Capitola “Tola” Welch, 101, Overland Park, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, in Overland Park.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Feuerborn Family Funeral Service in Moran. Burial will follow in Moran Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at 3846 W. 75th, Prairie Village, KS 66208. Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.
Kirby Byers
Kirby L. Byers, 55, Iola, died Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014 at Manor Care in Wichita.
Memorial graveside services will be 2:30 p.m. Friday at Highland Cemetery in Iola.
To sign the guestbook online or leave a condolence, go to www.iolafuneral.com.
Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel of Iola is assisting the family.
Elizabeth Gehlen
Elizabeth “Betty” Rose Gehlen, 84, Moran, died Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, at her home.
Betty was born April 25, 1929, in Goddard, the daughter of Max and Elizabeth Rose (Degand) Leis. She grew up at Rose Hill.
On Sep. 21, 1950, Betty married Vincent Gehlen at Blessed Sacrament Church in Wichita. They made their home in Gordon for two years, Elsmore, for seven years and then Moran since 1960.
Betty worked as an aide at Moran Manor and Arkhaven in Iola. She later worked as a program supervisor at the SRS Office in Iola.
She was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church and Altar Society in Iola. Betty loved her grandkids and enjoyed gardening, canning, camping and fishing.
Survivors include her husband of 63 years, Vincent Gehlen; four children: Eugene Gehlen and companion Barbara Watkins, Richmond, Sherry Kozicki and husband, Patrick, Augusta, Patricia Smith and husband, Don, Wichita, and Gary Gehlen and wife, Andrea, Bronson; two brothers, Victor Leis, Rose Hill, and Robert Leis, Cedarvale; two sisters, Joyce Jones, Mulvane, and Lola Small, Florida; 18 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren with one on the way.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Eileen Gehlen, brothers Tony, Cecil and Markus Leis, sisters Nettie, Henrietta and Nancy Ann, two great-grandsons, Garrett and Wyatt, niece Vicki Small and nephew David Jones.
Parish Rosary will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Iola. Funeral Mass will be at10:30 a.m., Thursday, also at the church. Burial will be at Highland Cemetery.
Memorial choices may be made to Mayo Clinic or Arc of Sedgwick County (Assn. for Retarded Citizens). Memorial gifts may be left with the Waugh-Yokum and Friskel Memorial Chapel of Iola.
To sign the guestbook online or leave a condolence, go to www.iolafuneral.com.
Time’s a wastin’! Patrons, BOE need to move on schools
Local school board members announced last week their willingness to test the waters on whether the public would support a new schools project.
Six long years ago, the community was on the verge of a such a vote. Then the recession came and proponents didn’t have the stomach to launch such an ambitious project.
In recent months school officials have been willing — some say forced — to dust off the plans because in the interim they have found, no surprise, that Iola schools have continued to deteriorate.
What has brought the issue to the forefront is proposed action in the Kansas Legislature to eliminate state aid for school bond issues in regards to capital improvement projects, such as building a new school. The measure, Senate Bill 305, has been proposed by Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence.
Such funding is the only way poor school districts such as ours can afford any kind of new building projects. The percentage of aid is figured on a district’s assessed property valuation per pupil compared to other districts. The state match for USD 257 is 49 percent, one of the highest in the state.
Without the aid, there’s no chance the area would vote to build a new school.
Sen. King proposes the law go into effect July 1.
And because the prevailing winds in the Legislature go against funding pretty much anything, it has a good chance of passing.
There’s no time to waste.
We must get under that July 1 deadline to qualify for one-time funds.
“I HATE having a gun held to my head telling me what to do,” said Tony Leavitt, president of the local school board, in regards to Sen. King’s proposal.
But that’s where we are.
The school board’s goal is to quickly canvass area residents as to their support of new schools. It’s not yet clear whether they will propose either a new elementary school campus or shoot for new schools system-wide. The survey will help define such goals.
Hopefully, the feedback will be positive and a vote can be scheduled for April.
Yes, April.
Of course, the bigger hope is that Sen. King’s measure will meet with defeat. It’s particularly damaging to poorer school districts and works to make Kansas’ educational landscape even more uneven.
Our best course, however, is to act as if such funding will be withdrawn — if not now, then someday — and proceed to plan for new schools.
Time is not on our side.
— Susan Lynn
Judy Zirjacks
Judy Jo Ann Zirjacks, 71, Iola, died Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014, at Allen County Regional Hospital in Iola.
Judy was born Dec. 15, 1942, in Fort Worth, Texas. She was the daughter of Howard J. and Dorothy B. (Schwinck) Robinson. Judy was raised in Iola and graduated from Iola High School in 1960.
On Dec. 25, 1960, Judy married Paul L. Zirjacks in Iola. They traveled the world following his military career with the U.S. Army for 30 years. Judy worked at banks in Germany and Massachusetts. Following Paul’s retirement from the service they moved to Iola in October 1987. Judy had worked as a surgical clerk at Allen County Hospital since April 18, 1988.
She enjoyed traveling and meeting people. Her memberships included Calvary United Methodist Church where she served as choir director and P.E.O. Chapter L.
Survivors include her husband of 53 years, Paul Zirjacks; one son Patrick Zirjacks, Melissa, Texas; one daughter-in-law, Jaye Zirjacks, Iola; two grandchildren, Michael Marshall and Charity Seufert; four great-grandchildren, Alexys, Andrya, Allison and Wyatt.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her son, Paul Howard Zirjacks.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Chapel in Iola.
Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Calvary United Methodist Church in Iola.Burial will be at Highland Cemetery, Iola.
Memorials may be made to Allen County Animal Rescue Facility (ACARF) and left with the funeral home. To sign the guestbook online or leave a condolence, go to www.iolafuneral.com.
Soccer fundraiser Friday
The Iola Blue and Gold Soccer Club will receive a boost from El Jimador Mexican Restaurant Friday with a fundraiser to help pay for a pair of upcoming tournaments.
Restaurant officials have agreed to donate 10 percent of its proceeds if diners present a flyer advertising the club at checkout.
Flyers will be available at the door or at Ulrich Furniture before Friday.
Soccer Club players also will be present at the restaurant with flyers, coach Breck Ulrich said.
Ulrich said the proceeds will pay for tournaments in May at LaCygne and Leawood.
Blue and Gold Soccer Club play starts in late March.
Allen drops two in softball
POTEAU, Okla. — Allen Community College’s softball team opened the 2014 season Saturday with a pair of hard-fought losses.
The Red Devils fell to Southwestern Tennessee in the opener, 11-7, and 5-4 to host Carl Albert in the nightcap.
Allen pounded out 10 hits in the loss to Southwestern. Kayla Bourgeois and Cassidey Reynolds each had a double and single to lead the way. Stormie Bush singled twice, while Bailey Burnett, Marissa Luna, Calliee Beene and Mackenzi Beck had one single apiece.
Beck took the loss. She allowed five hits and five walks in three innings of work. She struck out one. Luna allowed seven hits in three innings of relief, with six walks. She also had one strikeout.
EMILY ENGLAND went the distance for Allen in the nightcap, allowing sev-
en hits in 6 1/3 innings. Only two of the five runs against her were earned.
Allen had nine hits at the plate. Reynolds went 3-for-4 with a double. Annie Gentry singled twice. Luna had a double in three plate appearances with three RBIs. Burnett, Bush and Beene had singles.
The Red Devils will be at home Tuesday to host Maplewoods Community College. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
Rocky start for Red Devil baseball
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Allen Community College’s Red Devil baseball team had a tough start, especially on the defensive end, to the 2014 season over the weekend.
Allen committed a combined 14 errors in dropping all three games to host Arkansas Baptist.
The Red Devils fell 3-1 and 8-3 in a doubleheader Saturday and 7-3 on Sunday.
Keil Stauffer was Allen’s tough-luck loser in the opener, surrendering only one run in 3 1/3 innings.
Three of the Red Devils’ errors led to a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth, breaking a 1-1 tie.
Sean Maruo’s second-inning single drove in Drew Walden for Allen’s only tally of the contest.
Stauffer allowed one hit with two walks and two strikeouts and a pair of unearned runs. John Prohaska came on in relief and allowed one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.
Trever Kreifel had a pair of hits, including a double. Levi Ashmore, Trey Francis and Maruo had singles.
THE BUFFALOES took control early in Saturday’s second game, leading 3-0 after one and 4-0 after two.
A Maruo double and walks to Ashmore and Chase Egelston loaded the bases for Allen in the top of the third. Kyle Foster’s single scored Maruo. A bases-loaded walk to Jacob Waters drove in Ashmore. Allen’s rally ended abruptly; the next two Red Devil batters struck out with the bases loaded and the tying runs in scoring position.
Arkansas Baptist pushed its lead to 8-2 before Allen capped the scoring with a single run in the sixth. Ryan Winter drove in Cole Slusser with a single.
Kreifel was saddled with the loss, allowing three hits and three walks in three innings of relief. Only two of his five runs were earned.
Zachary Maskill allowed five hits in two innings with five strikeouts. He allowed three runs, none of which were earned. Logan Bausch pitched a shutout inning as well. He allowed one hit.
Foster had two singles for Allen. Maruo followed with a double. Winter singled.
SUNDAY’S finale followed a similar pattern. Arkansas Baptist took an early 1-0 lead and maintained its advantage until tacking on three in the sixth and one in the seventh.
Allen didn’t record its first hit until Francis’ leadoff single in the top of the fifth.
The Red Devils broke through for three in the top of the eighth. Slusser’s two-out, two-run triple was the big blow after Ryne Martinez opened the inning with a single. Austin Griffin followed with a single to drive in Slusser.
A strikeout with runners on second and third ended the threat. The Buffaloes tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win.
Derek Pike took the loss, allowing five hits and five runs — two earned — in six innings. He walked two and struck out four. Chase Cunningham followed with a perfect inning of relief, with one strikeout. Chris McPherson wrapped up the game, allowing two hits and two runs in one inning.
Foster rapped out two of Allen’s four hits. Maruo added a double. Winter had a single.
ALLEN hits the field again Thursday with a doubleheader at Bartlesville, Okla., against Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Korte earns scholarship to cheer at ACC
Lauren Korte, senior at Marmaton Valley High School, will take her cheerleading talents to Allen Community College next fall.
Korte signed a letter of intent Friday to attend ACC on a cheerleading scholarship.
She will study applied science classes at Allen with the hopes of moving on after graduation to Pittsburg State University.
Korte carries a 3.5 GPA into her final semester of high school. She is the daughter of Mike and Gari Korte of Gas.
Iola wrestlers flying high as regionals near
OSAWATOMIE — Brad Carson could only chuckle as a sheepish Tavon Bryant approached him Saturday.
Bryant, Iola High freshman, has a penchant for unorthodox moves on the wrestling mat that frequently leave Carson, his coach, scratching his head.
“The first thing he said to me after his match was over was ‘I’m sorry, Coach,’” Carson recounted.
Carson laughed because Bryant had just pinned Prairie View’s Dylan Rice to take third place at Saturday’s Osawatomie Invitational.
Blazek and Cody Conner were late entries into the tournament to give them some added competition in preparation for the upcoming Class 4A Regionals, which begin Friday in Burlington.
Conner took home second place at 152 pounds.
Blazek’s apology came after one of his moves went awry, allowing Rice to get a point for an escape midway through the third period.
Carson left his chair to bark instructions, and was returning to his seat late in the period when Blazek pounced again.
“He got him down and got the pin so quickly, I didn’t even see it,” Carson said.
Bryant went 4-1 on the day, winning his last four matches — all by pins.
“Tavon does some silly things out there, but as I told him, when you go as hard as he does, all the time, good things happen.”
CARSON was equally pleased with Conner’s efforts. Conner breezed past his first three matches, all with first-period pins, before meeting up with Prairie View’s William Holland. Holland pinned Conner midway through the second period.
“Cody did a good job,” Carson said. “The Prairie View kid was a state placer a year ago, and he’s so strong that Cody couldn’t do much with him.”
IOLA ALSO sent two wrestlers, freshmen Seth Sanford and Colten Toney, to a junior varsity tournament in Burlington Saturday.
Rather than purely by weight, the JV tournament was divided into brackets based on experience and skill level.
Sanford took first place his bracket, defeating all three of his opponents, including a 5-4 decision over Ethan Stahl of Prairie View in his final match.
Toney took third in his bracket, going 1-2. He won his third match, pinning Michael Bauchman of Anderson County in the first period.
THE MUSTANGS will enter regionals minus one of their regulars.
Senior Mike Armstrong was dismissed from the team Friday for disciplinary reasons, Carson said.
Osawatomie Tournament
152 — Cody Conner
(3-1; second place)
Conner def. Wyatt Troupe, Oskaloosa, fall 1:19
Conner def. Cadence King, Doniphan West, fall 1:27
Conner def. Bruce Stanley, Immaculata, fall 1:39
William Holland, Prairie View, def. Conner, fall 3:06
170 — Tavon Blazek
Trevor Fee, Doniphan West, def. Blazek, 12-3
Blazek def. Lance Hickman, Oskaloosa, pin 1:51
Blazek def. Ryan Cokely, Silver Lake, fall 2:55
Blazek def. Gavin Badders, Osawatomie, fall 1:22
Blazek def. Dylan Rice, Prairie View, fall 4:27
Burlington JV Tournament
Seth Sanford (first in bracket)
Sanford def. Gavin Harvey, Chanute, fall 1:48
Sanford def. Caleb McDonald, Chanute, 4-3
Sanford def. Ethan Stahl, Prairie View, 5-4
Colton Toney (third in bracket)
Devin March, Chanute, def. Toney, 2-1
Matthew Doud, Holton, def. Toney, fall 3:10
Toney def. Michael Bauchman, Anderson County, fall 1:18