Lee Graham, 74, of Hutchinson, Kan., died Sunday, April 22, 2018, at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita, Kan. He was born May 4, 1943, in Hays, Kan., to Harrison Keith and Ilis Fannie (McGuire) Graham.
Lee graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1961 and attended Hutchinson Community College. He served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. Lee inspected mines and retired from Hutchinson Community College, where he was in charge of the Mine Safety Program. Lee loved cars, was a member of the Corvette Club and enjoyed eating at Firehouse Café.
On Sept. 15, 1977, he married Linda Stover in Hutchinson. She died July 5, 2012.
Lee is survived by: nephews Vince Stover, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Michael Stover (Connie) and their sons, Ryan, Dylan, Sean, and Aidan, all of Oceanside, Calif.; sister-in-law, Josie Stover of Laguna Hills, Calif.; his beloved companion, Barkley; and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law Robert Stover.
Cremation has taken place. Celebration of Life will be 2 p.m. Friday, April 27, 2018, at Elliott Mortuary, with Pastor Darryl Peterson officiating. Military honors will be conducted by the United States Navy Honor Guard. Following the service, friends and family are invited to gather at the Firehouse Café, 1824 E. 4th Avenue, Hutchinson, to share more memories of Lee.
Private family inurnment will take place at a later date in Fairlawn Burial Park, Hutchinson. Friends may sign the book from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m. until service time Friday at Elliott Mortuary. Memorials may be made to the Hutchinson Animal Shelter, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.
Mr. Adams, as he preferred to be called, was born on Aug. 4, 1947, in Waukesha, Wis., to LaVern and Martha Adams.
Growing up on the family dairy farm, he learned the value of hard work early on and maintained that ethic throughout each and every one of his 70 years on this earth. After enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he proudly served as a first line radio man in the Vietnam War, he returned to the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh to obtain his Bachelor of Arts Degree in sociology.
After college graduation, Mr. Adams left the Midwest in search of the Colorado Rockies, eventually splitting his time between his Evergreen and Buckeye, Ariz., ventures. His entrepreneurial spirit led him into the construction business, where he started, grew and led a successful drilling and blasting company for 40-plus years throughout the West. Additionally, he followed his farm roots into another business, where he and his wife Mary Adams started Arizona Buffalo Co. and Adams Natural Meats.
Mr. Adams was many things to many people - a Vietnam vet, boss, blaster, bison rancher, avid runner, lover of fast cars, fisherman, hunter, son, brother, grandfather, father; and loving husband and best friend to his wife Mary. But above all, he was a great man.
A service to honor Mr. Adams will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 9, 2018, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 830 E. Plaza Circle, Litchfield Park, AZ 85340. At a future date, he will be honored for his service and laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
Bryan Adams is survived by his wife, Mary Adams; his mother, Martha Adams; his brother, Jeff (Judy) Adams; sister Susan Schroeder; his children, Beth (Ryan) Moore and their two children Grady and Harlan; Melisa (Brian) Busse and their three children, Gabriella, Kendall and Maxwell; Amanda Moore and her four children, Jacob, Ayden, Alayna and Julea; Nicholas Turner and his three children, Blake, Dominic and Shayla; and Ashley (Michael) Herndon and their two children, Katelyn and Aubree; brothers-in-law Doug and Gary Smith; and sister-in-law Geraldine Terry.
The family asks that any donations to honor Mr. Adams be made to Mayo Clinic Cancer Research Program: www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/cancer-research/supporting-cancer-research.
Condolences for the family may be left at www.thompsonfuneralchapel.com.
Michael Ray Most, 64, Joplin, Mo., passed away at 12:52 a.m. Saturday, March 10, 2018.
Mike was born Feb. 5, 1954, in Ponca City, Okla., to the late Alfred Most and Ruby Link Most and resided in the Joplin area most of his life.
He attended Carthage (Mo.) High School and worked at Dyno Nobel, Inc., for many years, until he retired in 2012. He was a master craftsman knife maker and enjoyed fishing any time he could.
Mike is survived by his three children, Amanda Most Bierbaum and husband, Todd, DeFuniak Springs, Fla.; Zackary Most and husband, Diego, Okinawa, Japan; and Karli Most Fort and husband, Micah, Joplin. One grandson, Malachi, who was the apple of his eye; two sisters Jean Donoho, of Diamond, Mo., and Karen Dickinson, Tulsa, Okla.; and a host of nieces and nephews.
