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 W. VanWinkle ~ 09-08-1940 to 12-01-2023

Linn County News Published December 6, 2023 Robert W. VanWinkle, age 83, La Cygne, Kan., passed away Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. A service to celebrate Bob’s life will be announced at a later date. Online condolences can be left at www.schneiderfunerals.com. ... [More]
Jolene Moriconi ~ 05-24-1936 to 11-30-2023

Linn County News Published December 6, 2023 Jolene Moriconi, 87, of Lawrence, Kan., formerly of Paola, Kan., and Frontenac, Kan., passed away on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, at home surrounded by family. She was born May 24, 1936, in Frontenac, Kan., the daughter of... [More]
Perle David Patrick, Jr. ~ 05-07-1956 to 12-03-2023

Linn County News Published Dec. 6, 2023 Perle David Patrick Jr., age 67, Osawatomie, Kan., passed away Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. Funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, at the Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, La Cygne Chapel. Burial... [More]
More Obituaries
- Larry Wayne Miller ~ 01-21-1958 to 11-06-2023
- Vernon Earl McGee ~ 10-07-1945 to 11-07-2023
- Vicki A. Capp ~ 08-08-1954 to 11-06-2023
- Marcia D. Mathes ~ 03-31-1947 to 11-09-2023
- Joyce Elaine Hewitt (née Terry) ~ 03-26-1941 to 11-01-2023
- Edward Lee “Butch” Samyn ~ 11-28-1947 to 11-07-2023
- Gary John Hald ~ 01-19-1946 to 11-02-2023
- Neal DeWayne Peterson ~ 03-05-1946 to 10-03-2023
NEWS
Commissioners set parameters for P and Z to work on Section 14

During the weekly meeting of the Linn County Commissioners on Monday, Dec. 4, Rich Morrell and Charlene Sims with the Linn County Planning Commission each addressed the commissioners in regard to the moratorium and the request to create a committee to work on Section 14. ... [More]
Bond sale garners 5.03 percent rate

Linn County Clerk David Lamb presented the commissioners with documents to be signed by the commission chair during their weekly meeting on Monday, Dec. 4, in regard to the bond sale last Wednesday to refinance a portion of the original bond for the jail project. Lamb... [More]
Burial permits reach conclusion, approval

Linn County Public Works Director Shaun West noted he had reached out to the fiber installers south of the power plant in reference to questions the commissioners had concerning undone road work. West stated he learned the connection comes into the project from the west and moves... [More]
More News
- Commissioners approve resolution on one-year moratorium on commercial solar farms
- USD 362 to seek more 4-day week info
- Commissioners approve resolution for bond refinance
- Commissioners vote 2-1 for one year moratorium on solar farms
- Linn County Planning and Zoning meeting leads to moratorium request for Commissioners
- Kansas Senator speaks on ills of green energy
- Election canvass held Nov. 20, abstract approved
- Thanksgiving events
SPORTS
Pleasanton basketball splits against Kansas City Christian

The Pleasanton basketball team hosted their home opener against Kansas City Christian (KCC) on Dec. 1. The Jays split the varsity games with the girls falling in their game 20-29 and the boys winning big in their game, 78-44. The girls’ game started well as the Lady... [More]
Jayhawk cagers split tight openers

Sophomore Brea Dawson scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, paving the way for Jayhawk Linn’s girls to claim a 43-38 season-opening win at Cass-Midway, Mo., Friday night. Despite a game-high 23 points from junior Braeden Nation, the ‘Hawk boys... [More]
More Sports
- Prairie View wrestling competes at Steve Leslie Invitational
- 2023 All Linn County high school football team
- Miami teams split season openers
- Jayhawk and Pleasanton football are well represented in the 2023 TRL All League
- Prairie View football has seven players make Pioneer All League
- Prairie View football ends season against Parsons
- Jayhawk 8-2 season mirrors 2022 campaign
- Prairie View routs Baxter Springs in first round of the playoffs
OBITUARIES POLICY
• May be mailed, e-mailed, faxed or hand delivered.
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• Cost: $40 for 300 words or less. Each additional word over 300, 10¢. Photograph $5.
Call Barbara at 913-352-6235 or e-mail linncountynewsreporter@gmail.com
