Wayne D. Nelson
Wayne D. Nelson, 89, of Topeka, passed away Wednesday, September 11, 2024.
He was born December 13, 1934, in Sylvia, Kansas, the son of Clifford C. and Alice (Harmon) Nelson. He was a 1952 graduate of Nickerson High School, Nickerson, Kansas and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the University of Kansas. He served in the U.S. Army from September 17, 1954 until being honorably discharged on September 14, 1956.
Wayne began his banking career at Hutchinson National Bank, Hutchinson, and later served as President of banks in Syracuse, Tribune, and Gorham, retiring in October 31, 2009.
Summers were spent at the ballpark, coaching Joyce’s softball team, and coaching and officiating his sons’ games. He was also a Boy Scout leader, and a member of several civic organizations.
Wayne married Joyce E. Paepke on December 28, 1958 in Arlington. She survives in Topeka. Other survivors include three sons, Mike (Gwen) Nelson of Topeka, Scott (Deanne) Nelson Fishers, Indiana, and Tom (Julie) Nelson of Enid, Oklahoma; five grandchildren, Paul (Brittany) Nelson, Haley (Travis) West, Lauren Nelson, Joshua Nelson and Gabrielle Nelson; four great-grandchildren, J.P. Nelson, Connor Nelson, Avery Nelson and Grayson West; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, Carol and Glen Nelson.
Wayne loved spending time with family, especially his grandchildren, and was an avid fan of the Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas City Royals and Chiefs, and Fort Hays State Tigers.
Honoring his request, cremation is planned. A celebration of life ceremony will be at 2:00 p.m., Friday, September 20, 2024, at Dove Cremations and Funerals, Southwest Chapel, 3700 SW Wanamaker Rd, Topeka, where a reception will follow until 4:00 p.m.
A graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 21, 2024, at Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Kansas.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Gorham Community Development Association, P.O. Box 24, Gorham, KS 67640.
To leave a special message for the family online, visit www.DoveTopeka.com.
OBITUARIES
Donovan Anderson
Donovan Anderson passed away February 16, 2025. He was born May 28, 1953 to the late Doris and Darrel Anderson. He is survived by children, Shane Anderson of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Tanya (Eric) McSwan of Amarillo, Texas; siblings: Debbie (Rod) Meltabarger of Cassville, Missouri;... [More]
Patricia “Pat” McKinley
With profound sadness. we say goodbye to Patricia McKinley (Pueblo, Colorado), born in Goodland, Kansas, whose vibrant spirit touched the lives of many. Patricia left this world on February 16. 2025 at the age of 80, leaving a void in the lives of so many people. She... [More]
Keith Smyth
Keith Smyth, 89, of Campbell, California, passed away on February 20, 2025. He was born Aug. 10, 1935 to James and Violet Smyth of Tribune, Kansas. Keith graduated from Greeley County High School in 1953. After high school, Keith worked for the Missouri Pacific... [More]
Beth Ann (Myers) Tenan
Beth Ann (Myers) Tenan, Fort Collins, Colorado, passed away Tuesday, February 25, 2025, to our Lord and Savior peacefully in her sleep after a long and courageous battle following her stroke four years ago. Beth Tenan was born May 1, 1971, in Wamego to Byrom Myers and... [More]
Vayrena Dee Hamilton
Vayrena Dee Hamilton, age 59, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 12, 2025, in Clearwater, Kansas. She was born on February 22, 1965 in Tribune, the daughter of Harlan D. And Judith V. Campbell. She was a lifelong resident of Tribune. Vayrena graduated Greeley County... [More]
Ronald Lehman
Ronald Lehman, age 77, passed away on Monday, January 6, 2025, at the Greeley County Health Center in Tribune, Kansas. He was born on November 4, 1947, in rural Greeley County, Kansas to Lawrence & Maxine Carter Lehman. He lived his entire life in Tribune... [More]
Walter Donald Waldren
Walter Donald Waldren, age 82, passed away on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at his home in Selkirk. He was born on October 19, 1942, in Syracuse to Walter Benjamin and Leona Regina Younger Waldren. He was a lifelong resident of the area, having grown up in Tribune and making... [More]
