Linn County News
Published May 17, 2023
Donald Raymond Wier, age 82, of Denton, Texas, passed away on May 11, 2023. The
second child of Lloyd Elmer and Thelma Olan (Meek) Wier, Don was born on July 9, 1940, in Fort Scott, Kan., a farm kid who excelled in the classroom and on the
fields and courts of Blue Mound (Kansas) High School so much he earned a “This is
Your Life” pep rally as a senior (impressing a ninth grade girl in the stands enough
that she would remember it years later).
Don would midnight oil his way to a Bachelor’s of Science at Kansas State University and a Master’s of Science and a
Doctorate of Philosophy in soil chemistry at Iowa State University. In that time and the professional career that followed with what was then Phillips Petroleum Company
that farm kid, among many other things, would manage sizable teams of scientists and engineers and even sign his name to several patents (which the Internet preserves to
surprise grandchildren many years later). But Don himself would have told you that the smartest, if also the luckiest, thing he ever did was unite in marriage on July 23, 1966 to–you guessed it–that girl from the pep rally, Imogene Joy Ross.
Three sons – John, Dan, and Anthony – followed. He loved
his wife and family above everything, and reveled in the boys’ endless sports
activities and academic pursuits. His country-strong physicality and athletic prowess would sneak out and wow those boys when he was fixing something in the shed or
working in his garden or playing a football game with them in the front yard. What really mattered beneath that brain and brawn, though, was a husband, father, grandfather, colleague, and boss who was wonderfully, unforgettably joyful, gentle, kind, and tender.
Don loved his Kansas City Royals (especially when George Brett hit that homer off
Goose Gossage in the ‘80 ALCS), his Kansas State Wildcats (not least when, after
years of trash talking from wayward sons, he was in the stands with his boys in Austin
when the ‘Cats put it to John and Anthony’s Longhorns), and later his Dallas
Cowboys.
A pulmonary embolism and a stroke in 1999 that put him in intensive care for a month should have killed him, but they did not stand a chance against that heart of his. He never got all his mobility back but he did join Kiwanis Morning Club, he became a Denton County Master Gardener, and most of all he lit up with pride and delight as grandchildren Margaret, Will, Caroline, Jake, Beckett, and Quincy came along to fill the post-stroke years with such joy and hope.
Don was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jimmie Allen Wier. He is
survived by his wife Imogene; their son John, his wife Yvette Carson, and children
Margaret and Will; their son Dan, his wife Hannah, and children Caroline and Jake;
their son Anthony, his wife Lori, and children Beckett and Quincy; and sisters-in-law
Deanna Wier and Irene Dodder.
Graveside funeral service will be at 11 a.m., Friday, May 19, at Sunny Slope Cemetery in Blue Mound, Kan. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, May 18, at the Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Mound City Chapel. Contributions are suggested to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
OBITUARIES
Robert “Bob” Eugene Markley ~ 04-11-1936 to 04-15-2024
Linn County News Published April 17, 2024 Robert (Bob) Eugene Markley, 88, was born on his family farm north of Mound City, Kansas, April 11, 1936, to Aaron R. and Hallie (Bell) Markley. He passed from this life on April, 15, 2024, at the very place he was born,... [More]
Ronald Joe Smith ~ 05-10-1944 to 04-11-2024
Linn County News Published April 17, 2024 Ronald Joe Smith, 79, LaCygne, Kan., passed away Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Olathe Medical Center, Olathe, Kan. Visitation will be 10 – 11 a.m. Friday, April 19, 2024, at Bruce Funeral Home, 106 S. Center, Gardner,... [More]
Mary Tinsley ~ 12-15-1935 to 04-09-2024
Linn County News Published April 10, 2024 I, Mary Tinsley; being of sound mind and steadfast in my faith died today. My body decided to give out. Here I am, onto my next adventure, carried home to heaven by these wonderful angels shouting, ‘She is here, She... [More]
More Obituaries
- Frederick John “Fritz” Johanning, Jr. ~ 08-10-1948 to 03-26-2024
- Doris Maxine Basore ~ 01-02-1920 to 03-10-2024
- Janice (Good) Waltmire ~ 08-20-1937 to 03-09-2024
- Richard Lee Strader ~ 06-08-1974 to 02-24-24
- Robert William Harper, Jr. ~ 07-14-1947 to 02-24-2024
- Richard Eldon Baldwin ~ 07-21-1963 to 03-04-2024
- Michael Barry Hixon, Sr. ~ 08-31-1952 to 01-31-2024
- Charles Vernon Rowe ~ 08-14-1930 to 02-26-2024
NEWS
Commissioners appoint new county counselor
The Linn County Commissioners held several interviews in executive session following their meeting on Monday, Apr. 15, for the position of county counselor, legal advisor to the Board of County Commissioners. This week the commissioners appointed Mark Hagen, of Hagen Law Offices,... [More]
La Cygne accepts desludging cost
Biosolid removal at lagoons part of major sewer project La Cygne city leaders have accepted a cost for desludging at two of the city’s three wastewater lagoons. In a unanimous action at their regular meeting last Wednesday, the council approved $412,400 for... [More]
USD 362 sets capacity numbers
District now prepares for lottery applications Prairie View Unified School District 362 has set capacity numbers for the 2024-25 school year. At their monthly meeting April 16, the board of education unanimously adopted capacity of 80 students per grade level at... [More]
More News
- Pull Tabs for Pound Puppies
- Linn County Planning Commission proceeds with prohibiting commercial solar fields
- Commissioners send CUP for rock quarry back to P&Z again
- La Cygne to update police gear
- STARS welding competes at GCCC 2024 competition
- Mine Creek Battlefield Foundation to hold music festival
- SEKMH presents outreach program to commissioners
- Linn Valley residents respond to council appointment
SPORTS
Prairie View softball goes 4-2 in busy week
The Prairie View softball team played three double-headers this past week. On April 15 they hosted Paola and swept the Panthers 16-7 and 8-7. Then on April 16 they traveled to Osage City and split against them losing the first game 4-10 and winning the second 6-3. On April 18... [More]
Pleasanton baseball sweeps St. Paul and Oswego
The Pleasanton baseball team recently played league foes St. Paul and Oswego and swept them each in double-headers. On April 15 the team traveled to St. Paul and won both games 13-1 and 16-3 and then on April 22 they hosted Oswego and won both games 15-0 and 17-2. In the... [More]
More Sports
- Prairie View track has strong performance at Anderson County
- Jayhawk track wins Pleasanton Invitational
- Pleasanton track hosts home invitational
- Jayhawk softball sweeps Crest
- Prairie View track takes on tough challenge at Paola
- Pleasanton baseball routs Yates Center
- Pleasanton baseball starts season 4-0
- Jayhawk softball sweeps Central Heights, splits against Uniontown
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Call Barbara at 913-352-6235 or e-mail linncountynewsreporter@gmail.com