The Garden City Telegram

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Florence Fletcher

Published 3/13/2010 in Obituaries

LAKIN — Susannah Florence Tate Fletcher, 101, died Thursday, March 11, 2010, at the Kearny County Hospital after a brief illness.

She was born Oct. 11, 1908, to George Henry Jr. and Lenora Victoria Boylan Tate. She lived most of her life in the home where she was born.

Her maternal grandparents, Alonzo and Castella Boylan, came to Lakin in 1875, with her grandfather being the first railroad agent and having built the first house in Kearny County, "the White House," which is now in the Kearny County Museum. Her paternal grandparents, George H. and Susannah Tate, came to Lakin in 1885 and established Tate Mercantile, a hardware, grocery and dry goods tore.

Mrs. Fletcher graduated from Lakin Rural High School in 1927. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1931 with a degree in education, taught two years at Lakin Grade School, then attended nursing school at Cornell University in New York, where she earned her B.S. in nursing and worked for a time in the Cornell hospital's pediatric ward. She returned to Lakin and worked as an RN for Dr. Hasting's clinic.

She married Murray J. Fletcher in 1937. They lived for a time on the Tate Ranch in Coolidge before returning to Lakin to establish and farming and ranching business. They later established Fletcher Ranch Inc., where she served as equal partner with her husband in the business and performed the secretarial and bookkeeping until the age of 75.

She was a member of the Kearny County Historical Society, Lakin High School Alumni Association, Order of Eastern Star, P.E.O., Chapter FQ, Past Matron's Club of Eastern Star, Kearny County Golden Agers, the KU and Cornell alumni associations and the Southwest Kansas Royalty Owners Association. She attended the First Presbyterian Church.

She was active in the community and enjoyed KU basketball, quilting, crocheting, reading, playing bridge and pitch.

She was preceded in death by her husband in March 1975. She also was preceded in death by her parents; two daughters, Joyce Anne Yakel and Elizabeth Lenora "Beth" Fletcher; and four brothers, James, Victor, Cecil and Roland Tate.

She is survived by one son, Walter J. Fletcher, Lakin; three daughters, Sherrill J. Burkhart, Phoenix, Vivian Kinder, Garden City, and C. Blythe Wittlake, Colorado Springs, Colo.; 13 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

A celebration of her life will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at First Presbyterian Church, Lakin, with the Rev. Roberta Karchner officiating. Burial will follow at Lakin Cemetery.

Visitation will be 1 to 8 p.m. today and Sunday. Garnand Funeral Home, Lakin, is in charge of arrangements.

Condolences may be e-mailed to garnandfh@sbcglobal.net. The family requests that memorials be sent to the Florence T. Fletcher Nursing Scholarship at Garden City Community College Endowment Association, or to the High Plains Retirement Village Assisted Living Apartments, both in care of the funeral home.

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