Linn County News
Published Jan. 20, 2021
James “Jim” William Finfrock, age 84, of Paola, Kan., passed away Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, at Olathe Medical Center.
Jim was born Dec. 30, 1936, at Centerville, Kan. He was the oldest of four children born to William Fredrick and Olan F. (Baker) Finfrock. He grew up in Centerville.
He was married to Faye Stites on Oct. 17, 1954, at rural Parker, Kan. They made their home in Centerville and became the parents of two children. They moved to LaCygne and lived there several years. Faye preceded Jim in death on June 26, 1982.
On Dec. 6, 2003, he was married to Diane (Lucas) Willis. They made their home in Harveyville, Kan., and later moved to Princeton, Kan. It was in 2017 that they moved to Paola.
Jim owned and operated a filling station in Parker, Kan., when they lived there. He later worked for Union Gas Company in Bonner Springs, Fort Scott, and LaCygne then went to work as a truck driver. His truck driving career began with LaCygne Truckline which Jim later bought. He also worked for Joe Donohue and then the Walmart Ottawa Distribution Center as a truck driver.
Jim loved camping and fishing at Melvern Lake. He enjoyed running trotlines with his son at Sugar Creek. He also enjoyed deer hunting. He had many canine companions throughout his lifetime including Jake, Jadie, and Butch.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife; his brother, Paul; and one great-grandchild Gracein Lickteig.
He is survived by his wife, Diane, of the home; daughter Cindy Lickteig (Leon) of Greeley; son Jimmy Finfrock (Terri) of Kearney, Mo.; two step sons Adam Reeder (Tammy) of Boonton, N.J. and David Willis (Angel Simmons) of Topeka, Kan.; two sisters Nancy Cox of Mound City, Kan. and Sally Morse (Les) of Centerville, Kan.; seven grandchildren; three step grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; many other relatives and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memorials are to the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy and can be sent c/o Dengel and Son Mortuary-Crematory, 305 N. Pearl St., Paola, Kan. 66071.
OBITUARIES
Kelly Kehl ~ 03-25-1938 to 06-28-2025

Linn County News Published July 2, 2025 Kelly Kehl, age 87, of Mound City, Kan., passed away Saturday, June 28, 2025, at his rural Mound City home. Kelly was born March 25, 1938, south of Parker, Kan., to Keith (Tom) Emerson Kehl and Helen Edith (Giffin) Kehl. Kelly... [More]
Kandi Kay Cruse ~ 03-29-1958 to 06-27-2025

Linn County News Published July 2, 2025 Kandi Kay Cruse passed away on June 27, 2025, at the age of 67 after a valiant battle with cancer. Born on March 29, 1958, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Kandi’s zest for life and carefree spirit were evident from an early age. She... [More]
Jessica Cae Pritchett ~ 08-30-1981 to 06-26-2025

Linn County News Published July 2, 2025 Jessica Cae Pritchett age 43 of Parker, Kan., died Thursday, June 26, 2025, at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sunday, July 6, 2025, at Eddy Birchard Funeral Home in Osawatomie, Kan. ... [More]
More Obituaries
- Jackie Junior “Jack” Hewitt ~ 07-17-1935 to 06-18-2025
- Priscilla “Pat” Haney Smith ~ 11-19-1935 to 06-07-2025
- Ron Arbogast ~ 08-31-1946 to 06-05-2025
- Richard “Dick” Smith ~ 04-18-1942 to 06-22-2025
- 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
NEWS
special: SCOTUS agrees to hear Women's Sports Case

Case paves the way for states to continue to protect women and girl's athletic opportunities Topeka, Kan. July 3, 2025 - Today, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari in Hecox v. Little and West Va., v. BPJ. Rep.... [More]
SPECIA;: Schmidt Votes to Cancel Massive Tax Hike, Secure Border, and Lower Federal Spending

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Derek Schmidt (KS-02) issued the following statement regarding passage of the budget reconciliation bill by the U.S. House of Representatives, also called the “One Big Beautiful Bill”: “Last November,... [More]
NOTICE:

The Linn County News and Linn County Printing offices will be closed on Friday, July 4, in honor of the holiday.
More News
- Pleasanton awarded $617,000 KDOT street grant
- Commissioners discuss development zoning appeals
- Questions on employee emails leads to lengthy discussion
- NOTICE:
- Tanglewood Lakes files suit against Board of County Commissioners
- Case filed alleging exploitation of minors, breach of privacy
- La Cygne executes pool bond defeasance
- CANCELED: Statewide Purple Alert issued for missing Yates Center woman
SPORTS
Gratton at Nationals

Pleasanton’s Ashton Gratton qualifies for the Adidas Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina after winning the 100 and 200 meter dashes in the KSHSAA 2A State tournament in Wichita on May 31. The Adidas Nationals took place from June 20-22 and Gratton did well in both the... [More]
Summer Ball Tournaments

The Parker 8-11 baseball team 1 places first in their league tournament at La Cygne on June 28. See more photos on page B1 of this week's edition.
More Sports
- Pleasanton/Jayhawk trapshooting team places seventh at State, Wallace earns State championship
- Joey Ewalt impacting youth wrestling here and abroad
- Prairie View trapshooting competes at State
- 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
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Call Barbara at 913-352-6235 or e-mail linncountynewsreporter@gmail.com

