John Haas
Age - 94
December 1, 2023
Life Narrative John Benjamin Haas, loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather passed away Monday, November 20, 2023 at the age of 94. He was born April 6, 1929 in Wichita, KS as the third child of four children born to two hard working farmers Ralph and Susie Haas. His family lived in Kechi, KS where he helped work on the farm, fed the cattle, milked the cows, helped with harvest and helped gather eggs and sell them to make money. Later his family would move to Towanda, KS and then when John was in 6th grade the family moved to Benton, KS where he lived the rest of his life until the last two years when he and Luetta moved to Derby to be closer to their children. John married the love of his life Luetta V. Widick on July 27, 1951 when he was 22 years old. They built a 4 bedroom house on Main Street in Benton, KS. He then went to work for his wife's dad doing carpenter work and when that slowed down he went to work for a chemical company treating oil wells. At the age of 25 he was drafted into the army. He went to basic training in El Paso, TX then went to Fort Belvoire in Arlington, Virginia for engineering school. After finishing engineering school he set out on a ship from Seattle, Washington on his way to Korea. He took part in the Korean War from 1954-1956 where he was a mechanic and worked on generators, caterpillars and other equipment. When he got home from the war he went to work for Vickers Refining Company where he would travel around selling wholesale gasoline for 33 years. He retired from Vickers in 1992. After retirement John and his wife Luetta spent every winter, for twenty years, traveling with their camper to Zapata, Texas. They also organized a Cardinal Camping group where they made many friends. Thirty years ago they started taking their family to Grand Lake in the summer. Even though John and Luetta were unable to make the trip the last several years, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren still keep up the family tradition. John was always involved in his 3 children's activities and helped coach teams that his sons played on. He was very involved in the Benton community where he served as the President of the Benton Lions Club , served on the Circle School Board for 14 years, and served on the Benton City Council. John was a member of the Benton Methodist Church where he served on the board and organized the annual soup suppers for the church. Later he and Luetta transferred their membership to Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita. John loved to travel, fish, hunt, garden and take care of his immaculate yard. He and Luetta loved pretty flowers and having a garden. He especially enjoyed growing cucumbers and making his famous Dill Pickles. His grandchildren said no one could make them as good as Grandpa. His proudest moments in life were when his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were born. He always enjoyed going to their sporting events, music programs or whatever they were in. John is preceded in death by his parents Ralph and Susie Haas, brother Elwood Haas, sisters Lavon Robinson and Joan Beery, granddaughter Libby Little, grandson Brian Little and daughter in law, Donnie Haas. Survivors include wife Luetta Haas, daughter Lesa Holmes, sons Mark Haas, Brad (Kim) Haas, grandchildren Allie (Matt) Alonzo, Paige (Tyler) Coleman, Curstin (Jason) Jinkens, Zach Adams, Amanda (Jason) Williams, Shannon Hicks, Gordon (Shelley) Long and 14 great-grandchildren. Visitation with the family will be at 10:00 a. m followed by the service at 11:00 a. m. on December 2, 2023 at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, 1550 N Chapel Hill St, Wichita, KS 67206. There will be no graveside service at this time. In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Wild Trust, 512 SE 25th Ave. , Pratt, KS 67124-8174.Show more
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