All Obituaries

US Army Col. Ret. Joseph B. "Joe" Turney, 95, of Baldwin City, KS passed away Thursday, July 30, 2020 at Vintage Park, Baldwin City, KS. He was born February 28, 1925 in Ridgeway, TX the son of Boman and Ida Lue (Patterson) Turney. He grew up and graduated 1943, from Hugo High School in Hugo, Oklahoma. He won the Oklahoma State Boxing Championships while in High School. Joe enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 as a Carpenter's Mate and served in the Pacific Theatre with...

Cecil Roy Prescott, 70, of Burlingame, KS passed on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 from lung cancer. He was at home, with family around him. Cecil was born Feb. 16, 1950 in Eskridge, KS. He was a Vietnam Veteran and served aboard the USS Juneau and was also a member of the VFW Post 1650, Topeka, KS. Cecil worked for Vincent Roofing, Topeka, KS for 33 years and with Spencer Construction for 12 years. He loved playing music, fishing, hunting, making gun stocks and repairing most anything he...

Gail Matthew McGhee, 85, of Baldwin City, KS died Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at Olathe Hospice House, Olathe, KS.  Gail was born October 23, 1934 in Caney, KS the son of Marley McGhee and Lillie (Coker) McGhee.  Gail grew up in Caney, eventually moving to Haven, Kansas where he lived for fifty years.  While in Haven, Gail worked as an airplane mechanic for the Air National Guard in Hutchinson, KS.  He then went on to a 17 year career as an HVAC Technician for Husman...

Charles "Chuck" Roy Waetzig, 91, Carbondale, Kansas, passed away Monday, July 13, 2020, at his home. He was born October 15, 1928, at Carbondale, Kansas. He was the son of Alfred Edward and Emma Julia Purdy Waetzig. He grew up in Carbondale and graduated from Carbondale High School in 1946. Chuck served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956 overseas in Germany.  He worked for the State of Kansas as a Construction Inspector from 1969 until retirement in 1991.  He...

Robert E. Beaver, 87, of Little River, KS passed away from natural causes on June 28, 2020. He will be dearly missed by his 6 children, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents Levi and Florence, his brothers Levi, Kenneth and Joseph, and his sisters Dicie, Laura and Carol. Born to Levi and Florence Beaver on April 9, 1933 in Iola, KS Bob encountered a few challenges in his early life. Nonetheless, he matured into a loving, accepting man who...

Douglas E. Pope, 81, of Ottawa, Kansas died Thursday, June 25, 2020 at Advent Health Ottawa. Douglas was born May 25, 1939 in Waverly, KS, the son of Clarence Pope and Pansy (Stine) Pope.  He grew up in Waverly graduating from Waverly High School with the class of 1957.  He then attended Emporia State University for a year. He moved to Ottawa in 1962. He served his country in the United States Army and Army National Guard from October of 1960 to October of 1966, attaining the...

William “Bill” Donald Petersen, Jr., 61, of Pomona, Kansas died Sunday, June 21, 2020 at the St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Bill was born September 11, 1958 in Smithville, MO, the son of William Donald Petersen, Sr. and Verda Belle (Maley) Petersen.  He moved to Pomona in 1986 from Kansas City, KS. He worked in the construction industry for over 44 years.  He truly loved his work.  He was a building engineer for MC Lioness Realty.  Bill...

Merlin Clifford “Skeet” Bevitt passed away on June 20, 2020 in Topeka.  Skeet was born on November 16, 1927 in White City, Kansas to Merlin and Dessie (Hohman) Bevitt. He grew up near the Valencia and Silver Lake communities and in southern Shawnee and northern Osage counties, and attended Auburn High School. He married his childhood sweetheart, Doris Parrish, in 1948 and they made their home in the Highland Park area of Topeka. There they welcomed two children, Karen and Steve,...

Gary Ray Lee Powell, 30, of Chanute, KS died Friday, June 19, 2020 at Kansas University Hospital, Kansas City, KS. He was born July 22, 1989 in Indio, CA the son of Gary Duane Powell and Veta Mensch.  Gary attended Chanute High School but graduated in Rogers, Arkansas.  Gary was a food service manager and chef during his professional career.  He managed several different food company stores in eastern Kansas and spent one summer as a personal chef in...