Garland “Garb” LeRoy Ensley, 100, passed away September 6, 2023, at Medicalodges of Great Bend.

He was born November 11, 1922, in Jefferson, Kan., to Heber T. and Lettie L. (Skinner) Ensley.

As a young boy, Garb learned to weld, working alongside his father in their “Ensley and Son” welding shop in Woodston, Kan. 

In his early twenties, Garb met the love of his life, Evalee M. Cooper, at a skating rink. They were married on June 25, 1947, in Stockton. In 1965, he and Evalee moved the family from Plainville to Great Bend.

John Heman Owen Jr., age 70, Zurich, loving husband, son, and eldest of eight children, passed away Aug. 2, 2023, after a battle with cancer.

John “Butch” Owen was born Sept. 9, 1952, to John and Bessie Owen in Charleston, S.C. Spending much of his youth in South Carolina, he participated in the Sea Cadets. At age 13, the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., and then to Aurora, Colo., where he attended Hinkley High School.

At the Stockton City Commission’s regular bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 5th, the commissioners came out of executive session and accepted the resignation of city manager/clerk Courtney Flower, effective Friday, September 29th.