Stephanie Sue (Webb) Westeman
Stephanie Sue Westeman, 61, passed away Thursday, January 19, 2023 at High Plains Retirement Village in Lakin, Kansas. Stephanie was born January 10, 1962 at Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital in Ulysses, Kansas to J.C. and Donna Webb of Manter, Kansas.
Stephanie graduated from Stanton County High School in 1980. She was employed by Twin C. and Southwest Irrigation after graduating from High School. Then, she enjoyed working at W&W Automotive at the parts counter. Later she met Mike Westeman and formed a bond that resulted in marriage on September 2, 1989. They spent the next 33 years forging a life together on the farm being each others love and best friend. Through thick and thin they never left each other’s side. They were blessed with the birth of a daughter, Mandy Rae on March 7, 1992. Stephanie enjoyed embroidering lovely pieces that family treasured as gifts. She was also an excellent cook and served many a farm harvest meal to hungry harvesters. She was a loved aunt and always doted on nieces and nephews with Easter baskets and fun activities on the farm. It was always a treat to go out to Aunt Steph’s house. Her house was a gathering place for family holidays, especially Thanksgiving. The family has fond memories of these times. Stephanie had a love of flowers and spent many spring seasons helping her Aunt Arlene with the pop up flower shop. She was involved in her community and served as Treasurer to Bear Creek. She enjoyed camping in the mountains with her family. One of her greatest joys was when she was blessed with a granddaughter, Aubrey. She was definitely the apple of her grandma’s eye, and they enjoyed much time together spent in happy bliss.
Stephanie is survived by her mother, Donna Webb of Johnson City, KS; husband Mike Westeman of Syracuse, KS; daughter Mandy and husband Clint Palmer of Dodge City, KS; Grandaughter Aubrey Palmer of Dodge City, KS; brother Greg and wife Juli Webb of Glendale, AZ; brother Charles Webb of Manter, Kansas; and sister Cindy and husband Rick Williamson of Johnson City, KS, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her father J.C. Webb of Manter, KS.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 from 3:00 - 7:00 pm MDT at Fellers Funeral Home LLC, 401 N. Sumner in Syracuse, KS.
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 10:00 am CST at the Wesleyan Church 107 E. Logan Ave. in Johnson City, KS, burial will follow with graveside services at Hatton Cemetery in Bear Creek. The family will greet family and friends with a luncheon after graveside services at the Hamilton County Fair Building at 806 S. Main St. in Syracuse, KS.
Memorials are suggested to the Wesleyan Church in Johnson City, KS or Hatton Cemetery in Bear Creek in care of Fellers Funeral Home P.O. Box 1253, Syracuse, KS 67878.620-384-5100.
OBITUARIES
Jaivaren Smith
Jaivaren Edward Phillip Smith, age 15, passed away on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas. He was born on May 7, 2010, in Lakin, Kansas, the son of Johnathon and Christina (McNett) Smith. Jai, a sophomore at Ulysses High... [More]
Lenny Thompson
Funeral services for Lenny Thompson will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, November 29, 2025 at Holly Methodist Church in Holly, Colorado with Pastor Kathy Leathers officiating. Interment will follow in the Holly Cemetery. Per Lenny’s request, there will be no... [More]
Alfred Hampton
Alfred Frederick Hampton, age 89, of Wyandotte, Oklahoma, was called home to heaven by his Lord and Savior on November 5, 2025 at Freeman Hospital in Joplin, MO. He was born on September 19, 1936 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, to Fred and Ruth Adeline (Clay) Hampton. He attended public... [More]
