March 14, 2017

Max Gordon Byerley, age 102, of Parker, Kan., passed away Monday, March 6, 2017, at Hospice House in Olathe, Kan.
“Mick,” as he was known to all, was born to William and Louisa Antoinette (Willis) Byerley on Feb. 16, 1915. He was a lifelong resident of Linn County, Kan., and lived south of Goodrich for many years but has called Parker home since 1973.
Mick grew up in a world without electricity or any other modern convenience. He spent his days playing baseball, swimming, hunting and fishing. He and his four older siblings enjoyed having walnut and corn cob fights with their father who was reputedly able to throw a walnut around the corner of the barn.
He married Gertrude Delores Jackson in 1935 and together they had two children, Byron Eugene “Gene” Byerley and Katherine Delores (Byerley) Stanley. Gertrude passed away in 1971 after a prolonged battle with cancer.
Mick married Doris Virginia (Stainbrook) Kehl in 1973, and they enjoyed 39 years together until her death in 2010.
Mick was a farmer and rancher all of his life. He told stories of the “Dirty Thirties” when dust storms killed most of the crops and grasshoppers ate the rest … then they ate the fence posts. He owned cattle until he was well into his 90s when kidney failure forced him to retire in 2008. He then defied the doctor’s prognosis, and his kidneys resumed functioning after nearly a year on dialysis.
He loved to play pitch, dominoes, Yahtzee or any other game that gave him a chance to spend time with family and friends. He lived on his own in Parker until congestive heart failure caused his admittance to Hospice House on Feb. 27.
Mick was preceded in death by his parents, William and Louisa; his siblings, Nellie, Harry, John and Warren; his wives, Gertrude and Virginia; his son, Byron Eugene “Gene”; and stepdaughters Anne Shulista and Tracey Kehl.
He is survived by his daughter, Katherine Stanley and husband Charles of Centerville, Kan.; stepsons Larry Kehl and wife Loretta of Parker, and Allen Kehl and wife Cathy of Russellville, Ark.; his grandchildren, Ron Stanley of Centerville, Katherine “Betsy” Hamilton and husband Eli of Stafford, Va., John Byerley of Mesa, Ariz., and Anita Burdge and husband Robert of Paola, Kan.; and six great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren and many other family and friends.
Funeral services were held Friday, March 10, 2017, at Centerville Community Church. Burial followed in the Goodrich Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Parker (Kan.) Heritage Park or to Hospice House of Olathe, https://www.olathehealth.org/Donations#.WL4J4H9diMV.
You may send your condolences to the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.