Obituaries

Lauren B. (Branson) Johnson, age 72, born on Sept. 14, 1951, in Wichita, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Clearwater.

Visitation will be noon-7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, with family present, 5:30-7 p.m., at Webb-Shinkle Mortuary. Graveside service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept 26, at Clearwater Cemetery.

Lauren earned her degree from Wichita State University in elementary education. She married John on Aug. 1, 1981.

She was preceded in death by husband, John H. Johnson; parents, Robert E. and Jean (Kufus) Branson; and son-in-law, J. Finney.

Leslie L. Symes was born on July 8, 1937, to Burrell and Marcella Hopper Symes in Fairview, Okla. He passed away on Sept. 13, 2023.
Visitation with family present was held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18, at the Wulf-Ast Chapel in Garden Plain. Service was held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, at Cheney Methodist Church in Cheney, and the burial will be at 3 p.m. at the Laverne Cemetery in Laverne, Okla. 

Ruth Etheridge, 73, of Conway Springs, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, at Spring View Manor, Conway Springs.

Visitation with family will be 5 to 7 pm, Tuesday, Sept. 19, at Resthaven Mortuary. Graveside service will be held at Conway Springs Cemetery, Conway Springs, at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Ruth was preceded in death by her beloved dog Stormy, her parents, and sister Linda Ingram.

Kade Jared Ralstin, 17, of Cheney, entered his Eternal Life with our Lord on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at home. Kade was born Nov. 16, 2005, in Wichita. He was the son of Jerry A. Ralstin of Cheney, and Tracy Lee Blackwell of Deming, N.M. Kade attended Cheney High School, and this last year was being homeschooled.

Elizabeth “Liz” C. Welch passed away on Sept. 3, 2023, in Wichita.

Liz was born in rural Garden Plain on May 5, 1929, to Dick and Erna Wulf. Liz moved to Winfield in 1967, then to Arkansas City in 1975 and back to Wichita in 2001, where she remained until her death.

George L. Erker, 95, of Conway Springs, retired farmer, died Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, at Ascension Via Christi-St. Francis, Wichita.

George was born April 6, 1928, at Ost, Kan., to George Joseph Erker and Mary (Helten) Erker. He moved with his family to a farm west of Conway Springs at the age of 8 years. He attended the nearby Holly Hill rural school and began working on the farm at a young age.

Donald D. “Judge” Riggs, 90, of Conway Springs, passed away Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, at Spring View Manor, Conway Springs.

Don was born June 18, 1933, west of Conway Springs to Charley Ruben Riggs and Ethel Viola (Gibson) Riggs. He attended the McKibben rural school northwest of Conway Springs, and Conway Springs High School where he graduated with the class of 1951. Don continued his education at Friends University while working at Industrial Uniform Company in Wichita. He soon became employed as a timekeeper for Cessna Aircraft in March of 1953.

Peggy Jean Strong, the daughter and only child of Lloyd and Cassie (Harvey) Kennedy, was born in the
home of Bert and Susie Harvey, her grandparents, in the Greenwood community near Fargo, Okla., on
Jan. 3, 1930. She passed from this life on Sept. 8, 2023, at her home in Fargo at the age of 93
years, 8 months and 5 days. 

Aileen Hutchinson, 95, well-loved mom, grandma, great-grandma, sister, and aunt, passed away on Sept. 5, 2023, in Cheney. She was born Aug. 28, 1928, in Lone Star, Kan., to the late Donald and Lily (Johnson) Anderson. She was married to Jack S. Hutchinson on Oct. 17, 1948, until his death on Sept. 9, 2007. To this union were three children, Claudia S. Campbell, Mark S. Hutchinson, and Jane L. Hahn. 

Gerald Dean Blomstedt, 79, passed away on Sept. 4, 2023. Gerald was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force and then worked for Cessna as a superintendent of the flight line in Wichita.

Gerald was married to Maria Blomstedt and had three children, Eva, Christopher and Ryan.