Elden Earl Ambrosier passed away January 5, 2021, in Hays, Kansas.
Elden was somewhere in the middle of eight children born to Alva and
Doris (Hendershot) Ambrosier on September 5, 1940 in Hill City, Kansas.
Elden graduated from Hill City High School in 1958. He played sports in
high school and kept a lifelong relationship with his basketball coach.
In November 1962, he married Elizabeth “Betty” Brown in Damar, Kansas.
She survives, as does his brother, Darrell. Elden and Betty have three
children: Brad and his wife Janell of Elkhart, Kansas; Brenda and her
husband Craig Bergeron of Anyplace, USA; and Wade and his wife Diana of
Norton, Kansas. Much more significant to him were his six grandchildren:
Katie and her husband Tyler of Shawnee, Kansas; Garet and his fiancé
Meagan of Raleigh, North Carolina; Bailey and her cocker spaniel Decker
of Wichita, Kansas; Casey of Kearney, Nebraska; Kayla and Blake of
Denver, Colorado; and Jessi of Manhattan, Kansas.
As a young couple, Elden and Betty started their life in a
rented basement apartment in Hill City. Once the children began
arriving, they moved to a tiny two-bedroom house at 203 West Mulberry.
During those times, all three children not only shared a room, but often
a twin bed, along with their dog, Lassie. Elden worked at Tebo
Implement, initially in the parts department, and then found his true
calling in sales. While living in Hill City, the couple rarely missed a
weekend at The Elks and loved to dance and spend time with their
lifelong friends.
In 1974, Elden and Ronnie Tebo spun off the Norton Case dealership
and formed a successful Case dealership known as AT Implement. In 1975,
the family moved to Norton. When that business venture had reached its
end, in typical Elden fashion, it was dissolved in a straightforward
manner. No lawyers or contracts were needed. Ronnie simply wrote down
the number, and Elden picked buy or sell. He picked sell. He left the
office that day and never went back. In a leap of faith, he bought some
property and began building a somewhat John Deere green building. He had
no franchise agreement and, in fact, when construction first began, he
didn’t even have an appointment to meet anyone from Deere. Apparently,
when he did have a meeting, it went well, and he was granted a
franchise. From that point on, there was really no looking back. As the
dealership was more successful, he began doing what he truly loved, and
that was raising cattle. He bought the first 80 acres he ever owned east
of Lenora, Kansas, and from that day forward he was always on the
lookout for a good land deal. He found several. His greatest coup was
buying what was known as the Collins place where Wade, Di, and their
kids reside. Recently, he celebrated his 80th birthday and the 40th
anniversary of the purchase. He had retained every piece of
documentation from the transaction, including the sale bill in a manila
folder in his office. He loved everything about the cattle business and
the art of the deal. He had an uncanny ability to know exactly what
cattle would weigh and had absolutely no use for scales. He enjoyed
visits with his family and friends, so long as they were wrapped up by
4pm (CST) to allow for his daily Judge Judy viewing.
When they became empty nesters, Elden and Betty enjoyed
traveling to Colorado for camping and fishing. They also enjoyed
wintering in Florida, Texas, and Arizona. His grandchildren were the
center of his human-based universe. They could do no wrong and on the
rare occasion when that myth was challenged, there was always a “good
reason”. Papa was always there for unsolicited advice on the opposite
sex, a quick lesson in business or, perhaps, a quickly slipped bit of
cash. He influenced their lives dramatically, and they have always known
he was on their team.
To the amazement of his family who thought he was incapable of
running a vacuum cleaner or cooking a meal, he assigned himself the
role of sole caregiver for Betty as she began her journey through
dementia. Because of his care, she was able to stay at home far longer
than anyone would have ever imagined. It’s not surprising that he chose
to move on only after she was securely placed at the Andbe Home. Elden
had little use for civic clubs or churches, but he knew where he stood
in his community and with his God. Elden is preceded in death by his
mother and father, Alva and Doris; sisters, Pauline and Helen; and
brothers, Robert, Dennis, Gene, and Gerald.
Click HERE for service details.