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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

Kelly Renee Moore ~ 08-02-1963 to 10-13-2025

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Linn County News Published October 22, 2025   Kelly Renee Moore, age 62 Paola, Kan., passed away at her home on Oct. 13, 2025.  She was born the daughter of Ernest DeWayne and Neva Stillwagon O’Dell on Aug. 2, 1963, in La Mesa, Calif. Kelly loved... [More]

Norma Jeanne (Riley) Long ~ 08-21-1938 to 10-13-2025

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Linn County News Published October 22, 2025   Norma Jeanne (Riley) Long, age 87, of La Cygne, Kan., passed away Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, at Vintage Park in Osawatomie, Kan., surrounded by family. Norma was born on Aug. 21, 1938, in Liberal, Kan., to Frederick and... [More]

Geneva Darlene Jennings ~ 11-15-1939 to 10-12-2025

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Linn County News Published October 15, 2025 Geneva Darlene Jennings, age 85, Pleasanton, Kan., passed away Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. She was born on Nov. 15, 1939, at Trading Post, Kan., the daughter of Charles and Daisy Rittinghouse Purdy. She graduated from Pleasanton High... [More]

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NEWS

Former Zoning Administrator explains KORA requests

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During the weekly meeting on Monday, Oct. 20, the Linn County Commissioners heard from former county employee Darin Wilson who served previously as the Planning and Zoning Administrator. Wilson told commissioners that the KORA (Kansas Open Records Act) requests he had made were... [More]

Pleasanton Council overrides mayor veto on firefighter appointments

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The Pleasanton Council met at their regularly scheduled meeting Monday and Councilman Aaron Portmann immediately read a prepared statement concerning Ordinance 2065 that Mayor Mathew Young vetoed that tried to take appointment of firefighters from the mayor and put it on the... [More]

Snyder appointed Linn County Register of Deeds

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Following the retirement of long-time Linn County Register of Deeds Kristy Schmitz, the Linn County Republican Central Committee held a convention Sunday to appoint a new Register of Deeds. Central Committee Chair Becky Johnson held the role call of committee people and 20... [More]

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SPORTS

Prairie View football stays on top of their district with big win over Girard

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The Prairie View Buffalos are in 3A District 2 and currently hold the number one seed in that district. The Buffalos 49-20 win over Girard gave them a great chance to be District champions. This week the Buffalos travel to Iola for their final district game and will seal the... [More]

Prairie View volleyball finishes season at Girard

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The Prairie View volleyball team finished their regular season games at Iola this past week as they had a Pioneer League triangular against Iola and Osawatomie. They were in the 3A Regional quad at Girard on Oct. 20 and finished their season there going 1-2. To see the full... [More]

Jays lock in league runner up spot at Uniontown

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Just as the week before, Pleasanton turned first-half takeaways into touchdowns and won at Uniontown last Friday night, 45-12, in a Three Rivers League and Class 1-A, District 1 matchup. The win assures the Blu-Jays of at least their third consecutive second-place finish in... [More]

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PLEASANTON WEATHER

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