Cameron Lea Bickford, 18, Valley Falls, died Feb. 24, 2008, at a Topeka hospital as a result of injuries from a single vehicle accident. He was born Feb. 8, 1990, at Topeka, the son of Tim J. and Vivian Boyd Bickford.

At Valley Falls High School he participated all four years in football and basketball. He was named to the first team defensive and honorable mention offense of the 2007 All-Delaware Valley League. He received State Class 2-1A honorable mention as a lineman and and a specialist. He was a Shrine Bowl nominee. At the 2008 McLouth Invitational Basketball Tournament he was named to the all-tournament team. Cameron was named to the list of Who’s Who of American High School Students. He was a member of the high school instrumental band all four years and jazz band for two years. He was the 2007 Football Homecoming King.

He had been a Student Council Representative and a member of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. During the summer he worked for the city of Valley Falls and mowed yards for town residents.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Brandon Jay Bickford, April 14, 2001. Survivors include his parents, Tim and Vivian Bickford, a brother, Shannon Bickford, and maternal grandmother, Dorothy Boyd, all of Valley Falls; and paternal grandparents, Kenneth and Louise Bickford, Holton.

The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Valley Falls School gymnasium. Burial will be at the Valley Falls Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Mercer Funeral Home in Valley Falls. Memorial contributions can be made to the Hagge Pond Renovation Fund or to the Brandon and Cameron Bickford Memorial Scholarship Fund and sent in care of Mercer Funeral Home, 810 Broadway, Valley Falls, 66088. (mercerfuneral-homes.com)

Jessica Ann Alford

Jessica Ann Alford, 27, of Scranton, passed away Wednesday, February 20, 2008 in Osage County as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Jessica was a store manager for Deals in Topeka.

She was born January 23, 1981 in Topeka, the daughter of Myron Francis and Kathryn M. Palmer Alford. Jessica was a graduate of Shawnee Heights High School. Jessica enjoyed playing pool, music and especially dancing with her son, Dylan. She enjoyed laughing and living life to the fullest. Her greatest accomplishment in life was being a great mother to her son.

She is survived by; her son Dylan McCall Alford of the home, mother, Kathryn Alford of the home, father, Myron Alford of Leavenworth, step brothers, Benjamin Alford of Topeka, Lucas Sadler of Leavenworth, step sister, Jennifer English of Overland Park, grandmother, Lorain Alford of Leavenworth, aunt, Patty Oliver of Perry and uncles, Bill Palmer and wife Fran of Overbrook, James Palmer and wife Ida and Tim Palmer and wife Kim all of Topeka.

The funeral service was at 1:00 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial followed in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be given to the Dylan Alford Education Fund sent in care of the Kansas State Bank in Scranton or Overbook. Online condolences to www.brennanmathenafh.com

Jerry Shields

Jerry E. Shields, 83, Holton, died Feb. 23, 2008, at Medicalodges Jackson County in Holton. He was born Oct. 15, 1924, northeast of Holton, the son of Onie “Bill” and Lurline Faulkender Shields.

He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War II, having served in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. He worked with his brother Everett Shields in the Westside Sundries jewelry store in Holton. He later had a jewelry and repair shop in Valley Falls before moving back to Holton where he operated Jerry Shields Clock Repair.

He was a member of the Evangel United Methodist Church in Holton and a charter member of Holton Memorial Post No. 1367 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He married Elfrieda Moorman April 8, 1951, at Elk Point, S.D. She survives of the home. He was preceded in death by a brother, Everett Shields, and a sister, Anna Faye Simons. Other survivors include four sons, Randy Shields and Cory Shields, both of Holton, and Brent Shields and Carey Shields, both of Amarillo, Texas; one brother, Forrest C. Shields, Ralston, Neb.; six grandchildren; and four great-grandsons.

Memorials can be made to Holton Memorial Post No. 1367 of the VFW and sent in care of the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1034, Holton, 66436.

Lois Cornelison

Lois Jean Cornelison, 76, Meriden, died Feb. 24, 2008, at her home. She was born Sept. 3, 1931, at Concordia, the daughter of Dean and Mable Mosher Petrie.

She was a homemaker and worked at the Meriden Grocery Store and retired from Rees’ Fruit Farm.

She married Richard Cornelison Oct. 8, 1949. They divorced. Survivors include one son, Larry Cornelison Sr.; three daughters, Debra Miller, Diana Cornelison, and Darla Dooley, all of Meriden; one brother, Bill Petrie, Topeka; nine grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, Keith Cornelison, and a great-grandson, Dakota Cornelison.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Meriden United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at the Meriden Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Barnett-Chapel Oaks Meriden Chapel. Memorials can be made to Jefferson County Hospice and sent in care of the funeral chapel, P.O. Box 331, Meriden, 66512.

