Retha Lynn Ross, age 46, a resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Thursday, July 19, 2018, at the Mercy Hospital Emergency Room. She was born April 4, 1972, in Girard, KS, the daughter of Jerry Sowder and Vivian Allen Moore.

She was adopted and raised by her paternal grandparents, C.A. and Doris Wimberley. She graduated from Fort Scott High School with the class of 1990. She then went on to receive her RN degree from Fort Scott Community College Nursing Department. She worked as a nurse for over 10 years. She married David Ross on December 28, 1991, in Fort Scott.

Retha enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren, gardening, going to the casino, being a military mom, and being helpful to anyone who needed it.

Survivors include her husband David of the home; biological mother, Vivian Moore, Ft. Scott; maternal grandmother, Enid Large, Ft. Scott; three sons, Timothy, Matthew, and Dylan Ross, all of Ft. Scott; one daughter, Elizabeth Ross, Fort Scott; two brothers, Paul Hood, Booneville, MO, and David Large, Branson, MO; and several grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her father and paternal grandparents.

Rev. Chuck Russell will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Friday, July 27^th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 Thursday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Retha Ross Memorial Fund and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Elvis “Willard” Bruner, age 83, a resident of Fort Scott, KS, went to be with the Lord on Friday, July 20, 2018.

He was born on October 4, 1934, on his parent’s farm near Mapleton, KS, the son of Walter Eberly Bruner and Agnes (Mackie) Bruner. He married Darla Manderscheid on June 4, 1960, in Fredonia, KS.

He was a member of the Church of Christ.

Willard was the fifth of nine children.

He began helping his dad with farm work at a young age and by the age of 8, he was driving horses on a forklift to pull hay into the hay barns. By the age of 12, his dad shifted to using a tractor for farm work. They also raised cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens, and ducks. They grew a large garden and his mother canned food.

Willard was a true country boy and he enjoyed hunting squirrels and rabbits, fishing and swimming. He went to school in Blue Mound, KS, and enjoyed playing basketball, football, and track. He worked on his dad’s farm until he was 22. He then went to work on the Kansas Turnpike for eight weeks and earned enough money to buy his first car, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air.

Willard served in the Army from 1957 to 1959. He received mechanic and machinery training and was in the Post Engineers. While in the Army, he was stationed in France.

After serving in the Army, he returned to farming with his dad. In 1960, Willard and Darla moved to a farm near Mound City and he farmed with his dad and brother.

They moved to their current residence in Fort Scott in 1962, where they raised their children, Donna, Sharon, and Ernest. There, he farmed, raised cattle and hogs, gardened and worked at various jobs in and around Fort Scott.

After retirement, he enjoyed working on small engines, lawn mowers, and gardening. However, his greatest joy came from his family and serving the Lord. He was always smiling and never knew a stranger.

Survivors include his wife Darla of the home; two daughters, Donna Graham and husband William, Joplin, MO, and Sharon Bruner, Roeland Park, KS; a son, Ernest Bruner and wife Stephanie, Overland Park, KS; two sisters, Venita Miller, Garnett, KS, and Marilyn Bruner, Ft. Scott; six grandchildren, Lindsay Johnson, Cassandra Bailey, Jennifer Bruner, Khaled Graham, Donovan Graham, and Shanece Grimm;  seven great-grandchildren and two on the way; and numerous nieces and nephews

. He was preceded in death by five sisters, Pauline Seitz, Lorraine Wilcox, Leora Ross, Shirley Ball, and an infant; two brothers, Virgil and Joseph Bruner; and his parents.

Jim Herman will conduct funeral services at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, July 25, 2018, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Memory Gardens Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 Tuesday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Willard Bruner Memorial Fund and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Lawrence E. “Shorty” Brown, 90, of Rural Fort Scott, passed away Sunday, July 15, 2018, at Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott.

He was born April 26, 1928, in Richards, Missouri, the son of Francis Marion and Stella G. (McDaniel) Brown. He married Flossie Ruth Nance July 30, 1950, in Pawnee Station, Kansas. She preceded him in death December 6, 1991.

Shorty served in the Korean War with the US Marine Corps from March of 1952 until August of 1953. He was a dairy farmer and rancher, and he was a member of the Hiattville United Methodist Church. He was also a member of the Devon Masonic Lodge #92.

Shorty’s greatest joy was spending time with family, spoiling the grandchildren, and working on the ranch. He also enjoyed restoring antique steamer trunks as a hobby.

Survivors include his sons, Rocky J. Brown and wife Barbara, of Fort Scott, Kansas, and Macky M. Brown and his wife Heather, of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas; three grandchildren, Angela M. Bin, Timothy D. Brown and his wife Nicole, and Kaitlyn M. Brown; eight great-grandchildren, Levi N. Bin, Emmalee M. Bin, Austin C. Collins, Nicholas B. Ragan, Makenzie R. Brown, Abbigale A. Brown, Owen D. Brown, and Lillie M. Brown; and Coleene Lockwood, longtime special friend.

In addition to his wife Flossie, Shorty was also preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Melvin “Brownie” Brown, his wife Margaret “Teenie” Brown; a sister, Betty “Peggy” Clarkson, and her husband Richard “Blackie.”

