PARK CITY, KANSAS

NED  DEWAYNE  FELZIEN , 88,

Ned DeWayne Felzien was born to Edward and Eva Felzien and raised as part of a proud farming family near St. Francis, KS.  He loved St. Francis and the surrounding area, including the Republican river, the Arikeree Breaks, and the native plants and wildlife in the area.  Ned graduated from St. Francis High School in 1949 and stayed in the area to help his father farm until he was drafted into the US Army in January, 1952, during the Korean war. He completed basic training at Ft. Riley, KS, becoming part of the armored infantry.  He spent about 1.5 years in Wildflecken, Germany, 12 miles from the Russian zone. His military experience allowed him to experience a new part of the world and build one of his life-long friendships.  After the military, he farmed with his dad for two more years before attending Ft. Hays State College from 1955-1957.

In 1957, Ned moved to Wichita, KS and began working at Beechcraft as a sheet metal worker.  He attended Wichita State University and graduated in 1961 with a degree in Geology.  After college, he worked for four years at Grain Merchants Lab, as a technician testing wheat.  He enjoyed testing wheat quality and confirming that northwestern Kansas wheat had a higher protein content than wheat from other areas.  When the lab closed, Ned worked at Boeing in quality control and then became a letter carrier at the US Post Office 1970-1990. He had a walking mail route and enjoyed the exercise, the outdoors, his fellow letter carriers, and getting to know his patrons.

Ned met his wife, Helen, at a YWCA dance in Wichita in 1958, and they were married on June 20, 1959, in Moscow, KS.  Ned and Helen loved to dance and did so regularly, for almost all of their 60 years of marriage.  They raised two daughters and nurtured four grandchildren.  Ned's love and support for his family were constant.  He loved playing and traveling with the family, instilled a love of the outdoors and gardening with his children and grandchildren, and always shared his wonderful sense of humor and love of life with everyone around him.  With extended family and friends, Ned loved to fish and hunt, travel, reminisce, golf, bowl, and play cards.  He had a full and busy life and kept his sense of humor into his final weeks.  He was an active member of Christ Lutheran church for nearly 60 years, where he gained many life-long friends, sang in the choir, planted trees and cared for the grounds, and served on the church council.  He was also very active at the Park City Senior Center, where he appreciated gaining many new friends in his retirement years.

Ned passed into God's hands on June 25, 2019. He was surrounded by his family, caregivers, and friends. He is survived by his wife, Helen Felzien, daughters Amy Carter (Shawn Carter) and Lisa Melton (Darren Melton), grandchildren, Luke and Jacob Carter and Katy and Tyler Melton, his brother, Tom Felzien, many other family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Eva Felzien, sisters, Iva Lovett and Ilene Ochsner (Garfield Ochsner), brothers, Ward Felzien (Eva Felzien) and Jim Felzien, mother and father-in-law Mary and William Bell, sisters-in-law, Mildred Cassidy, Dorothy Ladnier (Ray Ladnier), and Marie-Ann Felzien, brothers-in-law Allen Bell, Jack Bell (Doris Bell) and Darwin Ashbaugh.

Services will be held on Tuesday, July 2, at Christ Lutheran Church, 5356 N. Hillside: visitation at 10:00 am, funeral at 11:00 am. Graveside with military honors will follow at the Kechi Township Cemetery, 6523 N. Hillside, Wichita, Kansas.  Memorials may be designated in his memory to Christ Lutheran Church, 5356 N. Hillside, Wichita, Kansas 67219 and Serenity Hospice, 9415 E. Harry St #301, Wichita, Kansas 67207. Condolences may be left for the family at www.bakerfhvc.com