Henry C.  Walz, age 105, died peacefully Friday, September 6, 2019, at the Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital in WaKeeney, Kansas, surrounded by his family.  He was born August 16, 1914 at the Walz farm in Trego County, Kansas, the son of Henry C. and Rose Esther Haneke Walz. He was the fourth of their nine children.

He attended grammar school at the Union schoolhouse where he completed the 8 ^th grade. He married Ruth Marjorie Noah on October 8, 1938, at Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church in rural Graham County, Kansas. He was a member of that church until its closing and then became a member of the Red Line Church of God, Palco. Ruth and Henry had five children and were married 74 years prior to her death on October 9, 2012.

Henry attended airplane trade school in Glendale, California in 1938 and then moved to Wichita, Kansas where he was employed by Beech Aircraft. The couple returned to rural Trego County and Henry farmed and worked as a road-grader for the Ogallah Township for four years before assuming  responsibility of  the family farm upon his eldest brother's death in 1943. He had two airplanes, an Areonca Champ and a Cessna 170, in the 1950s. He also owned and operated the Ellis Case Dealership, Walz Brothers Equipment Company, out of the original stone house on the Walz farm for several years. He also served on the local COOP board where he was instrumental in getting the Riga Elevator built. He was a life-long farmer and rancher and enjoyed actively living out his years on the family farm.

Survivors include his children, Roma (& Darris) McConkey of Olathe, Kansas;  Leroy Walz of Rural Trego County, Kansas; Stephen Walz of Crescent Valley, Nevada;  Linda Thompson of Corona, California and Beth (& Ralph) Johnson of WaKeeney, Kansas;  12 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; brothers Albert, Harry and William "Billy";  sisters Virginia Elting, Dorothy Shubert, Gladys Fowler, Marjorie Weisner and Margaret Emmerton;  sisters-in-law Leona (Shubert); brothers-in-law John Elting, Lawrence Shubert, Homer "Pat" Fowler, Clarence Weisner and Homer Emmerton;  and daughter-in-law, Brenda (Dirks) Walz.

Funeral Services will be held at 10 o'clock a.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at the Red Line Church of God, 1 mile south and 4 miles west of Palco, Kansas, with Pastor Jerod Brown presiding. Interment will be in the Morlan Township Cemetery, Graham County, Kansas. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital or Nicodemus Historical Society and Museum. Contributions may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 North 12th Street, WaKeeney, KS  67672.

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