Emmett Wichman

Emmett Bernard Wichman, 79, Seneca, formerly of Valley Falls, died Feb. 26, 2008, at St. John’s Hospital in Leavenworth. He was born March 26, 1928, at Seneca, the son of John Henry and Bernadine Heiman Wichman.

He graduated from St. Peter and Paul Catholic High School at Seneca and attended a business college in St. Joseph, Mo. He worked in the accounting department of Sinclair Oil at Kansas City, Mo. He also was an independent home contractor in the Kansas City area.

He fulfilled his lifetime goal of being a farmer when he and his family moved to Valley Falls in 1962. He received a Jefferson County Soil Conservation Award in 1971 and served on the USD 338 School Board. He was a member of St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church at Valley Falls and later he was a member of St. Bede’s Church at Kelly. He was a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus and was a volunteer at The Missions at Seneca.

He married Thelma Louise “Lou” Schumacher Aug. 5, 1950, at Kansas City, Mo. She died Nov. 25, 1993. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Ralph Wichman, a sister, Adelaide Schmitz, and a great-grandson, Miles Hosler. He married Ida Rose Sextro Aug. 21, 1995, at Kelly. She survives of the home. Other survivors include a son, Steven Wichman, Valley Falls; seven daughters, Kathleen Schwartz, Christie Allen, and Karin Hosler, all of Valley Falls, Janet Staple, Meriden, Joyce Wichman, St. Joseph, Mo., Janell Castle, Eureka, and Michelle Robertson, Holton; a stepson, Michael Sextro, The Woodlands, Texas; two brothers, LeRoy Wichman, Ft. Collins, Colo., and Kenneth Wichman, Lenexa; three sisters, Marilyn Lierz, Gladstone, Mo., Arlene Speilman, Muscotah, and Evelyn Nash, Richmond, Mo.; 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 1, at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church in Valley Falls. Burial will be at the church cemetery. A Rosary will be recited at 6:30 p.m. Friday followed by a visitation at Mercer Funeral Home in Valley Falls. Memorial contributions can be made to the church cemetery fund or to the American Heart Association and sent in care of Mercer Funeral Home, 810 Broadway, Valley Falls, 66088. Online condolences are at mercerfuneralhomes.com

Ruby Stewart

Ruby K. Stewart, 93, Valley Falls, died Feb. 23, 2008, at Deer Park North Senior Home at Meriden. She was born March 19, 1914, at Platte City, Mo., the daughter of Oscar Jefferson and Isa Ann Wilkerson Anderson.

She worked for over 20 years as a nurse’s aide at the Jefferson County Memorial Hospital at Winchester, retiring in 1978. She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Valley Falls.

She married Cecil E. Stewart July 4, 1934, at Winchester. He died Sept. 25, 1988. She was also preceded in death by a son, Norman D. Stewart, Aug. 16, 2003; two brothers, T.J. Anderson and Wilbur A. Anderson; two sisters, Juanita E. Stewart and E. Frances Smith; and two grandchildren, Troy Stewart and Debbie Stewart Bailey. Survivors include a son, Earl L. Stewart, Meriden; two daughters, Barbara S. Stephens, Atchison, and Sandra K. Langston, Oskaloosa; a brother, Oscar J. Anderson Jr., Oskaloosa; two sisters, Beulah J. Bunn, Amarillo, Texas, and Violet May, Phoenix, Ariz.;11 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.

The funeral service was Feb. 26 at Calvary Baptist Church. Burial was at the Valley Falls Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to Calvary Baptist Church or to Jefferson County Hospice and sent in care of Mercer Funeral Home, 810 Broadway, Valley Falls, 66088. (mercerfuneralhomes.com)

Dorothy Cowley

Dorothy Arlene Cowley, 81, Topeka, formerly of Ozawkie, died Feb. 23, 2008, at the McCrite Plaza Health Center in Topeka. She was born Jan. 24, 1927, in Perry, the daughter of Elmer Glen and Kate Kneen Dick.

She was a graduate of Oskaloosa High School. She worked for the state of Kansas Soil Conservation Department for 12 years, and then working as a clerk for Santa Fe Railroad, where she retired in 1990.

She married Ralph Ellis Cowley May 29, 1954, in Kansas City. He preceded her in death Sept. 12, 2007. She was a member of the Ozawkie United Methodist Church, the Rebekah Lodge in Ozawkie, and the Santa Fe Women’s Club of Topeka.

Survivors include four daughters, Linda Frye, Phoenix, Ariz., Dianna Andrews, Topeka, Cindy Cowley, Olathe, and Dana DeMarco, Wichita; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by one son, Michael D. Andrews, April 15, 2003, and one sister, Ruby Gibson in November 1963.