Rev. Dallas Peterson will conduct funeral services at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 24, 2018, at the Konantz-Cheney

Funeral Home with burial following at Memory Gardens Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Monday evening, July 23, 2018, 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

Military Honors at the cemetery will be conducted by the Olson-Frary-Burkhart Post 1165 Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Detail. Masonic services will also take place at the cemetery and be conducted by the Devon Masonic Lodge #92. Memorial contributions may be made to The Beacon, or the Hiattville United Methodist Church, and left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, PO Box 309, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.

Roger “Butch” Matson, age 78, a resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Thursday, July 19, 2018, at his home, of stage IV esophageal cancer.

Mr. Matson was born August 26, 1939, in Pittsburg, KS, the son of Glenn Matson (Kirkwood, KS) and Elsie Standley (Monmouth, KS). He was a lifetime resident of Southeast Kansas. He attended Pittsburg schools and graduated from College Heights in 1957.

He married Judith Sayre on January 20, 1962, in Pittsburg. Mrs. Matson survives at the home on Maple Road, where they have lived since 1994.

Mr. Matson was employed by the Kansas National Guard, which he joined at age sixteen. He was retired from the Guard as Sergeant First Class in 1999. In retirement until shortly before death, he worked as a master electrician. Mr. Matson was a member of the First Church of God, Fort Scott, for over fifty years. Recently he was designated as a Lifetime Trustee, having served the church in many volunteer roles.

He is survived by his wife; one son, Quinton, Kansas City, MO; two daughters, Quita Coffman, Ft. Scott, and Dana Noe, Girard, KS; one sister, Patsy Ferrell, Woorster, OH; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents.

No funeral service will be held. Friends may call on the family from 2:00 until 3:30 PM Sunday, July 22^nd, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Cremation will follow.

Private family interment in the U. S. National Cemetery, Ft. Scott, will take place at a later date. The family suggests expressions of sympathy be in the form of memorials to the Wounded Warrior Project and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, P.O. Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Mary Jo Pellett, age 88, a resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Sunday, July 15, 2018, at the Mercy Hospital E.R.

She was born May 16, 1930, in Ft. Scott, the daughter of Bert Edgar and Bertha Matkin Edgar. She graduated from Fort Scott high school with the class of 1947. Shortly after graduation, she began working for Western Insurance Company in Ft. Scott. She worked there for almost 42 years, retiring in 1988.

She married Joseph Pellet on April 12, 1953, in Ft. Scott. He preceded her in death on January 10, 1998.

Mary Jo enjoyed camping, crocheting, quilting, and visiting flea markets. She was a devoted member of St. John’s United Methodist Church, serving for several years as church secretary and treasurer.

Survivors include a nephew, Gary Davis and wife Linda, Ft. Scott; three  nieces, Connie Peterson and husband Dallas, Girard, KS, Linda DeMott and husband Gary, Ft. Scott, and Carol Graham and husband John, Parker, CO; 12 great nieces and nephews; 10 great-great nieces and nephews; brother-in-law Gene Davis; and special friend Bill Lawrence. Besides her husband Joe, she was preceded in death by a sister, Patricia Davis; and her parents.

Rev. Gary DeMott and Rev. Dallas Peterson will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Friday, July 20^th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

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

The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 Thursday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to St. John’s United Methodist Church and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, P.O. Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

SMSgt Garice William “Bill” Winship, 90, of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away peacefully at his home Friday evening, July 13, 2018, with his loving wife of 66 years at his side.

He was born on November 19, 1927, on the family farm in Uniontown, Kansas the son of James E. and Blanche Alma (Folk) Winship.

After graduating from Uniontown High School in 1946 he joined the United States Air Force. He worked on Navigation equipment on bombers. His first assignment was to Japan and when he returned on leave, his sister introduced him to Emma Jean Powell they would later marry on October 14, 1951, in Mapleton, Kansas, she was the love of his life. During his 20 year career where he rose to the Rank of Senior Master Sargent, he was stationed at Biggs field in El Paso, Texas, and Turner Field in Albany, Georgia, he retired in June of 1966. He then went to work for IBM in Kansas City, Missouri as a Computer Technician and retired in April of 1983 after 17 years. After retirement, he enjoyed woodworking and traveling with his wife, Emma Jean.

In addition to his wife, Emma Jean of the home, he is survived by a son, James and wife, Debbie Winship of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, a daughter, Wilma Jean and husband Tony Boyce of Fredericksburg, Virginia, five grandchildren: Kyle Winship and wife, Becky, Jarrod Winship, Alaina Winship, Brittana Morelock and husband Jordan, and Alexandra Boyce; and five great-grandchildren, Emma, Matthew, Carter, Cordell and Harper. He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, Dwight, Jimmy, Donald, and Elzola Winship and a sister, Wilma Wright.

Many thanks to Integrity Home Care and Hospice for the wonderful care given Bill during his last year, his wonderful neighbors, Calvin and Carolyn and John and Joyce, and his special doctors, Gerald Mancuso and David Peters.

Graveside services for Bill Winship will be at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 17, 2018, at the National Cemetery in Fort Scott, Kansas, under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

Family and friends will meet for a Visitation at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday at the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home. Military Funeral Honors will be provided by the Memorial Detail from Whiteman Air Force Base.

The family suggests memorial contributions to Lee’s Paws and Claws Animal Shelter, contributions may be sent to, or left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, PO Box 309, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.