<h2>Services</h2>VISITATIONThursdayNovember 14, 20196:00 PM to 7:30 PMSawyer Funeral Home137 N. Union Street&nbsp;Council Grove, KS 66846&nbsp;FUNERAL SERVICEFriday,&nbsp;November 15, 201911:00 AMSawyer Funeral Home&nbsp;137 N. Union Street&nbsp;Council Grove, KS

Buck Hayes October 11, 1943 ~ November 11, 2019 (age 76)led

<a href="https://www.littleapplepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Helmer-5dcaca7298218-e1573591932297.jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><img src="https://www.littleapplepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Helmer-5dcaca7298218-e1573591932297.jpg" height="200" width="150"></a>Sylvia's life began on April 16, 1930, on the family farm in rural Lincolnville.&nbsp;She was the daughter of Fred and Kathrina (Brunner) Winter and her stepmother Frieda (Budde) Winter.&nbsp;Sylvia is a 1947 graduate of Lincolnville High School, a graduating class of just eight students. She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior and was baptized as a youth.&nbsp;She was united in marriage to Jack Helmer on March 13, 1952 in Marion.Sylvia was a member of the Eastmoor United Methodist Church and worked with the ladies of the church on funeral dinners and other events.&nbsp;She was an excellent baker, known for her cherry pies and angel food cakes. Sylvia enjoyed painting the woodworking projects that Jack made.&nbsp;She was good at needlework and loved to travel.&nbsp;Sylvia was a member of the Neo-Century Club and the VFW Auxiliary for several years.Sylvia's greatest joy was her family which includes her children Shirley (Gordon) Groening of Marion and Kendall (Melinda) Helmer of Wichita; grandchildren Kristin (Matt) Brenzikofer,&nbsp;Jenny (Aaron) Acree, Leslie (Seth) Beytien, and Lauren (Tim) Hartland; great-grandchildren Brennen&nbsp;and Hanna Acree, Adalyn, Avery, and Nora Hartland and Vivian Beytien; her brother Alvin Winter of Marion and sister in law Wanda Winter of Salina and many nieces and nephews.&nbsp;Sylvia entered into her heavenly house while surrounded by family on November 10, 2019 at Marion Assisted Living. She was preceded in death by her parents, stepmother Frieda, husband Jack in 2007, brother Clarence Winter, sister Minnie Winter, and brother Herman Winter.Sylvia's family will gather with friends on Friday, November 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Yazel-Megli-Zeiner Funeral Home, Marion.&nbsp;Her funeral service will be held on Saturday November 16 at 1 p.m. at the Eastmoor United Methodist Church led by Pastor Darren Frazier.&nbsp;She will be laid to rest in Marion Cemetery.&nbsp;Memorial contributions in her name may be directed to Eastmoor United Methodist Church or the St. Luke's Hospital Foundation.

Sylvia (Winter) Helmer April 16, 1930 ~ November 10, 2019 (age 89)

Peter Anthony Silva died Tuesday, October 22, 2019, after a long battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Peter, 76, was a native son of Manhattan, Kansas who would become a noted American photojournalist whose work was recognized by his peers for its sensitivity and scope.He was born on May 7, 1943 to Pedro and Erlinda Silva, and lived in a loving home with his older brother Robert and, later, younger sister Catherine. As a young man, he served as an altar boy at Seven Dolors Catholic Church and rose to the rank of Life Scout in the Boy Scouts. He graduated from Monsignor Luckey High School in 1961, and went on to study architecture at Kansas State University. In March, 1967, he was called up by the U.S. Navy Reserves to active duty, serving in Iceland and at sea aboard the USS Vesole. He was honorably discharged from active duty in October, 1968 with the naval rating of Petty Officer Third Class. He would go on to serve several more years in the Reserves. Upon returning home, he joined the photography staff at The Manhattan Mercury, putting the self-taught skills he had learned as a teenager to work.In 1973, he became a staff photographer at The Palm Beach Post in Florida, a newspaper known nationally for its excellent photo department and staffed with several award-winning photographers. Peter excelled there, also, winning Southern Photographer of the Year in 1974, a prize granted by the Southern Short Course, one of the oldest photojournalism institutions in the nation, for producing a year of excellence in news photography. He also met his lifetime companion and wife of some 47 years at the Post, writer Hilary Hylton Silva. Their first assignment together was to produce a Sunday length feature story on the weekend recreational activities of a motorcycle gang who had complained to the newspaper that they were being wrongly portrayed in the news as a gang, while their checking account clearly labelled them as the “Stormtroopers Motorcycle Club.” It was a running joke between Peter and Hilary that they had been introduced to each other by Stormtrooper President Charlie “Fat Rat” Haley.Peter and Hilary went on to work at The Corpus Christi Caller-Times in Texas where Peter would win one of journalism’s most prestigious prizes, The Robert F. Kennedy Award given for outstanding coverage of the disadvantaged. The award recognized his work on a series of stories dubbed “The Outsiders” which focused on the dismal state of health care among the poor in South Texas. He was given a bust of the late Robert F. Kennedy marked with a plaque honoring his work by U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy at a ceremony at the Hickory Hill, the Washington-area home of Kennedy’s widow, Ethel. Peter went on to became photo editor at The Austin American-Statesman in 1977. During his newspaper career he also won numerous other awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Associated Press Managing Editors competition, and the Texas Headliners Club.After leaving the Austin paper, Peter pursued a freelance career and was a founding contributor to Zuma Press, a leading global photo agency created and headed by Scott McKiernan, and dedicated to showcasing the world’s best photojournalism. Peter’s 50 plus year archive is filled with photographs of the famous and the infamous, the poor and downtrodden, headline makers and celebrities, sports giants in victory and athletes dealing with defeat. It includes photo essays of the joys and challenges of daily life, Mexican pilgrimages, Florida sawgrass hunters, South Texas farmworker marches, cadets at West Point, political campaigns of all stripes, NASA space shots, and celebrations and disasters all portrayed with an eye on the human condition. From their base in Austin, Peter and Hilary travelled widely, and he amassed a large photo archive of historic Mexican archaeological and historical sites. Peter covered Texas and national politics and breaking news with a passion and, despite his gentle personality, was known for his tough, get-the-shot approach in photo “scrums.” But his eye also captured the near and dear, pictures of tomatoes and peppers in his garden, bees landing on a cactus flower, a breeze wafting a curtain in old beach cabin, and an unknown quantity of cat and dog pictures of his beloved companions.Peter was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012 and kept it at bay until very recently, thanks to the excellent care he received from the Veterans Administration hospitals in Austin and Temple, Texas. He participated in several drug studies that not only helped him, but also, he hoped would help others in the fight against cancer. He died very shortly after being admitted to hospice care at the Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Medical Center in Temple, Texas. News of his passing prompted those who had known him, from nurses and doctors, journalists and neighbors, friends and family to note what a gentle and good man he was.He was predeceased by his parents, Pedro and Erlinda, and his nephew Chris. Survivors include his wife Hilary; his older brother Robert L. Silva and his wife Teresa of Pico Rivera, California; his younger sister Catherine Silva, M.D. of Leavenworth, Kansas and her husband Chris Haller, M.D.; and nieces and nephews, including Robert’s children, Steven, Melynn, Aubree, R.J., Matthew and Ethan, and Catherine’s three children, Linda, Tom and Joe.A celebration of his life will be held at 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 22 at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home in Manhattan.Mass of Christian Burial will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, November 23 at Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Manhattan, and, following the service, he will be buried with veteran’s honors at Sunrise Cemetery in Manhattan amid several generations of Silvas, Guillens, and Garibays, his large, extended family.Throughout his life Peter was an animal-lover devoted to his cats and dogs. In lieu of flowers, the family would urge anyone wishing to mark his passing to remember him by donating to a no-kill shelter in their community, including the Riley County Humane Society, P.O. Box 1202, Manhattan KS 66505. (Donations also can made online at rchsks.org, or left at the funeral home at the celebration of life, and noted “In memory of Peter A. Silva.”) One more way to honor his memory would be to pause and look around, observe and take note of the world the way he did, with compassion, humor, and a keen eye for the world’s wonders, large and small, near home or faraway, and to focus on the common threads of humanity that bind us.The Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502 is assisting the family with the funeral arrangements.

Peter Anthony Silva

Nila Elaine Haefner, 81, of Wheaton, Kansas, died Thursday,&nbsp;November 7, 2019, at Onaga Community Hospital.&nbsp;She was a life-time member of the community. ​A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, November, 12 2019, at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Wheaton. Pastor Terry DeGiovanni&nbsp;will be officiating.&nbsp; The family will greet friends from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm on Monday, November 11 at the church, with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m.&nbsp;Nila will lie in state beginning at 3:00 pm. Full obituary will be announced by Campanella-Kufahl Funeral Home.

