William “Bill” Alfred Wolfinger Sr., of Pleasanton, Kan., passed away on July 5, 2014, at 9:56 p.m. at the age of 81.
Bill is preceded in death by his father and mother, John William and Jessie Ellen.
Bill is survived by his former wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Wolfinger of Pleasanton; his sister, Mary Ellen (Gray) Cheek of Morrilton, Ark.; his children, William Wolfinger Jr. of Dallas, Texas, Deborah Callahan of Gadsden, Tenn., Diana Robison of Lenexa, Kan., and Deanna Bradley of Butler, Mo.; his grandchildren, Colin Lewis of Williston, N.D., Thomas Wolfinger of Kansas City, Mo., Amber Lewis of Bensalem, Penn., Michael Wolfinger of Piedmont, S.D., and Morgan Bradley of Butler; and a great granddaughter, Addison Wolfinger of Kansas City, Mo.
Bill was born at home near Linville, Kan., on June 14, 1933. He graduated from Mound City High School in 1951 and went on to Kansas State University. Shortly thereafter, he served his country in the United States Air Force for four years. It was during this time that he trained soldiers in Enemy Escape and Evasion tactics.
While in the Air Force, he married Elizabeth Wolfinger on June 18, 1954. After his time in the Air Force, Bill and Betty made their home in rural Pleasanton with their children.
He was a seed and chemical salesman and coached the Mound City Colts baseball team to a tournament win. Also, he worked as a farmer and stockman on the family farm until his death. Bill was a school board member of Mound City and was instrumental in the creation of the Jayhawk School District, where he also served on the board.
Over the years, Bill was involved in many organizations. He was a member of the Rising Sun Masonic Lodge in Fort Scott, Kan.; the Scottish Rite in Fort Scott; the Mirza Temple Shriners in Pittsburg, Kan.; the American Legion in Olathe, Kan., and Pittsburg; and the Moose Lodge in Topeka, Kan. He enjoyed being a part of parades as a Shriner driving his MG and occasionally dressing up as a clown for local parades. However, on any given weekend, he could be found dancing the night away. This was one of his true passions in life.
Above all else, he loved his family and was most proud of them.
A visitation service will be held on Thursday, July 10, from 5- 7 pm at Schneider Funeral Home, 816 Main Street, Pleasanton. The memorial service will be held on Friday, July 11, at 1 pm at Schneider Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children. Condolences for the family may be offered online at schneiderfunerals.com.
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.
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- NOTICE:
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- 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

