Obituaries

Lois B. (Johnson) Abbott, 87, of Ellis, passed away on December 19, 2023, at HaysMed. Born on January 25, 1936, in Hollis, Arkansas, she came to Wichita in 1953 and married Clarence H. Abbott in 1962.

Allan Joseph LeRock, of Plainville, passed away on January 6, 2024, at his home, at the age of 73. He was born on March 7, 1950, to Garth William and Clara Agnes (Hrabe) LeRock in Stockton, Kansas. Allan grew up in Plainville and graduated from Plainville High School in 1968.

Paul F. Urban, age 95, of Victoria, passed away on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at Hays Medical Center in Hays. He was born February 22, 1928, in Loretto, Kansas, to Alois G. and Anna (Schlitter) Urban. He married Juliana (Braun) in Victoria on August 13, 1951.

Roger Eugene Lee of Russell passed away on December 30, 2023, at the Redbud Village in Plainville at the age of 64. He was born on December 16, 1959, to Kenneth Lee and Helen (Tremblay) Lee Smith in Phillipsburg, Kansas. Roger grew up between the Logan and Damar areas.

Betty Joy (Zweifel) Pruter, 87, of Natoma, passed away Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at her home. She was born June 26, 1936, on the family farm near Waldo, Kansas. She was one of four children born to Robert and Bernice (Clow) Zweifel.

Donald Dean Keirns, 87, of Loveland, Colorado, passed peacefully on Thursday, December 21, 2023. He was born to Willis Keirns and Maude Banks on September 22, 1936, in Woodston, Kansas.

Richard 'Rich' Hilgers, 66, passed away Dec. 20, 2023, at his home. He was born Oct. 13, 1957, in Salina, to James Richard Hilgers and Elizabeth Anne (DeMurry) Hilgers. Rich was a 1976 graduate of Trego Community High School in WaKeeney.

David Leroy Griffin, 88, of Natoma, passed away at Hays Medical Center on December 20, 2023. He was married to Barbara (Koehler) for 68 years. He was born on June 4, 1935, at the Laton Family Farm in Rooks County, Kansas, to Melvin and Berniece (Manley) Griffin. He was one of six children.

Former Hays resident Lois Bell Abbott of Ellis passed away at the Hays Medical Center on December 19, 2023, at the age of 87. She was born on January 25, 1936, to Walter Dixon and Winnie May (Hooper) Johnson in Hollis, Arkansas. She was married to Clarence Abbott on March 24, 1962.

Robert J. “Bob” Berens, of Stockton, passed away on December 21, 2023, at the Solomon Valley Manor in Stockton, at the age of 90. He was born on February 16, 1933, to Mattie Lee Cottrell, in Mobridge, South Dakota. Bob came to Stockton with the oil field.