Ronald (Ron) Linwood McKee, age 86, died on Friday, December 27, 2024, at his home in Duncan, Oklahoma. He was born on March 30, 1938, in Marshall, Missouri, to Olin Edward and Ada (Rader) McKee. Ron served in the United States Navy in 1955 being certified in aircraft hydraulics, structures & welding. On September 23, 1989 he was united in marriage to Anna Marie Vandever at the Emmanuel Baptist...

Lance Corporal Gabriel Manuel Ruiz Valles of the United States Marine Corps, age 19, died on Saturday, December 14, 2024, in Menifee, California in Riverside County. He was born on February 18, 2005, in Liberal, Kansas, to Salvador Ruiz Flores and Claudia Erika (Valles) Ruiz. Lance Corporal Ruiz graduated from high school in Liberal, Kansas in 2022 and joined the United States Marine Corps....

Ricardo I. Ortiz, age 39, of Ulysses, Kansas, died Sunday, December 22, 2024, at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado. He was born October 10, 1985, in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, the son of Esther Estrada. Ricardo moved to Sublette from Texas at the age of 13. In high school, he ran cross country and graduated from Sublette High School in 2004. Ricado moved to El Paso, Texas, and hau...

Ricardo Levario Baeza, age 52, died Saturday, December 21, 2024, near Dodge City, Kansas. He was born on June 19, 1972, in Chihuahua, Mexico, the son of Rosendo Apodaca and Antonia Victoria (Baeza) Levario. When Ricardo was 19 years old, he moved to the United States. He worked in the oil field until he started his own diesel mechanic shop, RL Diesel Repair. He married Araceli Valenzuela i...

Dan Douglas Koons, 68, of Liberal, passed away suddenly on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at Southwest Medical Center in Liberal, Kansas. Dan was born at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, KS on August 17, 1956 to Dr. Jess and Eva Lou (Manker) Koons. On February 11, 1989 he married Susan Ringer at the First United Methodist Church in Liberal. He was a graduate of Liberal High School, class of ...

Gary Lynn Jones, age 69, died on Friday, December 20, 2024, at Southwest Medical Center in Liberal, Kansas. He was born on January 5, 1955, at the Epworth Hospital in Liberal, Kansas, to Freddie and Velma (Chessmore) Jones. In 1973, Gary graduated High School in Liberal, Kansas. On October 25, 1975, he was united in marriage to Debbie Daugherty at the First Assembly of God Church in Liberal...

Shirley L. Brown, age 77, died December 19, 2024, at Stanton County Long Term Care Unit in Johnson, Kansas. She was born on January 1, 1947, the daughter of Cecil and Dorothy (Oldham) Thompson. Shirley grew up in Springfield, Colorado. She married Clois Henry Brown on July 14, 1963, in Springfield, Colorado, and they lived in Colorado Springs until they moved to Johnson in 1976. Shirley was a...

Emma Phoenix, 19, of Sublette, Kansas, tragically passed away on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, in Carson County, Texas, alongside her beloved best friend. She was the cherished daughter of Matt Phoenix of Borger, TX, and Shyla Phoenix and her partner Ashley Winger of Sublette, KS. Born on July 2, 2005, Emma was a radiant light in the lives of all who knew her. Her vibrant personality, boundless...

Nathan Carter, age 47, of Ulysses, Kansas, died Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. He was born on May 6, 1977, in Ulysses, Kansas, the son of Robert Glenn and Rosann (Heinrichs) Carter. Nathan grew up in Grant County and graduated from Ulysses High School. He married Alecia Vaden on December 31, 2011, in Ulysses. Nathan worked in the automation depar...

Merle Milton Koehn was born on September 4, 1927, at Cimarron, Kansas, the oldest child of Amiel and Hannah Koehn Koehn. He passed away on December 17, 2024, 11:35 pm, at Bethel Home in Montezuma, Kansas, at the age of ninety-seven. When Merle was very young, he moved with his parents to Winton, California, where he lived until he was twenty. In 1945, a significant year in his life, Dad accep...