Willis D. Hays, 88, of Salina, died Tuesday, April 29, 2014. Mr. Hays was born January 20, 1926 in Harlan, Kansas, the son of Ross and Katie (McClain) Hays. Tech4/Staff Sergeant Hays served in the U.S. Army in WWII with the 271st Infantry Regiment, the 3704th Quartermaster Co, and the 69th Infantry Division, Rhineland, Central Europe. Additional service years were with Battery A 253rd AFA Bn., 6th Armored Div., Ft. Leonard Wood, MO during the Korean War. He was an American Legion Member, serving many years at the Gaylord Post. He worked for Kirwin-Webster Irrigation and the Frieling Grain Company in Gaylord. He was a member of the Mayflower E.U.B. church of rural Portis, KS and of Gaylord Nazarene Church.
Willis was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Genevieve Hoverman, and two grandchildren, Carl Dean Ruhnke and Jon Louis Bigler. Survivors include his wife Merna; one son, Kevin Hays; two daughters, Katherine Bigler and husband Louis, and Susan Ruhnke and husband Jim; seven grandchildren, Moriah Ruhnke, Jamie, Jessie, and Sean Bigler, and Cade, Keegan and Konon Hays, and four great-grandchildren Kaitlynn and Kylie Bigler, Chloe Ruhnke, and Joshua Lanahan.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at Ryan Mortuary, 137 N. Eighth, where the family will receive friends from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Nazarene Church, 806 Parker, Gaylord. Burial will follow in the Gaylord Cemetery, Gaylord, Kansas. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Salina, Gaylord Nazarene Church, Village Bible Church, or the Charity of the donor’s choice, in care of Ryan Mortuary.
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Ronald James Duis, 66, of Salina, passed away peacefully Thursday, April 24, 2014. He was born Jan. 12, 1948, in Odell, Neb., to the late Elmer and Dorothy Duis. Ron graduated from high school in Clifton in 1966. He is survived by Diane H. Duis, his loving wife of 23 years.
Ron dedicated his life and career to the meat processing industry. His passion for his work began as a young man working for his parents at the family business, Clifton Foods. In 1971, Ron became a meat inspector with the Kansas Department of Agriculture. He worked in Atchison, where his daughter, Brandi, was born in 1975. In 1978, Ron fulfilled his dream of owning his own business and became partners with his brother, Toby, in Duis Meat Processing, of Concordia. In 1985, the business expanded to open Smoky River Meats in Salina.
Ron loved being a business owner and making friends along the way. Throughout his life, Ron enjoyed spending time outdoors, hunting, traveling, boating, camping, skiing, playing pool, remodeling classic cars, refinishing antique furniture and spending time with his wife and family.
Ron is survived by his wife, Diane; three children, Brandi Duis Judah, of St. Joseph, Mo., Katrina Allin and Justin Mackney, both of Salina; sister, Linda Kay Branson, of Connecticut; sister, Marlys Brown, of Florida; brother, Toby Duis, of Concordia; 11 grandchildren; and six nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 3, followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. at Ryan Mortuary.
Memorial donations can be sent to the Salina Dialysis Center or to any charitable organization on behalf of Ron and may be left in care of Ryan Mortuary, 137 N. Eighth St., Salina 67401.