Otis B. “Otie” Thomas passed away Saturday, April 19, 2025, at the Presbyterian Village in Fort Scott, KS.  He was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin in 1933, the son of Francis C.O. Thomas and Gjerdis J. Thomas. Growing up together with older sisters Marie and Carolyn, he graduated in 1951 from the Griffith Institute in Springville, New York. He next matriculated at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, graduating in 1955 with a B.A. degree in Business Administration. Following university study and ROTC training, Otie married Helen Gillette of Briar Hill, New York and became an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving for four years and ultimately rising to the rank of Captain.

Upon leaving military service, Otie began a long and distinguished career in the graphics profession, serving a series of prominent national and international companies, including Graphic Controls (Buffalo), Fasson/Avery Dennison (Cleveland), Contact Products (Dallas), and Ward-Kraft (Fort Scott). Later in his career, he burnished his reputation for excellent customer service with his company Forms & Labels by Thomas and Graphic Resources/Liberty Labels. Following Helen’s passing in 2012, Otie married Thelma Wurtz of Fort Scott, Kansas in 2015.

While his older sisters have passed on, Otie is survived by close friends and family, including Michael McWilliams (Stanford, California) and Jennifer Froats-Washington (Dallas, Texas) together with nephews and nieces Christine Telfer (Bend, Oregon), Geoff Horn (Navasota, Texas), James Horn (Holly Lake Ranch, Texas), John Horn (Portland, Oregon) and Susan Craven (Denton, North Carolina).

Wherever he lived and worked, Otie was a tireless supporter of church and community, a sensitive and caring friend, and a devoted fan of his favorite local and national sports teams, forever optimistic that next season might be better.

We will all miss Otie’s irrepressible smile, his boundless spirit and his steady friendship. It has been a privilege for us all to have been a part of his very rich life.

Rev. Sarah Gengler will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Monday, April 28^th, at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Scott.

Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 9:30 AM Monday until service time at the Church.

Memorials are suggested to Presbyterian Village Fort Scott and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted online at cheneywitt.com.

Frederick F. “Fred” Campbell, Jr., 94, of Fort Scott, passed away Friday evening April 11, 2025, at Guest Home Estates. He was born December 6, 1930, in Fort Scott, Kansas, the son of Frederick F. Campbell, Sr., and Ola Mae (Morris) Campbell. He married Viola M. “Vi” Johnson September 2, 1951, and she preceded him in death on March 14, 2025.

Fred graduated from Fort Scott High School, and also from Fort Scott Community College. He served in the United States Navy from January 1949 to January 1950. He later graduated from WSU.

Fred was a life-long resident of Fort Scott, and a member of the St. John’s Global Methodist Church. He was an educator, teaching for many years for USD234 before becoming Superintendent for the district.

Fred is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Bush; four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. In addition to his wife Vi, he was also preceded in death by his son, Joseph Frederick Campbell; his daughter, Nancy Marie House; his brother, Phillip M. Campbell, and two sisters, Donna Campbell, and Mary Ellen Dickerson.

Pastor Jim Brackett will officiate funeral services for Fred at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025, at the Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. followed by burial at the Maple Grove Cemetery, under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. John’s Global Methodist Church and may be left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, KS, 66701. Friends and family may sign the online guest book and share memories at www.konantzcheney.com.

Raymond L. Robinson, age 44, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Saturday, April 19, 2025.  Rev. Marty Dewitt will conduct funeral services at 10:30 A.M. Friday, April 25^th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.  Private burial will take place in the Robinson Family Cemetery near Redfield, Kansas.  Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.