Nila Elaine Haefner

Heidi Christina (Lubke) Hendrickson, 63, of Manhattan passed away on November 4, 2019, at the Good Shepherd Hospice House. Heidi was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on February 11, 1956, and grew up in Milwaukee. She was baptized and confirmed by her Uncle, the Reverend Harold Gruhn, her mother’s brother, pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, who succeeded his father in that position. Heidi attended several colleges while moving around as a military spouse. She graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from The College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois and later with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in 1988. Heidi worked at hospitals in Illinois, Texas, Kentucky, and Frankfort Germany, and moved to Manhattan in 1994 where she worked at the local hospital until 2017. Heidi was an active member at her church where she volunteered in many roles from children’s ministry to choir to parish nursing. She was also a talented crafter and self-taught painter. An egg she intricately painted to represent Kansas was chosen to be in the White House’s Easter Collection which displayed one egg from each state. Heidi was preceded in death by her parents, Eric Carl Lubke and Dorothy Anne (Gruhn) Kasel, and one brother, Karl Lubke. Heidi is survived by her brother, Joseph Kasel III of West Allis, WI; two daughters, Gretchen (Ian) Hartsook of Manhattan and Hannah Hendrickson of Westminster, CO; a grandson, August Hartsook; and her beloved, Bob Starnes of Manhattan. A visitation will be on Saturday, November 16th at 9 am with a funeral service following at 10 am both at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Inurnment will follow the service at Sunrise Cemetery in Manhattan with a luncheon to follow at the church. Arrangements with Carlson’s Irvin-Parkview Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to The National Alliance on Mental Illness or The Lane Thomas Foundation which supports families of children needing life-saving transplants.

Heidi Christina (Lubke) Hendrickson

Josephine Belle McNamara, 89, of Milford, KS, passed away on November 7, 2019.&nbsp;Johnson Funeral Home is assisting the family with burial arrangements.Burial services are pending. Memorial contributions are suggested to donors organization of choice. Josephine was born on August 23rd, 1930 in Ingleside, Illinois, to James and Bertha (Ott) Kirby. She attended school in North Chicago, Illinois. After high school, she was married to Nicolas Peters in 1949. They had 6 children: Sandra, Sheila, Daniel, Garrett, Yvonne, Robert, and Kelly. She stayed at home to raise her children until 1971. Josephine worked at Wisconsin Envelope and Culligan. In 1986 she married Ron (Mac) McNamara and moved to Milford, Kansas. They have a small farm raising beef cattle which she thoroughly enjoyed helping maintain. She met many new friends in Kansas. She developed her love for baking when she moved to Kansas: cakes, banana bread, and fudge. She would send baked goods back home to her kids, even all the way to Hawaii. She was known for her fudge and banana bread. At Christmas, it was nothing for her to make 100 pounds of fudge to give away. It didn’t matter if you were the banker, cable company, garbage man, meter reader, mail carrier, DS&amp;O Electric of Solomon, KS, and let’s not forget the fire stations too. You were getting fudge. She also had a signature dish she cooked; her fried pork chops and gravy. She loved going to Cracker Barrel and the sale barn where she was affectionately known as “Miss Jo”. She was kind to everyone and loved making people happy. She will be deeply missed by all. She is survived by her loving family: husband Mac; 5 of 6 of her children, her three daughters, Sandra L. (Wayne) Tamashiro of Honolulu, HI, Sheila K. (Jim) Hanson of Beach Park, IL , and Yvonne (Andrew) Snider of Inman, SC; her two sons, Robert (Mynda) Peters of Manhattan, KS, and Kelly Peters of Kenosha, WI; her eight grandsons, Travis Tamashiro, Scott Diggs, Timothy (Leann) Diggs, Justin (Desiree) Diggs, Matthew Peters, Jacob (Liz) Snider, Jared (Izzy) Snider, Garrett DeVoe; her five granddaughters, Brenda Diggs, Rebecca Peters, Lauren Peters, Emma Peters, and Chivaughnne (Charlie) Zorc; her 20 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandchild; her three sister-in-laws, Jean Kirby of Desoto, WI, Marylan Kirby of Burlington, WI, and Dorothy Richardson (her best friend and dancing partner) of Round Lake, IL; and a host of loving family and friends. She was preceded in death by her son, Daniel Garrett Peters (1979, her parents, and her 5 brothers, James, William, Arthur, Eugene, and Robert Kirby.

Obituaries