Peter Frederick "Pete" Felten Jr., age 92, of Hays, Kansas passed away Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at HaysMed. He was born April 14, 1933, in Hays, Kansas to Peter F. Sr and Mabel (Robinson) Felten.
Among the many cultural icons of Western Kansas, few, if any, have received more regional attention and notoriety than Pete Felten. After graduating from Hays High and serving four years in the U.S. Navy, Felten attended Fort Hays State University but left in 1957 to pursue sculpting full-time for a career that spanned nearly 70 years. Though primarily self-taught, he briefly attended an art league school in New York and researched widely in his field.
Regional and national interest in his work & its place in Kansas history spawned articles in newspapers, cultural & tourism publications, online blogs, and video documentaries. Most importantly, his limestone sculptures themselves are what stand as testaments to history, culture, & identity in city squares, historic sites, parks, hospital gardens, and at the entrances of churches, schools & libraries across the state. His first large, commissioned piece, created in 1961, was a bust of Buffalo Bill Cody, that continues to stand in front of the Hays Public Library. However, his most prominent sculptures are the four eight-foot tall, approximately 2,000-pound limestone portraits of Amelia Earhart, William Allen White, Arthur Capper, and Dwight Eisenhower that encircle the Kansas Capitol rotunda. Selected through a competitive process, the nearly three-year project began with the delivery of massive blocks of Silverdale limestone from southeastern Kansas in 1979 and culminated with installation of the sculptures in July 1981.
Other notable Felten sculptures include his monumental “Monarch of the Plains” buffalo sculpture on the grounds of the Fort Hays Historic Site. Standing 8 feet high and 10 feet long on an 8-foot base, it began with a 24-ton stone and was completed for the Hays Centennial celebration in 1967. Ellis County alone features nearly 30 public Felten sculptures. Hundreds of other works are in public and private collections throughout Kansas and beyond.
In April 2023, the Kansas House of Representatives honored Felten with a resolution in honor of his 90th birthday and acknowledging his many public sculptures throughout the state and in the capitol itself. In 2024, bronze plaques were finally added next to his capitol sculptures to credit him for his "Four Famous Kansans" rotunda portraits. In recognition of “a lifetime of long-standing, significant impact on the arts in Kansas,” Felten received the Governor’s “Arts Legacy Award” presented by the Kansas Arts Commission on February 2 at a ceremony in Topeka.
Pete is survived by his extended family, Niece, Karen Munsch and husband Bob of Schoenchen and their children, Robert (Kenya), Alex (Cheyenne) Munsch, Schoenchen, Patricia (Matt) Adornetto, Solon, Ohio; a Grandniece Tina (Jeff) Crispin, Hays, Grandnephew Chris (Jamie) Stegman of Wamego, Kansas, numerous Greatgrand nephews/nieces and special friends, Bruce Burkholder, Mick Jilig of Hays as well as many other friends and fellow artists.
He is preceded in death by his parents; his sister Patricia (Felten) Ward; his brother In-law Joe Ward; niece Terry Stegman and nephew Joe Ward Jr.
Memorials suggested to the Pete Felten Legacy fund for the much-needed repair, preservation, maintenance & celebration of Pete's sculptures, Stone Gallery & Studio and proposed sculpture garden. Donate online here https://tinyurl.com/ywfpju6n Or, mail your gift to PO Box 1673, Hays, KS, 67601. Please note “Pete Felten Legacy Fund” in the memo or Pete Felten Memorial.
Arrangements in care of Keithley Funeral Homes and Crematory-Brock's Chapel 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601. Please share memories on Pete's tribute page at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com
Pete
Felten: Celebration of a Life
Sunday,
March 8 at the Ellis County Historical Society (100 W. 7th) 1:00pm
~ Reception with exhibits, displays & refreshments 2:00pm ~ Felten tribute,
followed by an open house at the Stone Gallery & Studio