Wilma Earlene (Koger) Leach, age 81, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, December 11, 2019, at her home.
She was born September 25, 1938, in Neodesha, Kansas, the daughter of William Earl and Aileen Koger. Wilma attended Neodesha Schools and graduated from the Neodesha High School in 1956. She attended Junior Colleges part-time in Coffeyville, Ark City and Fort Scott.
She was married to Adin Leach on April 26, 1958, at the Holy Name Catholic Church in Coffeyville, Kansas.
Wilma worked at Mercy Hospital while living in Independence, Kansas and received training and education in pastoral care. After moving to Ft. Scott in 1990, Wilma began working at Mercy Hospital in pastoral care.
Wilma started Mother to Mother Ministry of Bourbon County, Kansas with a grant from Catherine’s Legacy in 1998. The mission was to serve single mothers or any person or family in need. Her service to those that she helped lasted almost twenty-two years until closing September 16, 2019 because of her health. Her ministry was made possible by the initial grant, some government programs, local individuals, organizations, and churches including many wonderful volunteers and benefactors.
Wilma is survived by her husband, Adin, of the home; daughters, Angie Plaisance and husband, Marc, of Peachtree City, Georgia, Amy Stephens and Mark Ferrell, of Independence, Kansas, Dee Dee O’Malley and husband, Mike, also of Independence, Alison Leach, of Ft. Scott, Kansas and Mimi Turner and husband, Josh, of Ottawa, Kansas. Also surviving are fifteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
Her son Alan Leach, of Washington, DC passed away in January of 2015.
Father Yancey Burgess and Father John Marconi will celebrate Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, December 18th at the Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Ft. Scott.
A graveside service will be held at 2:30 P.M. Wednesday at the Calvary Cemetery in Independence, Kansas.
The rosary will be recited at 6:00 P.M. Tuesday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Visitation will follow from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M.
Memorials are suggested to St. Mary’s Catholic School and may be left in 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.
On December 11, 2019, the Good Lord called a faithful servant home to glory. Ruth Fidelia (Culler) Wells, age 88, a former resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, entered her heavenly home on Wednesday evening at the Medicalodge in Girard, Kansas. She was born January 23, 1931, at the family farm home in Vernon County, Missouri. She was happily married to Kenneth Earl Wells on April 16, 1950, a union that lasted for over fifty-six years. God gave them six children; Steven E. Wells, Kathryn E. (Kathy) Wells, Deloris E. (Lorie) Wells, Faith E. Varner, Warren E. Wells and Dwayne E. Wells. Her surviving grandchildren are Melissa J. Love, Clifton Varner, Daniel Varner, Michael Wells, Cassandra (LeeAnn) Wells, Rose Wells, Matthew Wells and Jamie Judy. There are also several surviving great-grandchildren. Ruth is now enjoying seeing her Savior’s face and sharing Heaven with her husband who passed away August 1, 2006; two of her children were also awaiting her there, Warren and Deloris (Lorie). Ruth’s parents, William B. Culler and Mary (Marie) Leer Culler and brothers, William (Bud) Culler and John Culler are all deceased. Ruth has two younger siblings, Donna Marie Culler and Dorothy Jane Hicks.
Ruth loved family. She cared for children of all ages during her life. She was a teacher at a country school at the age of seventeen, after only one years of college. She was a teen Sunday School teacher in a Baptist church in Wichita. Ruth worked in the nursery at the First Southern Baptist Church and she was the primary care giver in the church nursery at Grace Baptist Tabernacle for 13 years. During the last few years of her life, she started a small church called Cross Road in the former Catt School building, in rural Fort Scott.
She was well known for her homemade pies and cast-iron skillet fried chicken. Her children’s friends were always welcome at any time to sit down at the supper table and enjoy farm raised meals. Ruth spent her last months telling others about her Savior, Jesus Christ in the nursing homes in southeast Kansas. Residents in the Girard facility called her “Grandma” and some would ask her to pray for them. She will be missed here on earth but she is welcomed up there in Heaven by her Creator and family members as well as Christian friends.
Pastor Bradley Friesen will conduct a graveside service, at 11:00 AM Tuesday, December 17, 2019 in the Deerfield Cemetery in Deerfield, Missouri. The family will receive friends on Tuesday from 10:00 – 10:45 AM, prior to leaving for the cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Bible Believers Baptist Church Mission Fund and may be left in 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.