Bonnie Jean Larkin
Bonnie Jean Larkin, 81, died January 9, 2025, at Greeley County Long Term Care in Tribune. She was born September 25, 1943, in Great Bend, the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Edna Gasena (Behrens) Appel. Bonnie was a long time Greensburg, Kansas resident. She attended... [More]
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- John “Johnny” Schulz
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SPORTS
Jackrabbits secure 2-point win over La Crosse, fall to Claflin-Central Plains Oilers
Photo caption: The Jackrabbits were sub-state runner ups. Pictured kneeling from left to right are Rowdy Grubb, Hayden Myers, Marco Coello, Taven Schmidt, and Braxon Mangan. Standing, from left to right, are Assistant Coach Drew Zerr, Ryland Myers, Guilherme Evans, Aidan Hill,... [More]
Coach Josh Gooch becomes winningest coach in program history
With last Monday’s sub-state win, Head Boys Basketball Coach Josh Gooch became the winningest men’s basketball coach in Greeley County history, surpassing record of 121 wins Coach Jeff Starkey had amassed in the early 2010s. The team’s 51-49 win over... [More]
Lady Jackrabbits defeat Railroaders, fall to Bulldogs
Photo caption: The Lady Jackrabbits lined up for the National Anthem before their game in Quinter Saturday night. Pictured from left to right are Coach Kyle Shafer, Charlize Shafer, Shaydan Howell, Maggie Votruba, Kenna Bain, Jeryn Stewart, Addy Kennedy, Taittum Bain, Mia Reynolds,... [More]
Greeley County Cheerleaders
Yareli Labra, Alexis Chavez, Mary Kathryn (MK) Votruba, and Annaleigh Long cheered for the Lady Jackrabbits at Saturday night’s game in Quinter. Photo by Sheryl Crotinger.
Lady Jackrabbits end regular season on four-game winning streak
Photo caption: Jadyn Mangan, #21, plays tough defense as Jadence Stewart, #14; Kenna Bain, #13; and Jeryn Stewart, #10, work to keep the Northern Valley Huskies away from their basket in their final game of regular season play. Story on page 6. The Lady Jackrabbits capped... [More]
Jackrabbits finish regular season with wins over St. Francis, Northern Valley
Photo caption: Aidan Hill drives to the basket against St. Francis as Luke Clevenger heads down the court behind him. Friday evening, February 21, the Tribune Jackrabbits hosted the St. Francis Indians in a varsity-only match-up that doubled as Senior Night. Due... [More]
Jackrabbits compete in Oakley Powerlifting Meet
Photo caption: Greeley County students Salty Mora, Rowdy Grubb, Logan Harris, Marco Coello, Luke Grubb, Mia Reynolds, and Caleb Young took part in Oakley’s Powerlifting Meet on Saturday. They were coached by Austin Coffman, far right. Photo by Branson Harris. Seven Greeley... [More]
Lady Jackrabbits clench home sub-state game with win over Syracuse
Photo caption: The Lady Jackrabbits, coaches, and cheerleaders celebrated Tuesday evening’s win, along with Jadyn Mangan’s 1000th point. Pictured from left to right are Head Coach Kyle Shafer, Alexis Chavez, Mia Reynolds, Addy Kennedy, Bryleigh Nix, Kenna Bain, Jadyn... [More]
More Sports
- Jackrabbits fall to Syracuse by two, easily handle the Spartans
- Varsity defeats Wichita County, Oberlin; JV team wins one, loses four
- Lady Jackrabbits fall to Wichita County, Oberlin; JV claims pair of wins
- Greeley County Recreation Youth Basketball Teams
- Jackrabbits fall to Cheyenne Wells, Dighton in closely-contested games
- Lady Jackrabbits beat Tigers, fall to Hornets
- Junior High boys split final games of the season in Dighton
- Junior High girls finish season with losses and a tie in Dighton
NEWS
Greeley County Library welcomes new librarian, Whitney Cummings
Just a few weeks into her new role as the Greeley County Librarian, Whitney Cummings is settling in and beginning to get a feel for the wealth of tools the library provides. “I’m excited by what I’m learning,” Cummings said. “I’m eager to... [More]
Scoular hosts Regenerative Ag meeting with Miller Milling, Grupo Bimbo
Photo caption: Eric Fuchs of Understanding Ag, center, conducted several water infiltration tests on crop land farmed by Chris and Danny Peter, standing behind Fuchs. After a morning of information from Miller Milling, Grupo Bimbo, and Fuchs, local producers and company representatives... [More]
