Obituary of Arlyss Wendland

Arlyss Marie Wendland, age 90 of Randolph, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 19, 2020 in the Bramlage House at the Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community. She was born on November 23, 1929 at the family farm near Barnes, the daughter of Bernhardt William and Edna Alinda (Rahe) Roepke. She graduate from Clay Center Community High School in 1947 and then attended Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa and later took some classes at Kansas State University. She taught school at Schaubel and Ober schools. Education was important to her and she enjoyed history, writing little stories on a subject and giving them to grandkids. She also sewed clothes and blankets and loved giving them away. On June 6, 1950, she was married to Eldon F. Wendland. She was a homemaker during the years that they were raising their children. Once the children had graduated from high school, she took a job re-entry program and found employment at Kansas State University facilities management department as an accountant for 25 years. Arlyss was active in the Fancy Creek Zion United Methodist Church teaching various Sunday School classes and holding several positions on committees and offices relating to the running of the church. She held various offices for the United Methodist Women and attended the Kansas East Conference. She was a 4-H and Sewing leader, loving the fair and seeing all the projects and watching the livestock shows. Her greatest joy was her grandchildren and spending time with her family and friends. Her hobbies included sewing, crossword puzzles, reading her Bible and gardening. She is survived by three sons, Allen Wendland and wife Virginia of Mesa, Arizona, Merlin Wendland and wife April of Barnes and Brian Wendland and wife Kathleen of St. John; two daughters, Brenda Lavender and husband John of Virginia and Barbara Keith and husband Mark of Mesa, Arizona; one brother, Ross Roepke of Tullahoma, Tennessee; two sisters, Evelyn Blumer and husband Boyd of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Joyce Heddleson and husband Stan of San Louis Obispo, California; 15 grandchildren, Ken Wendland, Nina Blalack (Jeremy), Shane Wendland, Richie Wendland, Joshua Wendland (Kelly), Nathan Wendland (Crystal), Hannah Sugars (Jason), John W. Lavender, Alysia Lavender, Aaron Wendland (Kirsten), Destiny Wendland, Daniele Moshier (Jordan), Andrew Wendland, Rachel Keith and Joel Keith; 9 great grandchildren, Jacob, Sarah, Korah, Xavier, Aaralyn, Haleigh, Trinity, Holton, Katrin and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and three brothers, Rae, Darrell and Keith. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, January 27, 2020 at the Fancy Creek Zion United Methodist Church with Pastor Sandy Ferguson officiating. The family will receive friends from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. Sunday at the Anderes-Pfeifley Funeral Home. Burial will be in the Peach Grove Cemetery. A memorial may be made to the Fancy Creek Zion Cemetery. Contributions may be left in care of the Anderes-Pfeifley Funeral Home.