Hayley Moore, 25, is the new Fort Scott National Historic Site Museum Technician, since Sept. 16.
Her hometown is Southern Pines, NC.
When Moore was growing up, every family vacation included visiting museums, a national park, or a historic site, she said.
“I particularly fell in love with museums and once I learned that there were people who had careers working in museums and taking care of objects, I immediately knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she said. ” I had never considered a career in NPS as I never knew that they had archival and museum collections. I had always associated national park sites with scenic views and outdoor activities, not museums.”
Serving the public is a part of her heritage, Moore said.
“Having a mother who is a teacher and a father in the army, I grew up seeing how devoted they were to serving the public and it inspired me to do the same,” she said. “I decided to pursue a position with the federal government. I was applying for every museum and archive job I could find and eventually I saw openings for museum and archives positions for the park service. Eventually, I received an offer and accepted a position as a digital archivist at Everglades National Park in Homestead, FL. When I accepted my first seasonal position at Everglades National Park, I had no clue what I was getting myself to.”
Her colleagues impressed her.
“I quickly fell in love with NPS’s mission,” she said. ” Being around my colleagues who were so passionate and knowledgeable about both cultural and natural resources of the park made me realize that the agency fit with what my career goals were.”
“There’s something at every national park for everyone whether it is history, science, or just being outdoors. It makes so many different types of subjects and activities accessible to the public all while trying to ensure the preservation of resources for years to come. For someone like me who went into museums, wanting to make sure objects were being preserved and taken care of, the National Park Service aligns with my career goals.”
“I began my career in the National Park Service last May when I took a seasonal job as a digital archivist at Everglades National Park,” Moore said. “During my six months, I drafted a standard operating procedure for digital collections, cataloged science permit deliverables for Biscayne National Park, assisted the museum technician with annual inventory, and did a full inventory of the archival collections.”
“It was an incredibly rewarding experience and a great introduction to the National Park Service as a whole, she said. “It made me step out of my comfort zone as I had never worked with science collections before and lived in a national park. One of my favorite things about the park was that you could just be driving to work and you could come across the wildlife of the Everglades such as pythons, alligators, and the great egret. ”
Her title at FSNHS is a museum technician.
“I am in charge of the care and management of both our museum and archival collections,” she said. “I am responsible for the housekeeping of our exhibit space, ensuring our objects are being cleaned…by the Department of Interior (DOI), NPS, and museum standards. I complete our Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) where I trap pests and collect data on what we might be in our exhibit spaces and could cause harm to our objects. I handle the accessioning and deaccessioning of objects and catalog objects using our collection management system as needed. I also complete our annual inventory and annual submission of our collections that are required by NPS’s Museum Management Program. I am also available to visitors if they have any inquiries regarding our collection.”
Moore, like many who work for the NPS, has worked in diverse places in the U.S.
“Before coming to Fort Scott, I was working as an intern at the National Catalog for NPS’s Museum Management Program in Harpers Ferry, WV, ” she said. “Previously I worked at Everglades National Park, volunteered at the Tufts Archives in Pinehurst, NC and interned at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, VA and the University of St. Andrews Special Collections Library in St. Andrews, Scotland during my college and graduate school years respectively.”
FSNHS history is fascinating to Moore.
“It’s a period in American history that not many tend to know about or talk about,” she said. “Growing up in a southern state where Civil War history is so prominent, there isn’t too much focus on the period before the Civil War. At our site, we focus on that area by interpreting that gap. We look at the daily life of soldiers in the new beginnings of the westward expansion of the United States, we’re one of only two NPS sites that has a history associated with the Mexican American War, and we are located where Bleeding Kansas took place. There’s so much packed into one site and it’s fascinating to be able to tell each of those stories, how they relate to one another, and the overall history of the United States. I can’t say I’ve worked at a place quite like this.”
MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension will host six regional workshops in February 2020 to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers. Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate the local economy. In 2019, 57 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.
“Farmers’ markets provide growers a wonderful opportunity to have real interaction with consumers, and a chance to tell their farm’s story,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri. “It’s also important for farmers to understand certain legal, safety and financial parameters before choosing to sell at a farmers’ market.”
