Obituaries

Carl DaviD

CARL DAVID LAWRENCE

Carl David Lawrence of Emporia, passed away peacefully at the Greenwood County Hospital, in Eureka, on Friday, July 8th, 2022, at the age of 68, following a hard-fought battle with Cancer.

Betty Joan Goff

BETTY JOAN GOFF

Betty Joan Maclaskey was born in Gridley, Ks, on June 17, 1931, to Walter and Bertha Maclaskey. Walter worked in the oil fields and Bertha was a homemaker. Walter moved his family to Emporia for a short time then to Virgil where he started his oil and water hauling and tank cleaning business. Betty graduated from Virgil High School in 1949 and went to Pecks Beauty School in Emporia. She took her State Board in 1950 and moved to Chanute, Ks where she worked for Vivian Brennan at the Main St Beauty Shop. She met Wilford Goff (Willie as she called him) when he returned home from the Korean War and after a two-week courtship were married on December 28, 1951, in Bentonville, Arkansas. Their first military assignment together was to Camp Cook, CA. In 1952 Betty took down with polio and they were transferred to Fort Riley, KS, so she would be closer to family for help. Their only child a daughter, Vonna was born on February 26, 1953. Wilford made the Army his career, so the family traveled and lived in many wonderful places such as Iowa, Panama, California, and Hawaii. When Wilford’s Americal Division was sent to Vietnam in 1968, Betty and Vonna moved back to Virgil. Wilford retired in 1971 and they made their home in Virgil. Betty helped care for her parents, served as the City Clerk for six years, and served on the Virgil Commentary Board for 40 years. Betty also helped her husband run the Half Step Bar and Deli from 1994 to 2013. Betty truly loved the Virgil community, helping care for the cemetery and most of all her friends. She will be dearly missed.

KEULAN R. PHILLIPS

KEULAN R. PHILLIPS

Keulan R. Phillips, 90, rode in his chariot to heaven on May 24, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona. He was born at home on an oil lease in Greenwood County, Kansas and raised in Lamont, Kansas. He and his wife of 66 years, Alberta Mauer Phillips (from Gridley Kansas), moved to Arizona in 2017 to be near children and grandchildren. Keulan was a popular athlete and graduate of Lamont High School and earned his college degree at Emporia State University.

KENNETH RAY MILLS

KENNETH RAY MILLS

Kenneth Ray Mills was born on April 18, 1938 to Lee and Emma Mills, near Malden, MO and passed away on June 13, 2022 in Eureka, KS. He grew up in St. Louis and in the cotton fields of Southeast Missouri. He graduated from Fisk/Rombauer High School and joined the US Air Force, becoming an airborne electronics technician. While he was stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, he met and married Bertle “Birdie” Gurskey of Cedar Vale, KS. Following his discharge, they operated City Radio and T.V. in Wichita until moving to the Cedar Vale and Grenola area to farm and ranch. They added a son, Brian and daughter, Nancy. After also running a construction and mechanical contracting company, they retired to Eureka to be near grandchildren. Ken only slowed down in the last year, always building and planning. He was a good businessman, mechanic and innovatory. He is preceded in death by his parents and one older brother, Van. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Birdie; son Brian (Leah) of rural Florence, KS, daughter Nancy of Bella Vista, AR, 4 granddaughters, 2 great grandchildren, sister, Barbara and brother, Jim of Indianapolis, IN.

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The Eureka Herald

PO Box 590

Eureka, KS 67045

Phone: 620-583-5721

Fax: 620-583-5922