Pauline (Finkenbinder) Fecht

May 6, 2026

Pauline (Finkenbinder) Fecht passed away at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Garden City on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at the age of 94. She was born in Garden City on July 19, 1931, to Paul Harden Finkenbinder and Amy Clyde (Kellum) Finkenbinder, who were long-time residents of Syracuse.    

Pauline graduated from Syracuse High School. On January 15, 1950, Pauline married Albert “Bob” Fecht. To this union, four children were born – Dalene, Dale, Garrlet, and Darrell.

Pauline loved writing. She was an author and long-time member of the Kansas Authors Club. Fecht was known for her participation in the “A Day in My Community” series by the Kansas Historical Society, where she contributed a letter titled, A Day in My Community: October 11, 2001. This work reflected her personal and community experiences, offering a firsthand perspective on local life.

She also contributed to the CAPPER’s Weekly Readers’ series, My Folks, which collected true pioneer stories from Kansas residents. In 1955, she submitted a piece about her family’s Civil War experiences, recounting how her grandfather served in the Union Army while his brother served in the Confederate Army. This story was included in the first My Folks book, My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon, published in 1956.

Fecht’s literary contributions are part of a broader legacy of preserving Kansas history and oral traditions. Her work in both historical documentation and community storytelling highlights her role as a cultural steward and author in the state.

These contributions place Pauline Fecht as both a writer and a community historian, helping to keep Kansas’s past alive through personal narratives and historical documentation.

Pauline was a member of the Kansas Association for Family and Community Education (FCE) through K- State Extension. She also loved genealogy, traveling to Germany to research her family’s lineage. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Amy Clyde Kellum and Paul Harden Finkenbinder; husband, Bob Fecht; sister, Velma Finkenbinder Appl; daughter, Dalene Fecht Lewis; and son, Dale Fecht. 

Pauline is survived by sons, Garrlet (Chris) Fecht, Darrell (Cindy) Fecht; granddaughters, Annette Lewis Vemuri (Goutham), Babette Lewis Dixon (Rick), Patti Lewis Selikoff (Scott), Cozette Lewis, Katie Lewis Dunn (John); grandson, Gage Fecht; great grandchildren, Anna and Meghan Vemuri, Olivia, Sophia and Elysia Selikoff, Mary Grace and John Dunn.

Funeral services will be held at the First Christian Church, 311 N. Main St., Syracuse, on Friday, May 8, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. MST.  Interment will follow in the Syracuse Cemetery in Syracuse.  

Memorial contributions may be made in Pauline’s name to Valley Funeral & Cremation, P.O. Box 950, Lamar, Colorado 81052.  To leave online condolences, please visit www.valleyfuneralcremation.com.