Jerald Dene Cowel, 85, formerly of Cedar Vale, Kan., passed away Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015 at Medicalodge of Arkansas City, Kan.
Jerald was born April 25, 1930, in Wichita, Kan., the son of Ira Raymond and Mattie Isabelle (Snipes) Cowel. He was raised in Wichita and in Linn County, Kan.
After his schooling, he went to work. And work is what he did almost his entire life. He enjoyed being self-employed. He worked in heavy equipment operation and did lots of demolition jobs in Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri throughout his career.
For 35 years he was married to Mildred Beach Corn and she preceded him in death in March of 2010.
He was known in the later part of his life as the “Rock Man” for his collection of decorative rocks that people would get from him. He was a special man who sacrificed everything to help those in need and whom he cared for. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
His family includes his siblings, LaVerne Ray of Velma, Okla., Ronald Cowel and wife Donna of Arkansas City, Kan., Marilyn Megenity and husband William of Kansas City, Kan.; his nieces and nephews, Carole Corley of Garden City, Kan., Martin Ray of Plano, Texas, Connie Phillips of Duncan, Okla., Terry Bice of Bridgeport, Ala., Kim Meyers of Kansas City, Mo., Tammy Champagne of Wellington, Kan., Courtney Cowel of Jopin, Mo., Samantha Ross of Wichita, Kan., William Patrick Megenity of Denison, Texas, Raymond Michael Megenity of Humboldt, Kan., and Breandan Philbert of Kansas City, Kan.
In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by one brother, Raymond C. Cowel.
Cremation has been effected and Shelley Family Funeral Home & Crematory was in charge of arrangements. No services are scheduled.

OBITUARIES

Rick “Rockin Rick” Nash ~ 11-13-1958 to 02-23-2026

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Linn County News Published March 11, 2026   Rick "Rockin' Rick" Nash, 67, of Lawrence, Kan., passed away on Feb. 23, 2026, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, Kan. Rick was born to parents Joe Victor Nash and Janice Maline Heitman on Nov. 13, 1958, in... [More]

Bernard Thomas “Tom” Brownback ~ 10-06-1938 to 02-27-2026

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Linn County News Published March 4, 2026   Bernard Thomas "Tom" Brownback was born on a farm in Centerville, Kan., the fifth child born to William Earl and Kezia Ellen (Reynolds) Brownback on Oct. 6, 1938. He passed away on his farm in rural Blue Mound,... [More]

Bernard E. “Gene” Post ~ 05-02-1934 to 12-15-2025

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Linn County News Published March 4, 2026   Bernard E. “Gene” Post, 91, of Mound City, Kan., passed away peacefully on Dec. 15, 2025. Born on May 2, 1934, in Mound City, Kan., he lived a life marked by generosity, quiet strength, and unwavering... [More]

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NEWS

Commissioners hear from appraiser on valuations report from KPI

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During the meeting on March 2, the Linn County Commissioners heard from County Appraiser Lisa Kellstadt who stated that in response to the KPI (Kansas Policy Institute) report on valuations she had sent documents to each commissioner and would like to report on those.  Kellstadt... [More]

2025 data is in: Four straight years of unaffordable assessed valuation hikes. Where’s the relief?

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Assessed valuation changes for 2025, released this morning, reiterate the need for a constitutional amendment to limit the increases. The average increase for existing residential property (not counting new construction) of 5.9% is more than double the inflation rate, and that’s... [More]

USD 346 potential $10 million bond issue discussed

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The USD 346 Board of Education held a special meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, to discuss options for renovating the science suite at Jayhawk Linn along with several other items. The meeting began with discussing a timeline, with HVAC and plumbing kicking things off and a pre-construction... [More]

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SPORTS

Pleasanton boys advance in Sub-State tournament, girls end season

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The Pleasanton boys’ and girls’ basketball teams began their Sub-State tournament action this past week. Pleasanton is in the Madison 1A Div. 1 Sub-State and the boys entered the tournament as the 1 seed with a 20-1 record while the girls were the 11 seed with an... [More]

Jayhawk wrestling has four wrestlers place in the top four at State

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The Jayhawk boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams traveled to Hays on Feb. 27-28 to compete in the 3-1A State tournament. The Hawks brought a total of 11 wrestlers to the event, six girls and five boys. The boys’ team earned three State medals while the girls’... [More]

Prairie View boys’ wrestling sends two to State

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The Prairie View boys’ wrestling team traveled to Paola on Feb. 21 to compete in a 4A Regional to determine who would make the 4A State tournament in Salina on Feb. 27-28. The Buffalos took eight wrestlers and two emerged as qualifiers for the State tournament, Bentlee... [More]

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