Obituaries
Editor’s Note: The SKR makes every effort to include obituaries for all deceased Catholics in the Diocese of Dodge City. If we fail to publish an obituary, contact Dave at (620) 227-1519 or Tim, (620) 227-1556, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
John “Jack” Mitchell, 67, of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Dodge City, died Aug. 1, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Carol Vogel; sons, John and Colin; brothers, Matthew Jr., Mark, Luke and Peter Mitchell; sister, Therese Harrington; three granddaughters and a great-granddaughter.
John “Luebbs” Luebbers, 67, of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Hoisington, died Aug. 1, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Joan Boor; daughter, Staci Urban; sisters, JoAnn Bieberle and Alice Smith; brother, Norbert Luebbers; and many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews.
Antonio Romo Jr., 18, of St. Helen Parish, Hoisington, died July 31, 2011. He was a graduate of Hugoton High School. Survivors include his parents, Antonio Sr. and Silvia Landa Romo; brother, Raul; sister, Melinda Urquidi; nephews, Ismael Jr. and Luis; and nieces, Emily Urquidi, Hayley Urquidi and Lupita Romo.
Jean Polzin, 81, of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Hoisington, died Aug. 1, 2011. She was a postmaster in Beaver, Kan., for 20 years retiring in 1991. Survivors include her aunt, Elsie Hinkley; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Teressa Carol (Nutt) Pfannenstiel, 55, of Sacred Heart Parish, Ness City, died July 31, 2011. Teressa taught at Ness City Elementary from 1983 to 2010. Survivors include her husband, Mike Pfannenstiel; three children, Amanda Buethe, Matt, and Keith; grandson, Noah Pfannenstiel; mother, Sonya Nutt; siblings, Sharon Kennedy, Carle Gatliff, and Jon Nutt; and many nieces, nephews, family and friends.
Ronald J. Karlin, 74, of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Rose of Lima, Great Bend, died July 30, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Dufford Wysong; a son, Doug; daughters, Kathy Hayes, Christi Roy and Diana Hocker; sisters, Lucille Davis and June Hillman; and nine grandchildren.
Richard J. “Dick” Stevens, 70, of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Rose of Lima, Great Bend, died July 31, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Marie Smith Ryan; a son, Rick; a daughter, Lyndi Hutchinson; a step-daughter, Terri Bauer; a sister, Sharon Brown; his stepfather, Robert Carothers; brother-in-law, Bill Smith; 12 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and his best buddy, Bandit.
Jerry Reames, 62, of St. Joseph Parish, Ellinwood, died June 28, 2011. He was a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer. Survivors include sons, Jerry Jr. and Chad; daughters, Shelly Gillenwater and Sarah Reames; stepfather, Ray Kincaid; sisters, Rena Spanier and Mary Ann Zink; and ten grandchildren. Father Charles Mazouch and 2LT Ryan Zink presided.
Margaret M. Brady, 88, of St. Mary Parish, Garden City, died Aug. 2, 2011. She is survived by her husband, Elwayne Brady; daughter, Connie Koestel Halbleib; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Luetta Mae “Lu” Jenisch, 81, of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Patrick, Great Bend, died Aug. 3, 2011. She served as a registered nurse for Dr. Findley Law in Ellinwood. Survivors include brothers, Dan and Richard; nephews, Bryan, Gregory, Andrew and Jason; and nieces, Julie Corbett, Sarah Jane Harter, Jill Stout and Jamie Immediato.
Catherine R. O’Hanlon, 95, of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Dodge City, died Aug. 2, 2011. Survivors include sons, John, Dr. Kenneth, Ray, Ron, Stephen and Tom Leroy; daughters, Kay Gaither, Linda Laurence, Carol Partridge, Sarah Parizek and Sharon Boyle; and many grandchildren.
Millard K. Barrett, 78, of Sacred Heart Parish, Larned, died Aug. 4, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Schinstock; sons, Kevin, David, Steven and Jeff; daughter, Jody Ary; sister, Joanne Baldwin, nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Patricia “Patty” Schiffelbein, 57, of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dodge City, died Aug. 8, 2011. She is survived by her husband, Raymond “Glen” Schiffelbein; daughters, Angela, Tricia, Jamie, Jennifer, and Cassandra; son, William; brothers, Bill, Robert, James and David; sisters, Elizabeth, Wanda, Kathy, and Donna; father-in-law, Ray “Whitey”; and 15 grandchildren.