A time of visitation will be Thursday, March 15, from 5-7 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 631 South Garrison Avenue, Carthage.
Richard E. (Dick) Walker, 88, of Merritt Island, Fla., formerly of Cadiz, Ohio, passed away Feb. 28, 2018, at his home in Columbus, Ohio.
Loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he is survived by his wife of 62 years, Grace Cornell (Porter) Walker; his children Cindy (Steve) Karto of Cadiz, Ohio, Lana (Jon) Helmuth of Phoenix, Ariz., Jay (Tina) Walker of New Philadelphia, Ohio, Eric (Kim) Walker of St. Clairsville, Ohio, and Tricia (Scott) Moses of Columbus, Ohio; grandchildren Stacey (Ian) Raeburn, Courtenay (Zachary) Galilei, Zachary (Charlene) Karto, Joshua (Sonia) Walker, Oliva (Paul) Eberly, Alexander (fiancee’ Amber Burton) Walker, Felicia Walker, Drake Walker, Kennady Walker, Maren Mose, Cade Moses, Zane Moses and Quinn Moses; great-grandchildren Quinn and Morgan Delaney Raeburn, Rylee, Hunter, Isabelle and Harper Galilei and Lincoln, Stella and Harvey Jay Eberly; his sister June Young, of Grove City, Ohio; sisters-in-law Audrey Brown of Cadiz, Miriam (Bob) Addy of Scio, and Mary Ann Porter, of Cadiz; along with many nieces and nephews; and a special friend Jim Heckelman, of Norwalk, Ohio, since their days working at the NASA Nuclear Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his parents Roy and Melva (Mccurdy) Walker; brothers Lee and Fred Walker; and sisters Madelyn Bonar, Faye Kaiser, and Iris Dudo.
Richard is internationally known in the explosives industry. He was a member of the International Society of Explosives Engineers where he received the annual Distinguished Service Award for the year 1997.
Richard was the President of Research Energy of Ohio, Inc., which he founded in 1969. He had several patents including the Sequential Blasting Method. When he was employed in the early 1960s by the NASA Lewis Research Center, Plumbrook Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, he developed the Low Level Water Coolant Indicator which was approved and installed, making it possible to start up the nuclear reactor. As a veteran of the Korean Conflict, during his 4-year enlistment in the U.S. Air Force, he served in the Strategic Air Command. Among his many accomplishments, he was the first Coal Pipeline Preparation Plant operator for Consol Coal Co. The pipeline extended from Cadiz to Cleveland, Ohio. Flying was a favorite pastime starting at the young age of 16. He was also an avid reader and researcher. A celebration of life will be observed at a later date at the convenience of the family. The family is being assisted by Clark-Kirkland Funeral Home, Cadiz, Ohio.
John William King Jr., 64, passed away Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017. He was born March 12, 1953.
He is survived by his mother, Mary Hashagen King; and his wife of 30 years, June Ellen King. John is dearly remembered by his brother, Frank (Jocelyn); nephew, Joshua (Jamie); niece, Kelsey (Daniel); cousins; and so many more.
John graduated from Hoggard High School in 1971 and UNC-Chapel Hill in 1975. His career in geology started with the DOT and, eventually, to running his own company, Seismic Imaging Inc., specializing in geophysics and vibration monitoring. He loved his work and hesitated to retire because he wasn’t sure what he would do to fill his time. He quickly filled his days with volunteer work with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the Audubon Bird Stewards at Wrightsville Beach, the OLLI concert band playing trumpet, HAM radio and hobbies he never had time to enjoy before. When his kidney cancer reappeared last year, we did not expect his death to come so soon. But true to his character, he quietly accepted it and was at peace in his last days.
John lived a wonderful life and touched the lives of so many. He was generous with his love and patience. Kind, humble, and just plain nice are the words everyone uses to describe him.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 18, at Holy Cross Episcopal Church, 5820 Myrtle Grove Road. A private burial for family will be held Thursday, Oct. 19, in Oakdale Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to the North Carolina Coastal Federation and to Holy Cross Episcopal Church.
Share online condolences with the family at www.andrewsmortuary.com.