Obituaries by location
Clarence and Ethelda Wilch
Clarence and Ethelda Wilch of Topeka will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with a family dinner party July 1 at the Heritage Paxton House.
Clarence N. Wilch and B. Ethelda Land were married June 28, 1941, at the home of the bride's parents near Richland.
They have two children, Dr. Cheryl L. Jordan, Corvallis, Ore., and Stanley J. Wilch, Berryton.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilch owned Wilch Manufacturing Inc. in Topeka for 22 years. They retired in 1987.
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(Obituary of Clarence Wilch: "Clarence N. Wilch, 92, of Topeka, passed away on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at Aldersgate Village. He was born April 16, 1917 on a farm near Richland, KS, the fourth of six sons born to Charles W. and Tressie F. Leonard Wilch. He graduated from Berryton High School in 1936. After spending a year in Michigan, he returned to the Kansas City, MO area where he attended refrigeration and heating school. He worked for Parkview Drug Stores and later obtained a job with North American Manufacturing that produced B-25 Light Bombers for WWII. In 1943, he was drafted into the Army Air Corps and served from 1943-1946. After the service, he was employed by McElroy, Inc. in Topeka as a refrigeration and heating technician. In the late 1950s, he was working with Dairy Queen stores installing ice machines. At the time, they were seeking an efficient way to produce a fluid ice drink. They encouraged Clarence to invent a machine that would produce such a drink. In his spare time, he began to experiment with different methods of design. In 1959, he patented the Wilch Fluid Ice machine. In 1966, Clarence began Wilch Manufacturing, Inc. The company grew and relocated three times before building a new plant in the Southgate Industrial Park in 1978. During the peak of his business, he had a many as 100 employees and sold the machines worldwide. In 1987, he retired but stayed active doing building maintenance up until 2000. He was a member of Highland Park United Methodist Church, the Highland Park Optimist Club, Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce and the Topeka Better Business Bureau. Clarence married Ethelda Land on June 28, 1941 at her home near the community of Ridgeway, KS. They shared 68 years of marriage. She survives. Other survivors include a daughter; Dr. Cheryl Jordan and her husband, Dr. James Jordan of Corvallis, OR; a son, Stanley J. Wilch and his wife, Susan of Berryton and a brother; Merton H. Wilch of Topeka. He was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers; Cletus, Kyle, Harold and Veryl and a nephew; David Wilch. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Highland Park United Methodist Church where the family will receive friends one hour prior to service time. Burial will follow in Mount Hope Cemetery. Clarence will lie in state from 3:00-8:00 p.m. Tuesday at Penwell-Gabel Southeast Chapel, 2843 S.E. Minnesota Ave. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Highland Park United Methodist Church, 2914 S.E. Michigan Ave., Topeka, KS 66605 or to the Good Samaritan Fund at Aldersgate Village, 7220 SW Asbury Dr., Topeka, KS 66614.")
(Obituary of Ethelda Wilch: "Bertha “Ethelda” Wilch, 94, of Topeka, passed away on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at Aldersgate Village. She was born October 1, 1921 on a farm near Overbrook, KS, the daughter of James Edgar and Mary Ann Land. Ethelda graduated from Berryton High School in 1940. She was a housewife most of her early life until 1962 when she began work at Sears & Roebuck Co. In 1966, she began work for Wilch Manufacturing, Inc. as Secretary-Treasurer of the company. Her main duties included handling the payroll and paying all the bills. She worked there until she retired in 1986.
Ethelda was a long time member of Highland Park United Methodist Church, a 50-year member of the United Methodist Women and the Home Builders Sunday school class. She also held several offices in the Topeka chapter of Soroptimist International, a service organization for business and professional women. In 1978, she received the regional Soroptimist of the Year award for her service. Ethelda married Clarence Wilch on June 28, 1941 at her parents’ home in Osage County, KS. She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, her parents and her sister, Nadine Wilch.
Survivors include one daughter, Dr. Cheryl Jordan and her husband, Dr. James Jordan of Corvallis, OR, one son, Stanley J. Wilch and his wife, Susan of Berryton. Survivors also include, one niece, Joyce Kelly of Hutchinson and a nephew, Roger Wilch of Topeka. Ethelda enjoyed gardening and family activities. She was a devoted wife and helpmate to her husband and a dedicated and loving mother to her two children. Her family will dearly miss her. Ethelda will lie in state from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. Monday, June 20, 2016 at Penwell-Gabel Southeast Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at the Highland Park United Methodist Church where the family will receive friends from 9:00 a.m. until service time in the church parlor. Burial will follow in Mount Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Good Samaritan Fund at Aldersgate Village, 7220 SW Asbury Dr., Topeka, KS 66614 or to the Highland Park United Methodist Church, 2914 SE Michigan Ave., Topeka, KS 66605.")
