Linn County News
Published Feb. 17, 2021
Floyd Arthur Holmes (or Arthur Floyd Holmes, it was never clear which) passed away peacefully at his residence at Grandwood Assisted Living in Grove, Okla., on Feb. 13, 2021, exactly one month after celebrating his 105th birthday. Floyd to family, and “F.A.” or simply “Holmes” to his friends, was born on the family farm near Prescott, Kan., the third child of Arthur and Florence Holmes.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Carroll; and his two older siblings, Hazel Grigsby and John Holmes, and two younger siblings, Ned Holmes and Mildred Holmes, who died in childhood. He is survived by his youngest sister Florine O’Rourke of Lawrence, Kan.; six nephews; two nieces; and many grand-nieces and nephews and their descendants.
Floyd was remarkable in many ways, not least by his energy, sense of humor and amazing memory. Well past his centennial year he could still name all the U.S. state capitols, all the counties in Kansas, California, Washington, Oregon, Utah and most in Oklahoma, the names of almost all the members of the sports teams he competed against as a student athlete in rural Kansas, and the names of all the members of the minor league baseball teams he followed during his career in Utah, Washington, Ohio, Indiana and California. As though to emphasize his remarkable mental acuity, he spontaneously recited, verbatim, the poem “When the Last Picture of the Earth Is Painted” by Rudyard Kipling for the assembled friends and family at his 102nd birthday celebration. He noted to all that he learned the poem when he heard it read at a graduation in 1931. It was not the only poem he still remembered and could recite when the mood struck. He used to be fond of saying that he spent the first 30 years of his life getting an education, the next 30 working for someone else, and the last 30 playing golf and enjoying himself. Even he did not foresee his longevity, although several family members lived past 100.
After attending a one-room grade school and graduating at 16 from high school in Prescott (Class of ‘32), Floyd worked at farming and tried his hand at the wheat harvest in western Kansas, but his innate curiosity soon led him to attend Fort Scott Community College and then Kansas State University, where he obtained Bachelor and Master’s degrees in entomology. He was proud of the fact that on a class field trip while at K-State he discovered the largest known fossil of a dragon fly. Half of the fossil resides in the collections at K-State and the other half at Harvard’s Museum of Natural History. In 2016 he was honored by K-State for his still legendary discovery. He was a proud KSU Wildcat and endowed a scholarship in entomology at K-State for a graduate student working on economic entomology issues that would benefit agriculture.
It was while he was a student at K-State that he met the love of his life, fellow student Carroll Buck. After serving a year in the army during WWII, Floyd returned home on leave and he and Carroll were married in Garnett, Kan., in 1943. He quickly returned to duty and spent most of the rest of his wartime service in the Pacific theatre with the army medical corps.
After discharge from the army following the war, Floyd secured a position with DuPont chemical company as a pesticide specialist. In many ways a dream job, it kept him outside, working with people, and on the move. He and Carroll had posts in Yakima, Wash., Brigham City, Utah, Oberlin, Ohio, South Bend, Ind., and finally and longest, in Los Gatos, Calif. Active, well-known and a leader in his professional role in California, he and Carroll were equally well-known at many of the leading golf courses in California. He was particularly pleased at their recognition for each of them having made a hole-in-one on the same hole at the same course in the same year. And it was not the only hole-in-one for either of them.
Following his retirement from DuPont, he and Carroll elected to relocate closer to family. They built their retirement home in Buffalo Shores on Grand Lake near Grove, Okla., so, as Floyd said, they could golf and fish at their leisure. They stayed in Buffalo Shores until Carroll’s death in 1998. At that time, Floyd moved into Grove. Despite the loss of Carroll, Floyd’s enjoyment of travel did not diminish, and for a number of years his traveling companion was his sister-in-law, Eileen Funk, who had lost her husband some years before.
In 2015 Floyd moved to Grandwood Assisted Living in Grove. In 2017 he was very pleased and honored to serve as Grand Marshall of the Grove Christmas Parade, and this year Grove’s mayor declared his 105th birthday Floyd A. Holmes Day.0 A fitting tribute to the acknowledged “Oldest Man in Oklahoma.”
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt and sincere appreciation for the extended care provided to Floyd by the remarkable staff of Grandwood Assisted Living and by Hospice Compassus during his final days. A family memorial service is planned for the future at the Holmes Cemetery in Linn County, Kan.
OBITUARIES
Priscilla “Pat” Haney Smith ~ 11-19-1935 to 06-07-2025

