Osage City--Dean Kuykendall, 88, passed away on Monday, March 21, 2016 at the Stormont-Vail Hospital in Topeka, Kansas. He was born on December 26, 1927 in the family farmhouse south of Osage City, Kansas, the son of Claude and Isabell Morton Kuyendall.
Dean attended the Elkahira District 107 school through 8th grade and then Osage City High School where he graduated in 1945. He had been a member of the National Honor Society and made the varsity basketball squad his senior year.

Recently, Dean described himself as a "general farmer". While finishing high school, Dean began his lifetime farming career helping his mother to operate the farm. Dean's operation was diversified in the early part of his career to include hogs, milo, cattle, soybeans, corn and wheat. In later years, it became a chiefly row crop operation except for multiple 4-H animals and a milk cow. Throughout his life, Dean always enjoyed the companionship of many dogs. In 1997, with Dean as the patriarch, the Kuykendall Farm celebrated its centennial year with a large picnic gathering of family and friends at the farm. Dean represented the third generation on the farm and the work is carried on today by the fourth generation of the family.

Dean served the Barclay Township as Trustee, the Osage County ASCS committee, the Rural Water district & board of directors, the USD 420 School Board, the Osage County Fair Board, the Osage City Library Foundation and was a Parent and Leader for the Busy Bee and Willing Workers 4-H.

On June 24, 1951 Dean was married to Martha Pickering in Osage City.

Dean was preceded in death by his wife Martha on December 23, 2011, by his parents, Claude and Isabell and by his brother, Wayne Kuykendall.

Dean is survived by six children, Nina (David) Flax of Osage City, Sarah (Frank) Meadows of Topeka, Donna (Robert) Ladewig of Hutchison, Jeff (David Morrissey) Kuykendall of Silver Spring, Maryland, Sally (Kenneth) Wilk of Osage City and Kenneth (Lori) Kuykendall of Osage City; his sister, Wilma Cook of Dighton; twelve grandchildren, Lianne (Michael McClelland) Flax of Topeka, Daniel (Jessica) Flax of Dodge City, Scott Flax of Osage City, Jay Ladewig of Hutchison, Lee (LaToya) Ladewig of Hutchison, Thelston Kuykendall of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Matti Kuykendall of Osage City, Bailey Griffith of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Calley (Trevor) Rosine of McPherson, Elizabeth Wilk of Manhattan, Kurtis Wilk and Tracy Wilk, both of Osage City; four great-grandchildren, Mason, Parker and Preston Flax of Dodge City and Teagan Faye Ladewig of Hutchison.

Funeral services for Dean will be at 2:00 pm on Friday, March 25 at the Feltner Funeral Chapel in Lyndon. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday at the funeral home. Private family burial will take place following services. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dean Kuykendall Memorial Fund, sent in care of Feltner Funeral Home, 818 Topeka Avenue, Lyndon, KS. 66451. Online condolences may be left at feltnerfuneralhome.com