Rachael Ann Stewart
Rachael Ann Stewart, age 78, flew with the Angels to herHeavenly Home on Friday, November 7, 2025, from her home in Rolla, Kansas. She was born on August 8, 1947, in Eureka, Kansas, the eleventh child to Wayne and Ione (Morgan) Lewis. Rachael attended school in Quincy... [More]
Velma Klassen
Velma L. (Stokes) Klassen, born July 7, 1942, in Pueblo, CO to Harold R. Stokes and Leona May (Curlis) Stokes and passed away October 14, 2025. She had two brothers, Raymond L. Stokes and Vernon L. Stokes. Velma lived north of Fowler, CO until 1950, then moved to... [More]
Charles Golladay
It is with deep sorrow and love that we announce the passing of Charles Golladay, age 67, who left us way too soon on September 18, 2025, after a brief illness. Charles, a beloved husband, father, teacher, coach, writer, and community theater actor, passed away in the hospital... [More]
Bart Hatcher
A Graveside Memorial Service of Syracuse, Kansas resident, Bart Hatcher, will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, September 29, 2025 at the Syracuse Cemetery with Pastor Larry Alexander officiating. Per Bart’s request, cremation has taken place and there will be... [More]
Michael Kim Williams
Michael Kim Williams, 70, of Charleroi, passed away unexpectedly at Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital on September 1st, 2025. Michael was born in Syracuse, Kansas on March 15th, 1955 to the late Robert and Betty (Darland) Williams. Baptist by faith; Michael was a member... [More]
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SPORTS
HI-PLAINS ALL LEAGUE
The Hi-Plains League has announced recipients of all-league basketball honors. The selection process begins when individual coaches submit names. The players are then voted on by the other HPL coaches. However, coaches may not vote on their own players. Syracuse High School... [More]
SHS CHEER TAKES SECOND
Small but Mighty! That is the name high school Head Cheerleading Coach, Marcos Valadez put on the 2024-2025 squad last summer, “We may not have the numbers, but our team has overcome adversity and is always stepping up to the challenge.” Proving this, the Syracuse... [More]
BULLDOGS OPEN FALL SEASON WITH FIRST PLACE FINISH IN GOLF
The Syracuse Bulldogs Ladies Varsity Golf Team took first at their season opener in Stanton County on Tuesday afternoon. They shot a team score of 207 at the Prairie Pines Golf Course in Johnson. The varsity team is Lanee Owens, Bronwyn Lewis, Sammy Schwieterman, Maddy... [More]
LEWIS HEADS TO STATE TRACK
Qualifying members of the high school track team traveled to Hill City Thursday, May 16 to compete in the 2-A regional meet against 15 teams, Ellinwood, Ellis, Hill City, Hoxie, Lincoln, Meade, Medicine Lodge, Oakley, Plainville, Smith Center, Stanton County, Sublette, Thomas... [More]
BULLDOGS TAKE SECOND AT REGIONALS - HEADED TO STATE
The Syracuse High School boys golf team battled breezy conditions on Monday May 13 competing in the 2-A Regional meet on their own Tamarisk Golf Course. Adjusting to windy conditions and competing at home paid off for the Bulldogs Monday, placing second, qualifying... [More]
STATE GOLF RESULTS
State golf on Monday had the Varsity Bulldogs miss playing in the finals as a team by one stroke. They finished seventh out of twelve teams. On Day 1, Brody Keller shot a 92 missing day two by two strokes. Ian Brummett shot a 95, Mason Scott and Johnny TeVelde shot... [More]
JH BASKETBALL WINS
Junior High Boys Basketball A, B, and C teams travelled to Elkhart on Monday, November 21. The A team won 41-34, B team won 26-21, and C team lost to Elkhart 13-20. Head Coach Vance Keller said, “Elkhart was a tough win for both the A and B teams but both grinded... [More]
LADY BULLDOGS BORDER WARS CHAMPIONS!!
