Vernon Sprague

Vernon Sprague, age 95, of Kincaid, Kansas, passed away on Monday, September 4, 2023, at his home.

Vernon Fred Sprague was born on October 9, 1927, at Lone Elm, Kansas. He was the sixth of eight children born to Arzy and Hazel (Beal) Sprague. Vernon attended the Walnut Grove (aka 2x4) country school. Vernon started high school in Lone Elm but left during his freshman year. He then began working on the farm with his father due to his older brother Harold leaving to serve in the military.

With the assistance of an outside help from a cousin to make sure that Coletta O'Mara made it to a community dance in Lone Elm, Vernon made sure he would be the one taking Coletta home after the dance. From then on their love story spanned 58 years of marriage. On October 9, 1951 he married Coletta O'Mara at Kincaid, Kansas. Their union was blessed with four daughters. They made their home near his original family farm until they purchased their farm south of Lone Elm in 1956. Vernon spent his entire life within two miles of where he was born. That dirt surely ran through his veins, he purchased his first farm at the age of 20, from his grandfather. Farming was more than an occupation, it was his passion, his hobby, his life. He took great pride in keeping everything neat and maintained. Within the last two weeks of his life he was still mowing the road ditches around the farm and spraying fencerows. At 95, Vernon was still making sure that the barbed wire fences were kept up even though he had rented the pasture out. He was proud of the fact that he was an original stock holder in the Kincaid Farmers Fertilizer & Grain, Inc. and served on the board for many years. Vernon saw farming go from farming with horses to today's technology where the planter rows are perfectly straight thanks to gps controls. He took pride in having the straightest rows around and he marveled at how the machines do it by themselves now.

In his younger days he enjoyed bowling on Thursday nights in Iola. Vernon loved a good practical joke, he may have supplemented a neighbor's rain gauge a time or two. Vernon was blessed to enjoy 95 years, but his life was a blessing to many. He was able to enjoy countless family gatherings and he loved getting to see his grandchildren and great grandchildren, who called him Papa Vernon. His diet may or may not have contributed to his longevity, he most commonly enjoyed a cherry pepsi with frozen pizza, chocolate milk, grape juice, hot dogs, velveeta cheese, and bacon. Vernon was overwhelmed with the love he was shown from the card shower for his 95th birthday. The world has lost another fan of the chiefs and KU basketball, and an avid RFD watcher, but most importantly, his family lost a loving husband, father, grandfather and Papa Vernon.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Coletta, on December 25, 2009; his daughter, Carol McGhee in 1993; son in law, Harold Thexton; two brothers, Harold and Kenneth Sprague; three sisters, Vera Terrell, Lorene Webster, and Opal Furr.

Vernon is survived by his three daughters, Marilyn Thexton of Colony, Sandra Adams and husband, Tom, of Kincaid, and Diane Calahan and husband, Darrel, of Colony; 10 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Blanche Ford of Sugarland, Texas and Violet Holt of Kincaid.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM, Monday, September 11, 2023, at the Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel in Garnett, Kansas. Burial will follow in the Colony Cemetery in Colony, Kansas. Vernon's family will greet friends from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Sunday afternoon at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Lone Elm Ladies and left in care of the funeral home. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com .