Ottawa--John Raymond Kunard, 82, passed away on Sunday, April 22, 2018 at his home in Ottawa, Kansas. He was born on May 7, 1935 in the Chippewa community of Franklin County, Kansas, the son of Herschel and Ellen Young Kunard.
John lived and attended school in the Greenwood community, moved to Black Jack in Baldwin City and then moved to Wellsville where he graduated high school in 1953. He lived in Ottawa from 1959 to 1996 when he moved to Pomona Lake at Vassar. He lived there until November 2017 when he moved back to Ottawa.
John farmed with his Dad after graduating from high school until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1957. He was stationed at the Missile Defense Center at Ft. Bliss, Texas. He was discharged in 1959 at the rank of Specialist 4th Class. He then served in the 1/127th HQ Battery Field Artillery of the Ottawa Unit of the Kansas National Guard until 1961.
After the service, John worked at the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company until the plant closed in 1979. He then worked as a warehouse employee with Our Own HDW Distribution center when it opened in Ottawa and worked until his retirement in 1998. He was a long time member of the North Baptist Church and a former member of the New Hope Baptist Church. He was a member of the Full O' Pep 4-H Club and FFA while in high school at Wellsville.
John most enjoyed time with his family, especially visits from the kids and grand-kids. He so cherished very much all of the times he got to take his family on vacations. When the grand-kids were old enough, the many trips to Silver Dollar City and the Precious Moments Chapel. The very special times were when the grand-kids got to come for a weekend or just to spend the day with him.
On August 23, 1959, John was married to Cora J. Dunn at the North Baptist Church in Ottawa.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Herschel and Ellen; his younger brother, Joe Kunard; and his younger sister, June Greiner.
John is survived by his wife Cora of the home; his two children, Bryant Kunard (Mary) of Parker and Diana Barnes (Gary) of Vail, Colorado; his three grandchildren, Eric Barnes (Samantha) of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Ethan Kunard of Bozeman, Montana and Jessica Deiner (Michael) of Silverthorne, Colorado; his future great-grandson, Noah Michael Deiner; his brother, Wayne Kunard (Vera) of Lenexa; his two sisters, Donna Dunn (Bob) of Ottawa and Joy Kunard of Tonganoxie; sister-in-law, Loretta Kunard of Tonganoxie; brother-in-law, Steve Greiner of Ottawa; and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for John will be at 10:30am on Saturday, April 28 at the North Baptist Church in Ottawa. The family will receive friends from 9:30am until service time on Saturday. Burial with military honors will be in the Highland Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the North Baptist Church, sent in care of Feltner Funeral Home, 818 Topeka Avenue, Lyndon, KS. 66451. Online condolences for the family may be left at feltnerfuneralhome.com.