Paul F. Kropp, 78, Mayetta, died March 12, 2008, at St. Francis Hospital in Topeka. He was born June 13, 1929, in Grove, Okla., the son of Nelle Kropp.

He graduated from Grove High School. After graduation he joined the U.S. Air Force serving for 21 years as an aircraft mechanic. He later moved to Oskaloosa then Mayetta and was a farmer and stockman. He was a member of the 16-75ers Square Dance Club, an active member of the Air Force Sergeants Association, and attended Denison Bible Church.

He married Ida Belle Chapman Dec. 26, 1952, in Topeka. She died Jan. 26, 2007. He was also preceded in death by an infant son, James Earl Kropp. Survivors include a son, Ralph E. Kropp, Bridgeport, Ala.; three daughters, Esther L. Hall, Denison, Paula J. Oestmann, Millerton, Okla., and Lois A. Kern, Mayetta; 14 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren; and 13 great-great-grandchildren.

A funeral service was March 17 at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. Inurnment will be in the Denison Cemetery at a later date. Military honors were conducted by VFW Post No. 1367, Holton. Memorials can be given to the Midland Hospice House and sent in care of Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, 66436.

David Ware

David Ware, 64, died March 13, 2008, at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas, of injuries sustained from a fall.

He was born in Wichita, the son of Edward and Marjorie Ensminger Ware. He attended schools in Wichita and Aurora, Missouri, and was a standout track athlete in high school.

Dave was a grocery worker, most recently working in the Oskaloosa Thriftway and the Eureka Thriftway. He resided in rural Jefferson County until he moved to rural Greenwood County.

Dave will be remembered by those who knew him as always cheerful and industrious. He enjoyed gardening and housekeeping and was an avid reader. He is survived by his stepmother, Elma Ware of Wichita; two sons, Anthony, of rural Douglas County, Kansas, and Geoffrey, of Lincoln, Nebraska; two grandsons, Geoffrey and Charles, both of Lincoln; two step-grandsons, Luke and Daniel Stemmerman; three brothers, Raymond, Robert, and John; two sisters, Mary Seiwert and Kathryn Ware; a friend, Jeannette Hierstein; and an adopted brother, James. He is also survived by his two dogs, Randy and Enkidu, his faithful companions.

Richard A. Cobb

Richard A. Cobb, 75, Oskaloosa, died March 10, 2008, at his home in Oskaloosa. Mr. Cobb was born Jan. 9, 1933, at Cushing, Okla., the son of Harvey Stanley and Lillie Belle Myrick Cobb.

He had lived in Oskaloosa since his retirement from Valley Falls School District No. 338. He was an industrial arts teacher and educator at Valley Falls High School for 27 years, retiring in 1995. He also taught for 10 years in his hometown of Cushing.

He was a member of the Oskaloosa Church of Christ, the Kansas Teacher’s Association, and the National Teacher’s Association. He was a 1951 graduate of Cushing High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial arts from Oklahoma State University in 1955 and earned his master’s of education from Emporia State University. He served in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant from 1956 to 1958.

He married Norma Jean Cogburn June 10, 1956, at Chickasha, Okla. She survives at the home. He is also survived by four sons, Rick Cobb, Perry, Mo., Brad Cobb, Turlock, Calif., Brent Cobb, Hannibal, Mo., and Ed Cobb, Medford, Ore.; one daughter, Brenda Bertels, Nortonville; two brothers, Bill Cobb, Henderson, Texas, and Lee Arthur Cobb, CoWeta, Okla.; a sister, Dorothy Ellen Reagan, Cushing; 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Amber Leah Cobb.

Funeral services were March 14 at Barnett-Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Oskaloosa. Burial was at Pleasant View Cemetery in Oskaloosa. Memorials can be made to American Heart Association or to the Oskaloosa Church of Christ and sent in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box 416, Oskaloosa, 66066.

John Porter

John R. Porter, 66, Topeka, died March 14, 2008. He was born Sept. 28, 1941, in Perry, the son of Francis and Clara Hiner Porter.

He was a graduate of Perry Rural High School and retired from Santa Fe Railway after 35 years. He was a member of the Perry Masonic Lodge No. 415, the Scottish Rite, and the Topeka Arab Shrine where he served as Potentate in 2000. He was also a member of the Susanna Wesley United Methodist Church.

He married Sharon K. Leonard in 1961 at the Perry United Methodist Church. She survives. Other survivors include three children, John R. “J.R.” Porter II, Perry; Ginger S. Reynolds, Peoria, Ill.; and Audra K. Silkey, Tecumseh; seven granddaughters; sisters, Lola Plank, Los Angeles and Wilma Casto, Topeka; and brothers, Marvin Porter, Topeka and Ralph Porter, Perry. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Mildred Reese, Marilyn Weeks, and Myrna Porter; and a brother Everett Wayne Porter.

Funeral services were March 19 at Susanna Wesley United Methodist Church, Topeka. Burial was in the Oak Ridge Cemetery, Perry. Memorial contributions can be given to the Arab Shrine Travel Fund, 1305 Kansas Avenue, Topeka, 66612, or Midland Hospice, 220 SW Frazier Court, Topeka, 66606.

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