Richard Marion Weltmer, 90, passed away on October 16, 2021 at SunPorch
of Smith County in Smith Center, Kansas. He was born at home in Banner
Township, Smith County, Kansas, on January 20, 1931, the fourth child of
Charley Lawrence and Gertrude Marion Duer Weltmer.
The family moved up to a rented farm one and a half miles south of
Thornburg where Richard and Robert started to the one room school at the
same time in August of 1935. Charley wanted to take 2 boys by
horseback to and from school. The boys were classmates and best
friends.
In April of 1939 a little sister, Norma Kay Joined their family.
Richard was close to his sister Kay and proud to be one of her big
brothers.
The family moved a house from Bellaire to Park Street in Smith
Center in 1945 when Charley started work for Hardman Lumberyard. The
boys started to school in Smith Center. Richard worked for Ormal Martin
helping feed cattle before and after school thru high school. Ormal
let Richard off in the afternoons in the fall of 1947 to play football
since it was his senior year. Richard and Robert graduated from Smith
Center High School in 1948. Richard then went to Business School in
Chillicothe, Missouri for six months studying business and also learned
teletyping.
Richard started going to the Nazarene Youth Group. It seems a nice
young lady named Avis Sprague caught his eye. Richard and Avis were
married on December 3, 1950 in the Smith Center Nazarene Church.
Richard was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and when
they learned he knew how to teletype and read morse code, he was
stationed in Germany. While he was in basic training in Pennsylvania,
Avis was with him, then she came home to Smith Center while he was
overseas.
After Richard was discharged he got a job with the Santa Fe Railroad
as a teletypist in Newton, Kansas. While Richard and Avis were in
Newton older Son, Kenton LeRoy was born in 1954.
Richard missed Smith Center and living and working on a farm, so in
1955 they purchased their little farmstead east of Smith Center where
Kenton and Deb live today. Richard and Avis’s father Dewey Sprague went
into farming together as Weltmer and Sprague. Richard had milk cows, a
sow herd, a cow/calf operation and raised wheat, milo and hay. In 1956
son Michael Brent joined the family. When Kenton and Mike got old
enough to start farming with their dad, Dewey backed out of the
operation. The W & S brand would now stand for Weltmer and Sons.
In 1976 Richard and Avis incorporated with their sons to form W & S
Ranch, Inc. In 1977 Kenton married Deborah Zabel and in 1978 Mike
married Ladonna Lytle, making 6 active members of the ranch. In 1980
grandsons, Simeon and Philip were born and in 1983 Timothy and Steven
were born. Richard and Avis loved watching their family expand. Not
only were they farming together, they all went to the Nazarene Church
together. Richard was blessed to go to church with his
great-grandchildren also.
Richard started working in the 1970’s for Chandler Livestock
Auction. After the death of Chan’s brother, Hugh, Richard became Chan’s
partner. In 1983 Chan was ready to retire and Richard and Avis bought
the sale barn and called it Weltmer Livestock Auction, Inc. He would
own and operate the sale barn for 22 years. Mike, Ladonna and Philip
worked with Richard at some point during those years.
In October of 2001 Avis got the devastating news she had lung
cancer. Richard would lose the love of his life on December 30, 2001.
Richard was a member of the Smith Center Nazarene Church, Gideons,
61 year member of the American Legion, and was on the Fairview Cemetery
board for 24 years.
Richard was preceded in death by his wife Avis Lee; his parents;
infant siblings, Willard LaRue and Doris Arlene; brother Robert
Winfield; sister Norma Kay Schultz; and grandson Dr. Simeon George
Weltmer.
Left to cherish his memory are his sons. Kenton and wife Deborah and
Michael and wife Ladonna all of Smith Center; grandsons, Philip and
wife Jessica, Timothy and wife Dayna and Steven and wife Vanessa, all of
Smith Center; and granddaughter-in-law Jennie Weltmer Collins and
husband Adam of Kearney, Missouri; 14 great-grandchildren, Kaden, Korey
and Kaylee Weltmer, Deklynn, Drake, Darris and Dayvie Weltmer, Tessa,
Micah, Cora and Clara Weltmer all of Smith Center; Austin Weltmer
Collins, Aaron and Anderson Richard Collins all of Kearney, Missouri;
along with many relatives and friends.
Click HERE for service details.