of secretarial and administrative assistant jobs. In 1988, when the nest had emptied, she and Al left Illinois for sunny Florida where she worked at Walt Disney World the next 12 years. She then lived for five years each in Las Cruces, NM, Branson, MO, and Moline IL, working for Tresco, Inc, VHC Brands, and Grace Lutheran Church in Davenport. She retired to Lawrence, KS in 2014.

An empathetic listener, Jean connected easily with people wherever she lived. She loved to be useful and generously volunteered her time and talent, whether sewing elaborate costumes for high school musicals or church pageants, crocheting soft blankets for newborns, preparing Bible study lessons, or simply sharing a moment to chat with a neighbor.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Alvin Reiff. Survivors include sons David (Sharron Howard) Reiff, Prescott Valley, AZ, and Daniel (Mary Jo) Reiff, Lawrence, KS; daughters Debra Landt, Las Cruces, NM, and Diane Reiff, Lenexa, KS. Other survivors include her brother, George (Darlene) Lundahl, East Moline, IL; grandchildren Talia Harris, Ian (Zoe) Ginn, Melanie Landt, Bevan Landt, Megan Cage; and great-grandchildren Artemis, Briar, Marigold and Grey Ginn and Trinity Harris.

Services will be at 10:00 am, Monday, July 8, 2024, at Grace Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Lawrence, with Reverend Mark Winton officiating. A public in-state visitation also will be available at Rumsey-Yost funeral home from 5-8:00 pm, Sunday, July 7.

Kimberly Lynn Wolff

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Kimberly Lynn (Williams) Wolff was the first daughter born to Stephen and Donna (Holmes) Williams on January 8, 1969 in Shawnee Mission, KS. She was later joined by sisters Marci and Chandra. Kimberly graduated from Lawrence High School in 1987 and attended Emporia State University and Pittsburgh State University where she received a degree in Education. She lived briefly in Sherman, TX as well. After teaching History and Geography, she began a career with Maupintour Travel, coordinating tours and traveling the world. She worked for Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas, Mid America Bank, the Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Kaw Valley, and most recently as the Partnership Development Specialist at Shawnee County
Parks & Recreation.

Kimberly was active in many activities while at Lawrence High School including track and basketball. She was a longtime member of the Kanwaka 4-H Club where she participated in a variety of projects and earned honors for her project work, leadership, and citizenship.

Kimberly married Jeff Wolff on November 24, 1995 in Lawrence, KS. They later divorced. Kimberly is survived by her children, Cole and wife Courtney, and daughter MaecyLynn; mother Donna Worley and stepfather Steven Worley; sister and brother-in-law Marci & John Walburn and their children Taylor & Grayson; sister Chandra Williams and her children Téadora and
husband Brandon Booth and their children Isla & Wren, Xander and Gillian and her daughter Esmé; her aunts Rosalind and Alma, her uncles Dick and Larry, and her many cousins; her in-laws Toni and Gary along with many other members of the Wolff family; and her childhood best friend Bobbie Ward-Hinds. She was preceded in death by her beloved father Stephen Williams.

Kimberly passed away June 18, 2024 at KU Med Center surrounded by her family. A celebration of Kimberly’s life will be held Friday, July 12 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Lawrence Union pacific Depot located at 402 North Second Street in Lawrence, KS. The family invites Kimberly’s
guests to wear bright colors in her memory and to share their special stories. Light appetizers will be served. The family has designated Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas or the Douglas County 4-H Foundation for memorials.

Lee Ann Bennett

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Lee Ann Bennett died Sunday, June 30, 2024 at home. Her husband, Jerry Whistler, was with her.

Lee Ann was born July 25, 1963, in Aurora, CO, the daughter of Elizabeth (Lych) and LTC. Eugene Bennett.

The fourth of five children, Lee Ann was raised in a military family that crisscrossed the US and Canada from Pennsylvania to Alaska multiple times.

Of the five children, she was the quiet one, Her calm, even-keeled and patient demeanor came in handy in a household of five rambunctious kids, as did her strong will.

Lee Ann grew up playing in forests and streams, and hiking mountains in Colorado (where her family owned property in Estes Park) and Alaska, the foundation for her interest in and love of plants, insects, animals, and the natural environment. Family members have fond memories of her running through fields, intervening when she came across others who were killing or torturing bugs. Rather than letting her mother kill spiders in the house, she volunteered to remove them herself. She picked berries in Alaskan bogs and collected mushrooms in Alaskan woods. She liked to run the bases in softball games, enjoyed ice skating, and made snow forts in subzero temperatures.

Raised in a scouting family, Lee Ann spent summers at Alaska’s Harding Lake Girl Scout Camp swimming, canoeing, and making crafts. Lee Ann taught herself to knit and crochet. Throughout her life, her inventive mind turned ordinary objects into original creations, art, decorations, and jewelry that filled walls, drawers and adorned her family home. She was the “MacGyver of repair,” fixing many a toy and stuffed animal for distraught siblings.