Lewis J. Friess, 85, of Sacred Heart Parish, Ness City, died Aug. 8, 2011. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, 4th degree. He is survived by his wife, Angela Gabel Stecklein; four sons, Vince, Tim, Mark, and Brian; seven brothers, Elmer, Donald, Warren, Harold, Frederick, Daniel and Maurice; six sisters, Sister Janice (Bernadette) Friess, Anna Mae Ferguson, Mary Frances Flax, Rosella McLain, Janice Hornung and Cathy Ator; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Ann Kathleen Raven, 82, of St. John the Apostle Parish, St. John, died Aug. 10, 2011. She was a member of the St. John Altar Society and had worked for several years at the old St. John city library, and then at the Ida Long Goodman Memorial Library. She had also offered many volunteer hours for various organizations in St. John. Survivors include four sons, Mark, Kevin, Jason and Lance Raven; a brother, Jack Feist; a sister, Charlotte Kartsonis; eight grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren. Father Floyd McKinney presided.
Ernesto Perez, 70, of St. Anthony Parish, Pratt, died Aug. 15, 2011. He was a farmer. Survivors include his wife, Sahara Reyes Gonzale; sons Horacio, Gerardo, Dagoberto, Alejandro and Damian; daughter, Marely Perez; brother, Santiago; sister, Isidra Perez; and many grandchildren.
Spencer J. Kumle, 16, (formerly of Inman) died Aug. 11, 2011, in Cooper City, Fla. He was born March 30, 1995, to Bill and Marcia Glenn Kumle. Survivors include his parents; sisters, Alicia Matthews (Marshall) of Salina and Sara Kumle; nephew, Jordan Floyd of Salina; maternal grandmother, Dorothy Glenn of Fowler; and great-grandmother, Esther Martin of Meade. A Memorial Mass was celebrated at St. Joseph Catholic Church in McPherson, and burial took place at Fowler Cemetery.
Larry A. Reiser, 71, of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Rose of Lima, Great Bend, died Aug. 17, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Sue A. Hamill; a son, Mark A.; a daughter, Jennifer A. Reiser; a brother, Elmer; a sister, Jennie Ueckert; sister-in-law, Evelyn Reiser; and a grandson.
Chuck Sullivan, 83, of St. Anthony Parish, Lakin, died Aug. 16, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis A. Miltz; sons, Patrick, Steven and P.J.; daughters, Loretta Nykodym and Theresa Meyer; a brother, Tim; sisters, Kathleen Weishaar, Margaret Pianalto and Helen Sullivan; 13 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Jose Acevedo, 90, of St. Anthony Parish, Liberal, died Aug. 14, 2011. Survivors include sons, Rafael, Jose, Samuel, Heriberto and Tomas; daughters, Ofelia Villa, Kirina Gonzales, Maria Mata, Olivia Juardo, and Yolanda Fierro; brothers, Rafael, Refugio and Tranqullin; sister, Romana; and many grandchildren.
Cora Agnes Brennaman, 81, of St. Dominic Parish, Garden City, died Aug. 20, 2011. She is survived by her husband, Frederic Lee Brennaman; sons, John E. and Thomas W.; a brother, Leo Dorzweiler; sisters, Rosealie Wasinger and Mary Jane Thomas and 10 grandchildren.
Juan A. Perez, 37, of Liberal, died Aug. 20, 2011. Juan had served as a waiter at several restaurants in Liberal for 20 years. He is survived by his mother, Mannela Perez.
Tana Campbell Titus, 49, of Sacred Heart Parish, Halstead, died Aug. 21, 2011. Survivors include her son, Dustin; daughter, Dana Meyer; mother, Betty Stutzman; brother, Derrick Campbell; and five grandchildren.
Leonard F. Durler, 87, of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Dodge City, died Aug. 23, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn Heeke; sons, Dean and Claude; daughters, Marcia Harms, Joyce Burke and Karla Schinstock; a brother, Tony; a sister, Louise VanNahmen; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Colossians 1:24--2:3
Psalms 62:6-7, 9
Luke 6:6-11
Don't let 'Faithful America' group silence Catholics, critic warns
By KEVIN J. JONES
Washington D.C., Oct 3, 2014 / 12:04 am (CNA/EWTN News) - Internet activism sites like Faithful America, which has targeted Catholic bishops and other institutions in social media campaigns, show the need for Catholics to become media savvy and courageous in speaking out, one observer has said.
“Faithful America is an organization that uses the pretext of faith in an attempt to silence Christian witness that contradicts the political and cultural agenda of Faithful America,” charged Stephen White, a fellow in the Catholic Studies program of the D.C.-based Ethics and Public Policy Center.
“It is hypocritical for a group like Faithful America to use the Christian faith as a pretext for public action designed specifically to intimidate and silence Christian witness in the public square,” he told CNA Sept. 16.
The Faithful America website says it is “dedicated to reclaiming Christianity from the religious right.”
