June 7, 2022

Linn County News

Published June 8, 2022

Alice Laverne Stude Widner was born March 18, 1931, in Haskell County, Kan., to John and Grace Jones Stude. She grew up and attended school in Copeland, Kan. She departed this life June 5, 2022. On Sept. 4, 1949, Alice married LaMonte(Lem) Widner and they spent the first few years of their married life in New Jersey where their son, Jim, and daughter Roselynn, were born. They returned to Copeland, Kan., in 1955 and lived there until 1965. 

During that time, Alice was busy raising her children, now numbering four with the addition of son, Danny, and daughter, Jeannie. In 1965, Alice and Lem and family moved to El Dorado Springs, Mo., where they owned and operated the C&H Motel. Alice also had a part-time job as a disc-jockey with the local radio station, KESM. In 1970 the family moved to La Cygne, Kan. Alice and Lem worked for the Allendale Camps as caretakers. A few years later they moved to Trading Post to run the Trading Post Museum. In 1998, Lem lost his battle with cancer. Alice continued to run the museum until 2014 when she finally retired at the age of 82. During the years at Trading Post, Alice wrote a byline, “Trading Post News,” for the county newspaper, The Linn County News. She usually included local historical tidbits in her articles. Alice became a devoted genealogist of local families and often gathered information for out-of-county people who had ancestors from this area. She was also a Civil War buff and became an expert on Linn County and its part in the Civil War. After retiring, Alice moved to La Cygne and had her own apartment. She enjoyed being an advisor, and a surrogate mother and grandmother to her friends and neighbors in her apartment complex. At the age of 90, Alice was no longer able to live by herself. She moved to the Louisburg Healthcare and Rehab Center and lived her remaining days there. 

Those of her family called home before her include her parents; five brothers, Lawrence, Howard, John, Vernon and Frank; and a sister, June Stude Sumpter. Her husband, Lem; son, Danny and his wife Cathy; daughter, Jeannie, and her husband, John Orth; daughter-in-law, Sherry Widner and grandson, Matthew Widner, also pre-deceased her. Those surviving include a son, Jim Widner, of Adrian, Mo.; and daughter, Roselynn, and her husband, Wilbur Armstrong, of La Cygne. Surviving grandchildren are Jeremy, Jennifer, and Jared (Lindsey) Armstrong, Dustin (Lauren) Widner, Logan (Lisa) Widner, Jodi (James) Meeks, Katie (Brent) Knop, Alexis Widner, and Krystal (Austin) Davidson. Alice also had 10 great-grandchildren. 

Memorial service 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at the Calvary Baptist Church, La Cygne. Visitation 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, La Cygne Chapel. Memorial contributions are suggested to Linn County Historical Society. Online condolences can be left at www.schneiderfunerals.com.