Farmer to Farmer Meeting to feature KKTV’s Meteorologist Brian Bledsoe
The Greeley and Hamilton County Conservation Districts will be having a Farmer-to-Farmer Meeting on Wednesday, March 26, at 11 a.m. MT at the 4-H Building in Syracuse. The speaker will be KKTV’S Brian Bledsoe. His services cover a wide range of weather... [More]
Descendent of Greeley County early entrepreneur, founder visits Horace Greeley Museum
Photo caption: David Rymph, decendent of A.J. Rymph, one of Tribune and Greeley County’s early entreprenueurs, visited the Horace Greeley Museum last Thursday. He is pictured here on museum steps sourced from his great-grandfather’s business. He is pictured here with... [More]
Miller family donates art to benefit Horace Greeley Museum
The Horace Greeley Museum is excited to announce a generous donation from the Miller family. As many of you know, Jean Miller was a prolific artist and crafter and her stunning works were shown throughout Western Kansas. Art was more than a hobby to Jean, it was... [More]
Annual Health Fair held
Colleen Tarman had her blood drawn Thursday, March 6, as part of the Greeley County Health Fair held annually at the Greeley County Clinic. The health fair was moved from Tuesday to Thursday due to high winds earlier in the week.
March roars in like a lion
Photo caption: The skies west of Tribune were filled with dirt Tuesday as high winds prompted some local businesses to close early. Photo by Chricket Niehues. Though the highs were in the upper 60s for a few days last week, they didn’t outpace the wind speed, which reached... [More]
The Unbreakable Boy at the Star
A boy has both a rare brittle-bone disease and autism. But what makes Austin truly unique is his joyous, funny, life-affirming worldview that transforms and unites everyone around him. The boy’s father changes his life as he comes to see Austin not as the symbol of something... [More]
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OPINIONS
Letter to the Editor: Donald Trump is not our king
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Open letter to Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall
On March 1 at Oakley in western Kansas, Sen. Roger Marshall held a town hall meeting for area constitutents wanting to know more about activities in Washington DC that have impacts on them. The following written questions were submitted by Louise Ehmke. Unfortunately they were... [More]
Letter to the Editor - School bond issue
Sometimes I wonder what drives our government to do things in our name but don’t make sense. With regard to our School Bond election and the Kansas Attorney General’s ruling, how can it be that a law is enacted that has such serious flaws in it. SB 221... [More]
Insight: Your vote counts
In about two weeks or so, it will be Election Day. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I cannot wait for it to be over. I will not say another word about the campaigns because my mother told me, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at... [More]
Volunteers are the heart of our community
As we celebrate National 4-H Week this week, 4-H Members across the country are celebrating this wonderful youth organization with Friends, Family, and the Communities that support this youth development program. In addition to celebrating the hard-work and dedication of... [More]
A tribute to Tribune and her friendly residents
In 2023, we visited our good friends Julie and Bill Lawrence of Tribune, Kansas. We fell in love with Tribune! During one of our subsequent visits, we found and purchased a great house and will move in, in 2026. Everyone, and I mean everyone, we’ve come... [More]
Letter to the community from Superintendent Niehues
Dear families and community members, I hope this message finds you well. I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support and engagement with our school community. Over the past few weeks, we have become aware of an issue regarding our school bond vote. As... [More]
Letter to the Editor
“The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life. To make this a living force and bring it to clear consciousness... [More]
More Opinions
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