New translation is a plus for Catholics
By JAMES BRIEG
Microsoft Vista and “New Coke” have proven that not every change is for the better. Furthermore, when change comes to important elements of life, it is often resisted with the cry of “we never did it that way before.”
However, experts who are enthusiastic about the changes to the Roman Missal – the book that contains the prayers for the Mass – think the alterations are improvements that will lead to a deeper spiritual experience.
Reese Witherspoon says latest film inspires with Christian hope
By HILLARY MAST
Hollywood, Calif., Oct 3, 2014 / 04:09 am (CNA) - Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon stars in a new film about the Lost Boys of Sudan, which she says features strong Christian messages of faith in God and perseverance in the face of hardship.
“It is true in lots and lots of Hollywood scripts in my career, it is rare that you get the opportunity to make a film about something that has a great Christian message,” Witherspoon told CNA in a recent phone conference.
“Do these people in Hollywood not think that there’s an incredible majority percentage of America (that) is Christian communities?” she added with a laugh.
Based on true stories of Sudanese refugees, “The Good Lie” opens nationwide Oct. 3 and follows a group of Lost Boys – tens of thousands of mainly Christian children who were orphaned by the Sudanese civil war of 1983 to 2005 and were sometimes forced to be child soldiers – on their journey from their war-torn homes to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.
The role of angels: one author's push to shed light on the afterlife
By ELISE HARRIS
Vatican City, Sep 29, 2014 / 01:58 pm (CNA) - In an effort to show what Scripture tells us about “the beyond,” often obscured by a society that leans toward darkness, Fr. Mark Haydu has published a new book exploring the depiction of angels in art.
“There is a fascination in the world with the spiritual and the occult and the mysterious after death. We see it with vampires, we see it in popular books and television shows, etc.,” Fr. Haydu told CNA Sept. 29, the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
“I wanted to enter into that foray which is often very dark and somewhat evil and mysterious, to enter with the light of Christ and what Scripture has to say about the beyond.”
Scripture tells us a lot, he explained, noting that “so many of us have spiritual experiences with angels, with our guardian angels, with saints and with intercession, and so that whole area is enlightened by our faith so much and perhaps popular culture loses that.”
New Dodge City teacher publishes
‘Reflection of the Son’
“Reflection of the Son”, by Tony Frasco
Publisher: Spirit of Leadership
(Centennial, Colo., 2011) 168 pp.; $15.95
The following is reprinted with permission from the Denver Catholic Register.
A newly published book, written by a former seminary student who recently began teaching at Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Dodge City, is designed to help people pray the rosary and deepen their desire to know Scripture.
The book, “Reflection of the Son: A Scriptural Rosary Book and Marian Guide” (Spirit of Leadership, 2011) has all the earmarks of becoming a must-have for anyone who is looking for a deeper relationship with Christ.
Senators Roberts and Stabenow
hold ag field hearing on farm bill
‘Looking ahead: Kansas and the 2012 Farm Bill’
WICHITA, KS – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today hosted the committee’s Chairwoman, Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), for a field hearing on the farm bill. Key witnesses included Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz.
Senator Roberts said, “I am so proud to present the very best of Kansas Agriculture to Chairwoman Stabenow,” Roberts said. “We assembled an impressive witness list, starting at the top with Governor Sam Brownback, that will give the Senate a good look at issues facing Kansas farmers and ranchers as we begin debate on the next farm bill.”
Faith on Facebook? Author stresses need for 'digital missionaries'
By MAGGIE LAWSON
Boston, Mass., Oct 2, 2014 / 12:23 pm (CNA) - Catholic presence in social media is critical in reaching out to those who are lost or distanced from the Church, said Catholic executive and media expert Scot Landry.
“New Media is a great place of encounter,” Landry told CNA in a recent interview.
“Pope Francis is calling the Church to reach out to those who are lost in any way. One of the best ways for us to do that today is through being present in new and social media, in ways that allow us to befriend others, establish and deepen relationships, listen to them, and accompany them on their journey.”
In addition to helping the Archdiocese of Boston grow its new media ministry, Landry has served as a consultant and leader for numerous Catholic organizations.
He is currently the executive director of Catholic Voices USA, a communications training group that seeks to teach lay people to defend Church teaching in the media and public square.
Guatemalan Catholic community
welcomes Bishop Brungardt
By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
One by one they came to the front of the church -- women dressed in all the colors of the rainbow reflecting their rich, Mayan heritage, parents guiding their children by the hand -- to where Bishop John B. Brungardt stood waiting, a smile affixed to his face as he embraced each member of the Guatemalan Catholic community.
On Aug. 21, Guatemalan Catholics of Dodge City and the surrounding area offered an official welcome to their new bishop at a Mass celebrated by the bishop and Father Ted Skalsky at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in east Dodge City.