Gwendolyn Ann Kropf died peacefully on December 5, 2019 in Overland Park, Kansas.
She is survived by her husband, Donald H. Kropf, her three children: Greg (Mary, of Westphalia, KS, Brad (Jenny, of Overland Park, KS, and Martha (John, of Charlotte, NC) and 12 grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Frances (Steve, of Plattsburg, NY). A lover of animals, she was also a parent to many cats and even a couple of dogs over the years. She and Donald also maintained a herd of beef cattle.
She was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Gordon and Edna Slover, Gwendolyn always considered herself a Southerner, making okra fried in bacon grease for many years.
She attended college at Oklahoma College for Women and graduated in 1954. She earned a Master’s of Science in Biochemistry from Oklahoma State University (1956; it was then Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College) and took a job in Chicago where she conducted research on rheumatic fever. There, she met Donald (at church) and they were married on June 21, 1962. They moved to Manhattan where Donald was a professor at Kansas State University. After Greg was born, she transitioned to a stay at home mom, gardener, and in 1972, a rancher. She helped found the Little Apple Task Force which worked to promote parent communication about teen drinking. She served as President of the Riley County Humane Society and authored the Pet of the Week advertisement in the Manhattan Mercury every Wednesday for many years. Donald and Gwen were longtime members of the First United Methodist Church in Manhattan, KS.
The family will greet friends during a visitation at 10:00 a.m. Saturday December 21 at the First United Methodist Church in Manhattan. Funeral Services will follow the visitation at 11:00 a.m. at the church. Lunch will be served at the church, followed by burial at 2:00 p.m. at the Carnahan Creek Cemetery in Rural Pottawatomie County.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations for one of three charities: the Riley County Humane Society, the T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter in Manhattan, or the First United Methodist Church in Manhattan. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas.