Kathleen Kelly Whalen, an early board member of the Flint Hills Overland Wagon Train, camp cook and bandana bunny maker, died May 9, 2020.
"Grandma Katie's" wish was to take one final ride with the Wagon Train -- an even that also will serve as her final benefit for the Flint Hills Overland Train on June 19, 2010. Those who would like to be present for the celebration of her life will have several options:
Service Only: Those who would like
to simply pay their
respects and be present for the celebration service may meet at the
wagon train departure point in Florence, and caravan by car to the
Flint Hills service site. This option is free of charge, and includes
coffee/lemonade and cobbler after the celebration service.
Service and Short Ride:
Those
who
would
like to pay their respects, be present for the
celebration, take a short, 15-minute wagon ride and enjoy a campfire
supper, may meet at the wagon train departure point in Florence, and
caravan to the Flint Hills Service site. This option will require a $40
fee for the wagon ride, campfire supper and entertainment.
Service and Full
Experience: A special group rate is available for those who
would like to add the full experience of a day-and-a-half wagon ride,
overnight campout, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and entertainment.
Again, meet at the wagon train departure point in Florence, and
caravan to the Flint Hills Service site. This option will include the
wagon ride, food, entertainment and overnight camping, and will be
available at a special group rate for this event of $145 for adults over 21, $120 for those age
12-21 and $75 for children under 12. When making your reservation, just state that you are a part of the Kathleen Kelly Whalen Memorial Celebration.
Please RSVP to the Flint Hills Wagon Train no later than Friday, June 12, 2010. RSVPs may be sent by e-mail to wagontrainks@earthlink.net or by calling 316-321-6300. Paid options will require a completed application, available at: WagonTrainKansas.com/application.pdf
All proceeds from the fees will go to support
continued operations of KKW’s favorite charity, the Flint Hills
Overland Wagon Train.
All options begin with a
gathering at 10 a.m. June 19 at the Town and Country Café in
Florence, Kansas. The group will caravan by car to the Flint Hills
service site where there
will be a brief ceremony; then the wagon train will depart.
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ABOUT
KKW
Long-time
Kansas journalist Kathleen
Kelly Whalen, who made a career of her love of food and its
preparation, died
May 9, 2010, in Houston. She served as food editor and columnist for
The
Wichita Eagle for 40 years. Her life was a recipe in itself: Equal
parts
career, family and friends — and service to her community as well as to
various
organizations to which she belonged.
She was born in Manhattan on July
14, 1933. She was a graduate of Kansas State University where she
received both
undergraduate and master’s degrees. She lived most of her life in
Wichita and
Harvey County before moving to Houston in 2005.
Widowed at an early age, she raised
her son, Kelly Humphries, as a single mother. Her husband, Gary
Humphries, a
photographer for The Eagle, died in a 1959 plane crash while on
assignment.
Readers came to know Kelly as “Lanky Lad” through her newspaper columns.
In 1966, she married John Whalen,
who preceded her in death. During that marriage they lived in the
Newton
area.
Kathleen started
working at The Eagle as a summer intern in 1953, and was hired full
time in
1955. She worked at the newspaper until her retirement in 1995.
During her career and after, she was a popular speaker for many
organizations. She spoke about food and home economics or hats and
bandanas.
Her hats and bandanas became a signature look.
She was a member and leader in various professional organizations,
including the Kansas and Wichita Press Women organizations, the
National
Federation of Press Women and the Wichita Chapter of Theta Sigma Phi.
She won
numerous awards for her writing. Until her move to Houston, she was
active in
the Newton chapter of PEO and the Newton Church of Christ.
In addition to her son,
Kelly, who
resides in Houston, Kathleen is survived by her granddaughter, Lauren
Humphries
of Chicago; sister, Jane Kelly of
Medina, Texas; brother, Michael Kelly of Wichita; and stepchildren, Hal
Slentz-Whalen, Edgewater, Md.;
Janet Sue Whalen Dunning, Key West, Fla.; and Pat Pollak, Jamul, Calif.
