Jesse Lee Earnest, age 62, was born Jan. 22, 1952 at Mercy Hospital, Fort Scott, Kan., the son of Jesse E. and Ola May (Callahan) Earnest. His father was in Korea at his birth, so Jesse did not know him until he was almost a year old. Jesse passed away Sept. 13, 2014, at Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kan.
Jesse grew up on the family farm southeast of Pleasanton with his two brothers, Bill and Rod and two sisters Linda and Diana and many uncles, aunts and cousins who visited often. He loved animals and had many pets and birds, even a pet goose he named "Chester" who often returned to the farm after he joined a flock of wild geese.
Jesse attended grade school at Prescott School, Special Education at La Cygne and the Triko sheltered workshop. He spent many years at the Linn County Museum in Pleasanton, with his mother, other volunteers and his best friend Kenton. Jesse often helped visitors tour the museum. He read many books and loved history, especially the Civil War, he also participated in the reenactment of the Battle of Mine Creek.
Jesse was a kind and loving person who never knew a stranger and liked everyone he met. One of his hobbies was colleting cameras, many given to him by friends. He always had a camera with him and took photos of old barns, parades, tractors, old machinery, horses and the places he visited. At last count he had 60-70 albums of photos and articles he had compiled. He also loved going to Marty Read's auctions, garage sales, collecting toy trains, tractors, puzzles, and watching old western movies.
Jesse was preceded in death by his grandfather, Marion Callahan whom he dearly loved; father, Jesse Earnest; aunt, Faye Cowley, uncle, Lee Callahan, and aunt Mary Ann Callahan.
He is survived by his mother, Ola May; brothers, Bill and wife Retta, Rod and wife Robin; sisters Linda and Craig Wood, and Diana and Wayne Schasteen; many nieces and nephews; and many friends who will miss him.
A celebration of his life will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, at the Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Pleasanton Chapel. Burial will be in the Littell Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Tuesday at the Pleasanton Chapel. The family suggests contributions to Linn County Sharing Bucket. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.schneiderfunerals.com.
Check out this week's edition of the Linn County News or check out the online edition here.
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
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.
• Obituaries submitted by funeral homes will be billed to the funeral home.
• Full obituaries submitted by individuals are required to be paid in advance.
• 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

