Ethel May Kohler

Ethel M. Kohler, 95, of Wamego, Kansas, passed away Sunday, March 4, 2007, at Valley Vista Good Samaritan Center in Wamego. She was born March 29, 1911, north of Louisville, Ks. the daughter of Samuel and Mary Elizabeth (Kaye) Griffith. She attended schools in Emporia and Wamego. Ethel spent all of her life in the Wamego and Louisville communities, except for the six years she lived in Emporia. On October 9, 1929, in Alma, Ks. Ethel was united in marriage to Dewey G. Kohler. He preceded her in death on March 11, 1986. They were married for over 56 years. She was also preceded in death by two sisters, Hazel Dornbusch and Ivah Lorena Griffith; three brothers, Alvin, Samuel, and Lyle Griffith; one niece, Dorothy Dawson, and two nephews, Harold Dornbusch and Joe Griffith. Ethel and her husband farmed near Louisville until moving to Wamego in 1951. She worked for several years at Duckwalls, Warner’s Café and Mill Café. She and her husband opened Kohler’s Upholstery Shop in Wamego, in which she worked with her husband for over 20 years until retiring. In 1961, Dewey and Ethel built their own home in which she lived until the age of 95. She loved to clean house and cook. She was noted for her homemade pies for family dinners and other occasions. She loved to play cards, Bingo, and go to the casinos. Ethel was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She was a member of Lilly Rebekah Lodge #77 and Unity Rebekah Lodge #232 for over 56 years, the Manhattan Eagles Auxiliary for over 50 years, and was a member of the Wamego Senior Citizen’s Center. Ethel is survived by one daughter, Juanita Habluetzel and her husband John, of Wamego, Ks; one granddaughter, Teresa Kelsey and her husband Jim, of Louisville,Ks; two great-grandchildren, Dustin Lee Kelsey, Manhattan, Ks., and his fiancé, Lucinda Wurtz, of Lawrence, Ks; and Joseph Kelsey and his wife Crystal; one great-great granddaughter, Sheyenne Marie Kelsey, of Miltonvale, Ks.; one nephew, August Dornbusch; and nieces, Mary Fritzson, Helen Powell, Alice Ledeboer, and Lula Manning. Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 8, 2007 at 10:30 a.m., at the Stewart Funeral Home of Wamego, with the Rev. Patti Slider officiating. Burial will follow in the Louisville Cemetery. Mrs. Kohler will lie in-state at the funeral home Wednesday, March 7, at 1:00 p.m., where the family will greet friends during a visitation from 6:30 until 8:00 p.m. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Wamego Senior Citizen’s Center or to PRN Home Health and Hospice, and may be left in care of the Stewart Funeral Home, P.O. Box 48, 66547.