This is not an obituary but a story of my husband, my daddy, papa.
Lauren “Chic” Paul Becker was born May 7, 1943 in Logan, Kansas to Leo Nicholas and Marguerite (Kelling) Becker. He fell asleep in death September 25, 2020. Chic had two older brothers known as “Top” Daryl Becker and “Tug” Myron Becker. A half-sister “Tink” Joy Cooper Swearingen. His twin sister Laurel Ann Becker died at the age of nine months. Chic was raised by his grandmother Lydia Kelling who spoiled him rotten. At just 12 years of age he went to work at the local market as a meat cutter until around the age of 15. He then went to help his Uncle Gene Noel on the farm until he graduated from Logan High School in 1962. His senior memory that plagued him was missing the game winning free throw at the State Basketball Championship his senior year. His grandchildren even knew that story.
After graduation, he attended Kansas State University. Coming home one weekend to attend the dance at the Stockton county fair, he took notice of the cute Sherry Jo Cooper. He dumped his date and ran after Sherry Jo. They went to high school together, he even initiated her in her freshman year but didn’t truly notice her until he watched her do the Twist. He started to get nervous about this Cooper girl and got cold feet and ran away to join the Army. He served two years as a Topographical Surveyor in Japan, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands. He sent many letters to Sherry Jo and she to him. He quickly figured out what a terrible mistake he made by leaving her. He finished his duty and came home to marry his love May 14, 1966 in Logan, Kansas.
Chic and Sherry thereafter moved to Manhattan where he returned to Kansas State to earn his degree in Interior Design. To this day he was always designing, drawing or sketching his little projects out.
They moved to Denver, Colorado where he worked as an interior designer at Homestead House. On April 15, 1969, Angela Marie came into their lives. Eight months later, on December 23, 1969 Darci Jo comes along. (You do the calculations.) We often joke to others that mama had two wombs. In April of 1972 Chic became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The truths he learned from the Bible shaped his life, their family and their friendships.
When the girls were 2 years old they decided to move back to Hill City to be closer to family, where they lived out on Bow Creek. He then went to work for Sherry Jo’s dad Chet, with Cooper’s Dirt Construction as a backhoe operator. This was the one job he truly loved.
On July 5, 1975 (Doomsday) daughter number three comes along, Dusti Renee’. Due to the oil crash in the 80’s, Cooper’s Dirt Construction was forced to shut down causing Chic to search for a new occupation. He became a hearing specialist and after much blood, sweat and tears he built from the ground up his own Precision Hearing business. He had offices in Nebraska and Northwest Kansas. He would spend hours designing ads for the newspapers and mail outs. He was well respected and loved by his patients. He gave it his all. In 2015, due to his failing health, he had to sell Precision Hearing. The last few years have been a struggle both financially and physically. But through it all, he maintained his positivity and even though he couldn’t do the things he loved such as golfing or working in the yard, he took great comfort in the scriptures. Especially 2 Corinthians 4:16, “We do not give up, but even if the man we are outside is wasting away, certainly the man we are inside is being renewed day to day.”
He cherished his wife Sherry Jo, loved his children and adored his grandchildren with all his being. Most especially, he loved his heavenly father Jehovah. He often talked about God’s Kingdom as mentioned at Matthew 6:9,10 and the blessings it will bring to mankind on earth. One of those blessings or promises he was assured of was a resurrection of the dead to a paradise earth, in which God originally purposed for mankind at Acts 24:15 and John 5:28,29. Chic loved people and loved to help them in any way he could. Someone recently stated that “he was so generous he gave everyone a slice of his pie.” Which if you knew him well, you knew this to be true.
We look forward to the time we can welcome him back and hold him again – my husband, my daddy, my papa.
Chic is survived by his wife Sherry Jo. His three daughters and their spouses: Angela Marie Miller and Phillip Duane Miller, Darci Jo Wyatt, , Dusti Renee’ Bagley and Jeff Bagley; their eight grandchildren and their spouses: Madison Denae Wyatt Nelson and Tyler Nelson, Keaton Devon Wyatt, Maria Johnson Wyatt, Kaiden Dean Wyatt, Dallas James Miller, Shyann Marie Miller, Aspen Rose Bagley, Lauryn Avery Bagley, and Cooper Thomas Bagley. And many spiritual brothers and sisters too many to name.
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