Linn County News Published July 2, 2025 Priscilla “Pat” Haney Smith passed away Saturday June 7, 2025, at the Stoneybrook Retirement Community in Manhattan. She was born on Nov. 19, 1935, in Topeka, Kan., to Neil and Gladys (Goldsmith)... [More]
Ron Arbogast ~ 08-31-1946 to 06-05-2025

Linn County News Published July 2, 2025 Ron Arbogast, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, coach, teacher, and friend, passed away peacefully at home on June 5, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He was 78. Born Aug. 31, 1946, in Fort Scott, Kan.,... [More]
Richard “Dick” Smith ~ 04-18-1942 to 06-22-2025

Linn County News Published June 25, 2025 Richard "Dick" Smith, age 83, formerly of Pleasanton, Kan., passed away in Olathe, Kan., on Sunday, June 22, 2025. Graveside Service will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, June 27, 2025, at the Pleasanton Cemetery. Contributions... [More]
More Obituaries
- Charles Edwin Sutterby ~ 06-20-1951 to 06-19-2025
- Windfred Allen DeMott ~ 09-15-1940 to 06-07-2025
- Maxine Breuel ~ 11-20-1926 to 06-07-2025
- Richard Paul Henderson ~ 07-26-1950 to 06-01-2025
- Rees Lyle Shattuck 08-31-1931 to 05-26-2025
- Dixie Bradley Wilkerson 10-15-1939 to 05-30-2025
- Gary Ray Johnson 03-10-1935 to 05-28-2025
- Gary Ray Johnson ~ 03-10-1935 to 05-28-2025
NEWS
NOTICE:

Due to a scheduling conflict, the commissioners will not be meeting today, June 25th, for a second budget workshop. The meeting has been rescheduled for July 2nd.
Tanglewood Lakes files suit against Board of County Commissioners

Requests declaratory judgement that roads are private The Tanglewood Lakes Owners Association, Inc. (TLOA), filed a lawsuit in Linn County District Court on June 6, 2025, against the Linn County Board of County Commissioners requesting a declaratory judgement from... [More]
Case filed alleging exploitation of minors, breach of privacy

On June 20, following an extensive investigation by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, the Linn County Attorney’s Office filed a case in district court charging Erik Hellner, a Sugar Valley Lakes resident, with six separate felonies. The case originally stems from... [More]
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- NOTICE
- Commissioners discuss estimate on overlay project
- Pleasanton council meeting heated over fire personnel interviews
- La Cygne gas customers may see rate decrease
SPORTS
Pleasanton/Jayhawk trapshooting team places seventh at State, Wallace earns State championship

The Pleasanton/Jayhawk trapshooting team traveled to Wichita to compete in the Kansas Trapshooting State tournament. The tournament features more than 110 high schools and over 1,500 student athletes. Pleasanton/Jayhawk compete in the 2A competition which happened on June... [More]
Joey Ewalt impacting youth wrestling here and abroad

Prairie View’s head boys’ wrestling Coach Joey Ewalt does more for the sport than just coaching the Buffalos, he has made an impact on the sport as a wrestler, coach and official. Ewalt began his wrestling career at the very young age of four. His father, Mike Ewalt,... [More]
More Sports
- Pleasanton and Jayhawk baseball on the 2025 All TRL team
- Jayhawk Linn softball has three All TRL unanimous selections
- Trenton Broyles leads Hawks at State track
- Prairie View track earns six medals at State
- Pleasanton’s Gratton wins two golds, sets meet record
- Jayhawk track breaks another school record and qualifies multiple athletes for State
- School records and State qualifiers are made for the Jays at Eureka
- Prairie View track qualifies multiple athletes for State
OBITUARIES POLICY
• May be mailed, e-mailed, faxed or hand delivered.
• Must be received by 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning in order to appear in that week's edition.
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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

