Mary Lucille Marcotte of Zurich passed into her eternal resting place on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at the Redbud Village in Plainville at the age of 92.

She was born on January 28, 1929 to Joseph Bernard Garvert and Ida Catherine (Weachter) Garvert in Plainville. Mary graduated from Plainville High School in 1946 and then attended Marymount College in Salina for one year before returning to Rooks County. For a time, she worked for Gilson’s Drug Store and Donavan’s Car Dealership, both in Plainville. Later in life, she worked as a secretary at the Palco Grade and High Schools.

Rooks County continues to see a decrease in new COVID-19 cases throughout the county. This week, the absenteeism rate is at 0.0% above the baseline from 2019-2020. The positive testing rate is at 6.2% this week. Rooks County continues to receive weekly allocations of the COVID-19 vaccine.

James "Jim" Henry Thayer, age 58, of Hays, Kansas passed away on Monday, March 22, 2021, at his residence. 

He was born on September 29, 1962 in Wichita, Kansas to Earl and Jacqueline (Idleman) Thayer. He married Cynthia Wilder on January 23, 1982 in Hays.

James was a computer technician by trade. He enjoyed fishing, songwriting, was a self-taught piano player, and was known to have a great sense of humor.