Lee Ann graduated from Leavenworth High School in 1981. At the University of Kansas, she earned a bachelor degree in Biology in 1986 and a degree in Psychology in 1992. She completed her master’s degree at the University of Kansas in Biology (Entomology) in 2000. 

While working on her masters, Lee Ann was employed as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Kansas Biological Survey (KBS) to identify various species of chironomids (lake flies, notoriously difficult to identify) in support of water quality studies in streams in Kansas and neighboring states. After completing her graduate studies, Lee Ann was employed at KBS as a Senior Research Assistant—Entomological Specialist. In that position her work was diverse, including data analysis, editing, training students, and working with actual specimens. She was especially keen on local outreach activities that included Kaw Valley Eagle Day, Earth Day, and Water Day.

Lee Ann married Jerry Whistler on December 18, 2009 In Lawrence. However, they began their life together much earlier in 1989. Despite both working at KBS but in different units, and only separated by two offices, they had never run in to one another at work. That meeting occurred on a late Spring evening at a local watering hole that both research units retired to most every Friday after work. Lee Ann spied Jerry from across the bar toasting a newly minted PhD by drinking beer from her tennis shoe. For Lee Ann, it was love at first sight!

Like many flatlanders, Lee Ann and husband Jerry heeded John Muir’s famous quote, “The mountains are calling and I must go”. Their favorite destination was Estes Park and nearby Rocking Mountain National Park. One of her favorite activities was listening to bugling male elks during the fall rut. Her eyes would light up at their sound. Lee Ann enjoyed every opportunity to get out in nature, and she and Jerry took many Sunday drives to local lakes and parks. They had a wonderful life together and considered themselves lucky to have one another.

Lee Ann’s deep love for her family was reflected in recent years by her care of her mother Elizabeth and her younger brother Kent. Lee Ann lived her life on her terms; no barriers deterred her from pursuing her own dreams and goals.

Lee Ann is survived by her husband, Jerry, her mother, Elizabeth, her siblings: Michele Bennett Light, Michael Wayne Bennett (Marina), Lyn Ellen Bennett (Scott), and Kent Bennett, and cat Kara-Zor-El.

A visitation will take place Saturday, July 13 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. 601 Indiana Street, Lawrence, Kansas, 66044. A private inurnment will take place at Pioneer Cemetery on KU West Campus.

Family has requested no flowers at this time, besides what they will provide themselves. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution in Lee Ann’s name to the Lawrence Humane Society, sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1260, Lawrence, Kansas 66044.

Darryl Lawrence Stone

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Darryl Lawrence Stone passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 20, 2024 under hospice care while a resident at Parkway Care Center in Edwardsville, Kansas; he was 80 years old. Darryl was born to Clayton Lawrence and Virginia Anne (Downey) Stone on March 3, 1944 and welcomed into the family by his five year old twin sisters, Frances Darleene and Donnis Jeanne.

Darryl was a life long resident of Lawrence, following in the footsteps of several generations of Kansas Stones including his great grandfather W.E. Stone, a Civil War Union Veteran and former board member in the Big Springs School.

Darryl attended Cordley Elementary and Lawrence Jr. High School. He graduated Lawrence High School, a member of the exceptional LHS Class of 1962. He was a student at KU until he was drafted into service during the Vietnam War. He received Basic and Advanced Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, before serving a year in country in Vietnam. He received his honorable discharge as a Specialist Class 5 in January 1969.

Mr. Stone worked in several varied positions through the years in Lawrence, including building high quality stereo speakers, in computer technology for Microtech Computers and in sales for Ace Hardware. He also managed an apartment complex for many years.

Darryl was a quintessential Renaissance man with a continuous thirst for knowledge and a boundless interest in many fields of study. He lived in the moment, had an infectious smile, and he loved music of every genre from Gospel to Jazz and Rock and Roll. He was a collector of books and music albums.

Darryl was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Donnis J. (Stone) Reinken and brother in law, William P. Reinken. He is survived by his sister Frances Darleene (Stone) Overstreet and brother in law, Joseph S. Overstreet, Jr, along with his nieces and nephews Debra Lynn (Reinken) McElroy, Michael (Michele) Reinken, Patrick (Cindy) Reinken; Jean Marie (Overstreet) Druffel and Craig Druffel, John J. (Melissa) Overstreet and Dawn V. Overstreet and five great nieces and nephews, as well as his many beloved friends, first and foremost his former wife and best friend, Jan Kraus and her family. He will be greatly missed.

Mr. Stone will be laid to rest beside his parents at the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Lawrence, followed by a celebration of his life by family and friends.