Services were Feb. 26 at the Barnett-Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Oskaloosa. Burial was at the Nortonville Cemetery. Memorials can be made to the Helping Hands Humane Society and sent in care of the funeral home, PO Box 416, Oskaloosa, 66066.

Mary Edmonds

Mary C. Edmonds, 95, rural McLouth, died Feb. 19, 2008, at the Jefferson County Geriatric Center in Winchester. She was born Feb. 19, 1913, at Lancaster, the daughter of John and Nettie Carson Hiebsch and was a lifelong resident of the area.

Mrs. Edmonds was a homemaker and had worked as a clerk at the Winchester Grocery Store and Winchester Hardware Store. She was member of the Winchester United Methodist Church and the Edmonds Chapel Ladies Aid Society. She was a 1931 graduate of Oskaloosa High School.

She married William Hall “Bill” Edmonds June 10, 1933 at Topeka. He preceded her in death Feb. 20, 2000. Survivors include, two sons, Donald L. Edmonds, Oskaloosa, and Charles R. Edmonds, Winchester; two sisters, Bertha Wiley, Oskaloosa, and Lola Ross, Perry; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by three brothers, and two sisters.

Funeral services were Feb. 23 at Barnett-Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Oskaloosa. Burial was at McLouth Cemetery. Memorials can be made to Jefferson County Hospice and sent in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box 416, Oskaloosa, 66066.

Bonnie Williams

Bonnie Ruth Williams, 87, Littleton, Colo., died Feb. 20, 2008, at Cherrelynn Manor Nursing Home in Littleton. She was born Aug. 21, 1920, at McLouth, the daughter of Ernest and Ruth Casebier McHenry.

After graduating from McLouth High School in 1938, she became a bookkeeper. She married John W. Williams and they lived and raised two children in Texas, Casper, Wyo., and Denver. She is survived by her son, Jon Mac “Max” Williams, Casper; a daughter, “Sandra” Joan Bruxvoort, Bailey, Colo.; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a grandson, Joseph Wayne Stevenson; a brother, Harold “Mac” McHenry; and two sisters, Lois Kopfer and Dorothy Edmonds.

Memorial services were Feb. 26 at Denver First Church of The Nazarene. Graveside services were Feb. 27 at the McLouth Cemetery. The Barnett-Chapel Oaks Funeral Home, Oskaloosa, is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to Denver First Church of the Nazarene, 3800 E. Hampden Ave., Englewood, 80113.

R.J. Immenschuh

R.J. “Butch” John Immenschuh, 91, Holton, died Feb. 19, 2008, at a nursing home in Holton. He was born April 15, 1916, in Flush, the son of John and Emma Koenig Immenschuh.

He was a farmer and stockman for many years in the Holton and Carbondale areas and in Jefferson County. He was a maintenance foreman for the athletic department at the University of Kansas, a mechanic, and worked in construction laying carpet.

He married Thelma Hoy March 4, 1940, in Bartlesville, Okla. She survives. Other survivors include two daughters, Nancy Faye MacEachern, Asheboro, N.C., and Melva Kaye Taylor, Topeka; one son, Larry Lee Immenschuh, Holton; nine grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Warren Leslie Immenschuh, Jan. 11, 2007.

Funeral services were Feb. 22 at Mercer Funeral Home, Holton. Burial was in the Holton Cemetery. Memorials can be given to the Evangel United Methodist Church and sent in care of the funeral home at P.O. Box 270, Holton, 66436.

Margaret Newby

Margaret “Maggi” Foster Newby, 78, Leavenworth, near rural McLouth, died Feb. 23, 2008, at Golden Living Center, Lansing. She was born Aug. 18, 1929, in Tulsa, Okla., the daughter of Walter and Pearl Boling Foster.

She attended art school in Rockport, Texas, and was a graduate of Patricia Stevens School of Modeling. She was successful many years in modeling and sales. She was a gifted artist in oil, acrylic, charcoal and ceramics, and was awarded numerous times for entries in county fairs. She was a member of the Church of the Nazarene, McLouth.

She married William Newby in 1983. He preceded her in death. Survivors include one son, Kevin Campbell, Phoenix, Ariz.; two daughters, Lynda Spencer, Clearwater, Fla., and Karyn “Kaney” Campbell, Scottsdale, Ariz.; one stepson, Dan Newby, Kansas City, Mo.; five stepdaughters, Connie Waters, Tess Newby, Lora Drauszewski, Leslye Lauer and Charity Newby; one sister, Harriet Jacobsen; 10 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Church of the Nazarene, McLouth. Visitation will be Thursday evening from 5 to 6 p.m. at the church. Burial will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Mount Washington Forever Cemetery, Independence, Mo. Memorials are suggested to the church and can be sent in care of Quisenberry Funeral Home, P.O. Box 993, Tonganoxie, 66086.

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