Luther E. Mcdill

CREMATION

VISITATION: 2-3:30pm SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015
EDDY-BIRCHARD FUNERAL HOME

MEMORIALS: OLATHE HOSPICE HOUSE and PAOLA VFW POST 3712

Memorials may be sent in care of:
Eddy-Birchard Funeral Home
P.O. Box 430
Osawatomie, KS 66064
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Luther E. McDill age 87, of Osawatomie, Kansas died Friday, February 27, 2015 at the Olathe Hospice House in Olathe, Kansas.

Luther was born on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1928 in Paola, Kansas. He was the third child of four born to Iris Luther and Clova Jewel (Tipton) McDill. He grew up in rural Paola and attended elementary school at Lone Star Grade School in Baker a rural township of Paola at that time. He later attended Paola High School and graduated with the class of 1945.

After graduation Luther was drafted into the United States Army and served during World War II. When he was discharged from the Army Luther almost immediately enlisted in the United States Navy and served in the Navy for thirty-two years, making a total of service to the United States of America of thirty-six years. He toured in many areas of the world which includes, Japan, Hawaii, Spain and Korea. After the Korean War Luther was stationed for many years at the Olathe Naval Air Base in Gardner, Kansas and held the position of Aviation Crew-Chief. Luther was a member of the Paola VFW Post #3712


Luther met his future bride on a double date (she was the other guys date) and he ended up driving her home. He asked her if he could see her and she told him to call her, but when he did she had the Measles and did not want him to see her. A few weeks later they saw each other at the Miami County Fair and a lifelong relationship began. On August 19, 1951 Luther married Norma Jean Patterson in the Stanton Church in Stanton, Kansas. They made their home in Paola until 1955 when they moved to Osawatomie, and became the parents of four children, Robert, Jean, Ruby and Richard.

After his discharge from the Navy, Luther went to work as a truck driver for several years, he then started work for the Paola School District as General Maintenance, and he also did sewing machine repair work for the Mode-O-Day dress shop in Osawatomie. Later going to work for the Braemore Sewing Company in Pleasanton, Kansas maintaining all the machines. Finally working for the King Louie Cap Company in Paola, also maintaining the sewing machines until he retired in 1989.

Luther and Norma were big RV campers and loved traveling to many different campgrounds, and soon became close friends with many of the other regular campers. One of their favorite spots was in LaCygne, Kansas. When the children were young they belonged to the Twin Rivers Camping Club and in the early 1960’s traveled to Michigan for the National Camper & Hikers assembly, were literally thousands of people gathered for the event.

For more than fifteen years Luther and Norma wintered in Mission, Texas stopping along the way to visit with family. They had many fun times with all the other “Snow-Birds” they came to know over the years there in Mission. A small group of men began their own band and traveled playing their music in different places and Luther was their number one “Roadie”.

He and Norma loved to dance and attended many dances in the area including the VFW down on 6th St. years ago. Luther enjoyed deer hunting, and fishing, he went fishing in the Gulf whenever they wintered in Texas and loved to come home and tell everyone about his experiences.

Luther was a fun, kind, loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. His children will quickly tell you he was the best father ever. He loved spending time with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, many will miss his laughter and his smile.

Luther was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of sixty years Norma Jean in 2011 and his three siblings.

He is survived by his children: Robert “Bob” (Jan )McDill of Osawatomie, KS, Ruby (Tom) Bowland of Olathe, KS, Jean (Bob) Barnes of Salina, KS and Richard (Leah) McDill of Round Rock, TX. Five grandchildren: Shane McDill, Lacey McMullen, Jeff Barnes, Christi Zeigler, and Joshua McDill and four great grandchidren, along with many other family and friends.