Kathryn Nadine (Neff) Wedermyer departed to live with her Lord and Savior on January 7, 2026. She was born during the dirty dust bowl days in her country home in Trego County Kansas, the first child of Homer and Ella (Claycamp) Neff, on January 2, 1933 and lived 93 years.
Kathryn grew up on the farm with her three younger siblings near Big Creek and loved roaming the creek as it was her job to bring in the milk cows every evening. Her first 8 years of elementary school was in a one room country school. Kathryn always delighted in school and graduated Trego Community High School with National Honor Society.
On August 5, 1951, Kathryn married her high school sweetheart and lived on a farm near WaKeeney. To this union four wonderful children were born. Patti Lynn, Douglas Dean, Vicki Lea and David James. A new home was built in 1963 for the comfort of their family. In 1965 the family was awarded the 0.Y.F. (Outstanding Young Farmer) award by the WaKeeney Jaycee, also the Trego County Soil Conservation Award. In 1972 the family moved off the farm to live in Goodland where Jim was employed by the Moorman Feed Company as a Field District Manager.
Kathryn's greatest joy in life was her beloved family and working around and with children, most especially, her grand and great grandchildren! and volunteering was her passion. Teaching Church School was a priority for many years teaching over 30 years and attending Synod School at Emporia in the summer. The family was a foster family for over 10 years, keeping in contact yet today with several. In 1977-78 hosted Preecha Subhikam from Thailand who became part of the family, visiting almost every year. Then a few years later they hosted a teacher, Jittima from Thailand. Kathryn instigated the child abuse program FACES (Family and Child Education Service) in Goodland followed by the NKFS (Northwest Kansas Family Services (Options). Both of them now head quartered in Colby and Hays. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in WaKeeney transferring to the United Methodist Church in Goodland, serving as a Bible teacher also taking the Stephen Ministry course and serving as a Stephen Minister. Gladly serving as the coordinator of the churches part in the Meals on Wheels program, loved to coordinate the monthly communion, playing piano, delivering pies to newcomers, etc.
She was preceded in death by her husband James William Wedermyer; parents Homer and Ella (Claycamp) Neff; father and mother-in-law V.V. and Emma Wedermyer; two daughters, Patti Lynn Gray and Vicki Lea Hilty; two brothers Earl Neff and Homer Leon Neff; sister Verna Maulsby; two sister in laws Ann (Wedermyer) Kirkland and Virginia (Wedermyer) Hager; brother-in-law Jerry Wedermyer; all of her Aunts and Uncles are deceased.
Kathryn is survived by two sons Douglas (Sandy) Wedermyer of WaKeeney, KS and David (Laura) Wedermyer of Olathe, KS; sister-in-laws Shirley Neff-Mai of WaKeeney, KS, Darlene Neff of San Diego, CA and Kay Wedermyer of Kansas City, MO; brother-in-laws Melvin (Bev) Wedermyer, Larry (Eunice) Wedermyer. Grandchildren: Traci (Jason) Ketter, Michael (Gina) Wedermyer, Staci (Mike) Kessinger, DeAnne (Cody) Spencer, Christopher (Sarah) Geeseka, Lindsey (Caleb) Schmidt, Landon (Laura Mertz) Wedermyer, Alison (Evan) Koch, Ryan (Jessica) Wedermyer, step children Brad Haas and Michelle Hass-Heinrich. Great grandchildren: Simon, Miles, Amelia and Ella Ketter, Adam, Rebecca and Jacob Wedermyer, Abram, Leo and Elihu Spencer, Preston and Gracelyn Geeseka, James Koch, Mackenzie Haas, Grayson Haas-Heinrich, Nolan and Isla Wedermyer and Levi Schmidt; many loved cousins, nieces, nephews, the Sudhikam family, Jittima, and foster Schmid-families, Matthew Haeffner and many others.
Funeral service will be Friday, January 16, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. MT at the Goodland United Methodist Church, 1116 Sherman Avenue, Goodland, luncheon following the service at the Goodland United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Interment will be at 3 p.m. CT at the WaKeeney City Cemetery, MD-25, WaKeeney. Visitation will be Thursday, January 15, 2026 from 5 to 7 p.m. MT at Bateman Funeral Home, 211 East 11th Street, Goodland. Memorials may be designated to the Goodland United Methodist Church Bible Studies and may be left at the services or sent in care of Bateman Funeral Home, PO Box 278, Goodland, KS 67735. Information and condolences www.batemanfuneral.com