Workshop topics will vary slightly by location. Main topics include:
Double Up Food Bucks Program and Accepting EBT
Food Safety and Regulations on Selling Meat, Eggs and Poultry
Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Certified Farmer Training
Marketing Tips
Produce Grower Panel
KDA’s weights and measures program will also offer free scale certification at the workshops for attendees.
Dates and locations for the Farmers’ Market events are as follows:
Saturday, Feb. 1—Iola: Allen Community College
Saturday, Feb. 8— Wichita: Sedgwick County Extension Office
Friday, Feb. 21— Olathe: KSU Olathe
Saturday, Feb. 22— Hiawatha: Fisher Center
Friday, Feb. 28— Beloit: Beloit First Christian Church
Saturday, Feb. 29— Leoti: Wichita County Community Building
Registration for the February workshops is now open. The cost is $20 per participant to cover the cost of lunch. Lunch will only be guaranteed to those participants who register prior to the respective workshop date. Registration for the workshops can be found at FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMworkshop or at local extension offices.
Onsite registration for the workshops will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m. The Wichita workshop will begin onsite registration at 8:15 a.m. and the workshop begins at 8:45 a.m., concluding at 4:30 p.m.
For more information, contact Robin Blume, KDA’s education and events coordinator, at 785-564-6756 or [email protected]. The workshops are funded by the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, the Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, and the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy. The Kansas Ag Growth Strategy has identified training for small companies via workshops as a key growth outcome for the specialty crop sector. The farmers’ market workshops will provide education through partnerships to help make Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses more successful.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces Mistletoe on Main Street, Downtown & Around will be held this Thursday evening,
December 12th, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Retailers in the downtown historic district and other locations throughout town will be decked for the holidays with great gift ideas and holiday décor for a fun evening of shopping!
Store locations will have hidden mistletoe that can be found and returned to the Chamber of Commerce in exchange for $10 in Chamber Bucks, and shoppers will also be able to enter their name in a drawing for a chance to win $50 in Chamber Bucks as well.
Fort Scott Nazarene at 1728 Horton, Fort Scott, KS will have services Christmas Sunday Dec. 22, 9:00 and 10:45 am. There will be a Christmas Eve Service Dec. 24, 6:00 pm.
The church’s mission statement: All things to all people, to share the Hope of Jesus.
“We will be finishing out our Christmas Sermon Series “Do You Hear What I Hear?” God wants to cut into the noise in your life and tell you something this Christmas,” said Pastor Virgil Peck.
Juanita Stocker, age 95, a former resident of Girard, Kansas, more recently of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, December 10, 2019, at the Olathe Hospice House.
She was born September 15, 1924, in Lamar, Missouri, the daughter of Fred and Ona Mae Fowler. She was a graduate of the Lamar High School. In earlier years, Juanita worked at the Fowler Café in Lamar which was owned by her family. She also worked for a short time for the ammunition plant in Parsons, Kansas. Juanita first married Stanley Pettibon. After Stanley’s death at an early age, Juanita married Truman Stocker in May of 1968. Juanita and Truman owned and operated their own farm near Girard for many years. They raised cattle and race horses. Juanita enjoyed sewing and quilting. She also loved to cook and was known for her delicious pies.
Survivors include two sisters, Frieda Davis, of Jasper, Missouri and Wanda Felts, of Lamar, Missouri. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews including Todd and Sherry Beerbower who provided for her care.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Stanley, in 1966, and her husband, Truman, in 2016. Also preceding her in death were a brother, Fred Fowler, Jr. and a sister, Margie Gardner.
Rev. Eric Going will conduct funeral services at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, December 14th at the Cheney Witt Chapel in Ft. Scott.
A graveside service will be held at 12:00 P.M. Saturday at the Lake Cemetery in Lamar, Missouri.
Memorials are suggested to the Guest Home Estates Activity Fund and may be left in 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.
The Golf Course Advisory Board will meet on Thursday, December 12th, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at Woodland Hills Golf Course, 2414 S. Horton. The meeting will take place in the clubhouse. This meeting is open to the public.
FortScott.Biz is seeking submissions via [email protected] for Bourbon County church services surrounding Christmas.
Please include: name of the church, address, Christmas services offered the community, times of those services and if desired, list the mission statement of the church.
A statement from the pastor would be an additional part of the feature.
Please include a photo of the church, if possible.