The Lady Bulldogs were undefeated during the Border Wars, defeating Eads on Friday, 42-7 and Walsh on Saturday 62-5, bringing their record to 3-1. But the winner wasn’t announced until Tuesday evening. Syracuse Athletic Director Josh Johnson explained, “It came down... [More]
More Sports
NEWS
1999 Exchange Student Returns Reliving His Syracuse Days
Summer of August 1998, a young man from Germany set out on an adventure as an exchange student through the EF Foundation to Syracuse Kansas to attend high school for one year. Georg Motzko wanted the experience of studying in another country to become more self-confident,... [More]
Veterans Day Thank You
US Major Andy Davis, call sign “CHAOS”, is a fourth-generation pilot in the Davis family of Syracuse and has flown several models of F-16 fighter jets in his 12 years in the Active-Duty Air Force. He has had several assignments and deployments across the globe, including... [More]
1991 SHS Grad Awarded Colorado Water Commissioner of the Year Division 2
Brandy Cole, 1991 SHS graduate, recently received the Water Commissioner of the Year Award, at the Annual Colorado Division 2 of Water Resources (DWR) meeting. The award was presented by Jason Ullmann Colorado State Engineer and Rachel Lawhorn, DWR Division 2 Engineer.... [More]
30th Annual Classic and Antique Fly-In This Saturday
The 30th annual Classic and Antique Fly In will be held Saturday, October 11, at the Hamilton County Airport, hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EEA) Chapter 377. Every year the annual Fly-In brings young and old to the local airport to look at vintage planes.... [More]
Important Information About City of Syracuse’s Drinking Water
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER SYRACUSE, CITY OF, Water System submitted the Initial Lead Service Line Inventory after October 16, 2024. This inventory identifies lead, non-lead, galvanized requiring replacement and unknown service lines between the water main... [More]
Urie Takes First at Rocky Mountain Race Week
Rocky Mountain Race Weekend, held at Pueblo Motorsports Park September 5-7, is a weekend of squalling tires, roaring engines, and hanging out with friends and family. Darrin, Kim, and children Ebben and Adalyn Urie travelled to Pueblo so the kids could compete, doing just... [More]
Jireh Family Restaurant
Photo - Cintia Tetrault, Maria Vindel, Carlos Vindel, Dalia Vindel/photo by Krista Norton
SHS Grad Returns Home to Hamilton County Hospital
Jessica King, daughter of Patty King of Garden City and Reg King, Lakin, has returned to her roots to continue to provide physical therapy for Hamilton County Hospital. King was a 1997 SHS graduate. While in high school she shadowed a physical therapist from Tribune. “I... [More]
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- Twice The Ice Opens
- Farm Store Opens North of Kendall
- Weis Awarded Bronze Star Medal
OPINIONS
Purpose in the Pain
It’s November! It’s a beautiful cool, fall Wednesday morning as I write this. I took a walk with my dogs, chatted with my friend, and coughed. But the cough has been way better! Tuesday was Election Day. The contest for mayor of Coolidge was one many were watching.... [More]
Fruit of the Spirit
October is here! The cool mornings are lovely! Looking forward to cooler afternoons too! Thought I would share some quick updates. My respiratory junk is not wanting to exit this human. Got another round of antibiotics and more breathing treatments. Thankfully I am improving. ... [More]
Where Can God Use You Today?
A long haired shaggy white dog, likely a Great Pyrenees, showed up at our farm last week. After a couple of days, we saw it wasn’t going anywhere. We started to feed it. He let us get closer. What we found was a skinny, malnourished dog with a horrible case... [More]
How Vulnerable Are You?
Thanks for your patience last week. I am still recovering but have returned to the land of the living! I get frustrated with how slow it takes to recover sometimes when really I should focus on the fact that I am recovering. I truly feel like I am getting stronger and then... [More]
Let God
It’s the first week of September. After I get the paper onto stands, we are headed to the state fair. They changed some of the stalling procedures this year for sheep which leaves some unknowns for us. But every year we go, we learn new things. After my irritation and frustration... [More]
Breathing Space
I slipped away for a quick getaway for back to school clothes shopping, visiting family, some good food, and a trip to Barnes and Noble. We left Thursday afternoon and returned Sunday. It was triple digit heat when we left our sheep in good hands to be taken care... [More]
Building Moments and Memories
Another week has passed after the fair but I am still not recovered. Monday is the start of school and I am hoping we get a quick getaway even for one night. I was out of the office on Tuesday while we bred our lambs in Healy, Kansas. We rose early, hooked up the trailer,... [More]
When you don't win
It’s the last day of July. All I can say is fair. Our county fair is over and I am wiped out. Putting this edition together is one of the hardest every year. It looks to me like most of the county showed up to the fair in one way or the other. Maybe the demo derby... [More]
More Opinions
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