Reva Ardel Houser

Reva Ardel Houser, 92, of Plainville, passed away on Friday, July 26, 2024, at the Solomon Valley Manor in Stockton.

She was born on June 13, 1932, on the family farm in rural Natoma, Kansas, the daughter of Matthew A. and Velma P. (Dorr) Kirkwood. She grew up in Natoma and graduated from Natoma High School in the Class of 1950. She met, fell in love with, and united in marriage to Billy Lynn Houser on July 22, 1950. From this union, Ardell and Bill were blessed with four sons: Lynn, Jerry, Kirk, and Tom.

She was a dedicated wife, mother, and homemaker. Ardell began her career as a cook at the school in Codell, Kansas. In 1966 they moved to California. While there, Ardell cooked at a nursing home. In 1975, they moved back to Kansas, where she took classes to become a dietary manager. She was the dietary manager at a nursing home in Phillipsburg, Kansas, from 1975 to early 1982. In 1982, they moved to Plainville, where she managed the school kitchen until her retirement in 1993. On November 10, 2000, she was married to Wayne Wickham.

She was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church in Plainville.

She enjoyed crocheting, collecting decorative plates, traveling, spoiling her dog, and spending time with her family.

The surviving family includes her four sons, Lynn Houser (Cherie) of Plainville, Jerry Houser (Janet) of Fairfield, Ill., Kirk Houser (Connie) of Weaubleau, Mo., and Tom Houser (Cindy) of Madison, S.D.; nine grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Bill, on December 29, 1989, her second husband, Wayne Wickham, on July 06, 2014, and a granddaughter, Mitsy Houser Elliot.

Reva’s life will be celebrated at 11 a.m., on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at the First Baptist Church of Plainville. Family greeting and visitation will be at the church from 10 a.m. to service time on Saturday, August 3, 2024. A burial will follow the church service at the Natoma City Cemetery in Natoma.

Memorials may be given to First Baptist Church of Plainville, and sent in care of the mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Natoma, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.