Raymond Boll

Goodland, Kansas resident Raymond “Ray” Frederick Boll, 91, passed away on Thursday, February 14, 2013, at Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas.
He was born on November 29, 1921, in St. Francis, Kansas, the eldest son of Fred and Sophia (Rust) Boll.  As an infant he was baptized by Pastor O. H. Zeilinger.  At the age of 14, he and his brother Merlyn were confirmed at the St. Paul’s Valley Lutheran Church.  He was a member of Peace Lutheran Church in St. Francis.  He attended all eight grades at District 5 School in Cheyenne County and graduated from St. Francis Community High School with the class of 1939.  He lived on a farm south of Wheeler with his parents and siblings.
In 1942, he was drafted into the Army.  After basic training, he became a member of 836th  Engineer Aviation Battalion, building landing strips on various South Pacific islands, while spending 38 months in service to his country.  While there, he contracted malaria, which affected him throughout his life.  After his honorable discharge, he returned to the family farm to help farm.  In 1951, Ray moved into St. Francis with his parents and continued farming with his father until 1967.
On September 20, 1967, he married Ilene Cole, who had two children Danny Cole and Jana Lou Cole, and they became his family.  Ray and Ilene purchased a home on Washington Street in Goodland.  Ilene passed away on May 20, 1982.  Ray continued to live in that home until August of 2004, and then became a resident at Good Samaritan in Goodland.  Ray remained there until his death.
Raymond was a kind and generous, loving person, who gave so many of his possessions to his nieces and nephews.  In 2011, Ray was honored as a veteran on his 90th birthday by the Good Samaritan Society.  This honor made him so proud to be an American Veteran.
Preceding him in death were his wife Ilene, his parents, brother-in-law Ruben Feikert, and sister-in-law Shirley Boll.
He leaves to mourn his step-children Jana Lou Cole of Aurora, Colorado; Danny Cole and his wife Sandy of Franklin, Tennessee; brother Merlyn Boll of Goodland; sister Darlene Feikert of St. Francis; brother Laverne Boll and his wife Donna of St. Francis; sister-in-law Thelma Shalz of Colby; sister-in-law Donna Landeis of Tacoma, Washington; 6 nephews Larry Feikert and his wife Kathy of Bucklin; Don Boll of Goodland; Bruce Feikert and his wife Sharon of St. Francis; Lyle Boll and his wife Mary Lee of Las Vegas, Nevada; Wayne Boll of Denver, Colorado; Darrel Boll and his wife Joanna of Vicksburg, Mississippi; 5 nieces Susan Jones and her husband Johnny of Hutchinson; Sharon Olson and her husband Randy of Oberlin; Janice Boll of Hutchinson; Dana Rogers and her husband Ralph of Olathe; Lisa Mann and her husband David of Joplin, Missouri; and good friends Gilbert and Shirley Ochsner of St. Francis; many great-nieces and nephews; and many friends that worked at Good Samaritan, where he had resided for 9 ½ years.
The funeral will be Tuesday, February 19, at 10:00 AM CT, at Peace Lutheran Church in St. Francis.  Burial, with military honors, will follow in the Goodland Cemetery.  Friends may share their respects on Monday, from 1:00 until 6:00 PM CT, at Knodel Funeral Home in St. Francis.  Memorials may be designated to Hospice Services of Sherman County or Good Samaritan Society—Sherman County, and may be left at the service or mailed to Koons Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS  67735-1555.  On line condolences:  www.koonsfuneralhome.com