Walter D. Schmidt was born to Daniel and Lena Koehn Schmidt on June 21, 1931, near Ulysses, Kansas. He passed away on January 24, 2026, at Bethel Home in Montezuma, Kansas, at the age of 94. His father, Daniel, had been a widower with four children (Frank, Fred, Ruby, and Martha) when he married Dad’s mother, Lena. When Dad was a year and a half, his father passed away. Six months later, h...

James Leroy “Tornado” Esser, age 83, passed away on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital in Ulysses. He was born on August 6, 1942, in Larned, Kansas, the son of Robert Oliver and Velma Lara (Gagnebin) Esser. After graduating high school, James enlisted in the United States Navy. He served in the United States Navy from 1960 to 1962 serving on the USS Richards Edward...

Deborah “Debbie” Gail Smith, age 64, died on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at Southwest Medical Center in Liberal, Kansas. She was born on February 28, 1961, in Guymon, Oklahoma, to John W. and Kathryn (Hobson) Harper Sr. In 1979 Deborah graduated from Liberal High School. Soon after she started her career in retail, then later into trucking moving to National Carriers. By the end of he...

Ron Schultz, age 82, of Ulysses, KS passed away on January 20, 2026, at Western Prairie Senior Living, in Ulysses, KS. Born January 17, 1944, in Lexington, NE, the son of Lewis Edward and Anna Kristine (Bailey) Schultz. Ron was born and raised in Lexington, NE, where he attended local schools and spent his early years working at the local grocery store. On May 24, 1964, Ron married his childho...

Donita Lowene Priefert Payne was born in Liberal, Kansas to Lowene and Don Priefert. She passed away very peacefully in Seattle, Washington with all of her children and many of her grandchildren by her side, holding her gently and prayerfully - just shy of her 89th birthday. Her body and spirit were weary, and she was ready to let go of this life. She grew up on her family farm in the house bui...

MEADE – Sandra K. Ergott, age 82, passed away Monday evening, January 19, 2026, at the Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, Wichita, Kansas. She was born September 2, 1943, at Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of Kenneth Lee and Velma L. (Pippitt) Pemberton. As a young girl, she attended school in Meade, graduating from Meade High School in 1961. A longtime area resident, she had worked as a sale...

Dorothy Velasquez Millen, 84-year-old longtime Liberal KS resident passed away on Friday, January 16, 2026, at Good Samaritan Society in Liberal, KS. She was born on October 28, 1941, in Mosquero, NM to Alfonso and Mary (Fuentes) Velasquez and attended school in Liberal, KS. Dorothy loved playing Bingo and going to the casino, but it was her grandchildren that she loved the most. Before retir...

Victor E Henness, 87, of Liberal, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at his home in Liberal, KS. He was born on March 10, 1938 to Edgar and Hazel (Pirtle) Henness in Liberal, KS. He attended Turpin Elementary and High School and graduated in 1957. On March 10, 1979 he married Lucinda C. Hardin in Turpin, OK. Victor was self-employed as a farmer and shoe cobbler. He o...

Rodney “Rod” Alan Riley, age 56, died on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, in Liberal, Kansas. He was born on May 10, 1969, in Neubruecke, Germany, to Leo W. and Linda (Jackson) Riley. Rod graduated from Liberal High School in 1987. He furthered his education at Kansas State University. Rod was united in marriage to Gay Compton on July 11, 1992, in Liberal Kansas. He was the owner of Elite Mo...

Ronald "Ronnie" Gokey, was born on September 4, 1962. He passed away in his own home in Liberal Kansas on December 11th, 2025 Ronnie was a man of strength, kindness, and remarkable skill. He had a true love for fishing and camping, finding peace and joy near the water, and was known for his natural ability to fix just about anything that was broken. Whether it was small repair or a complicated ...