John A. Harper

John Alfred “Johnny” Harper, 91, of Frankfort, KS, passed away April 7, 2015 at the Frankfort Community Care Home. Visitation was Friday, April 10 from noon to 8 p.m. at Padden Funeral Chapel in Frankfort. A funeral service was held at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 11 at the First Presbyterian Church in Frankfort. Rev. Marilyn Sweet and Gary Phillips officiated. The musicians were Skip and Sally McMillen. Music included “Simple Gifts” and “His Eye is On the Sparrow”. The pallbearers were Dean Seematter, Adam Schooler, Jorey Schooler, Kevin Young, Duane Anderson and Bill Pennington. The honorary pallbearers were Skip and Sally McMillen, Verneil and Tracy Stewart, and Walt and Charlotte Zimmerling. Burial was in the Frankfort Cemetery. John was born December 11, 1923, on a farm west of Frankfort, the son of John Justin “Junk” and Marguerite (Morton) Harper. He attended a rural grade school near Frankfort and was graduated from Frankfort High School in 1941. After attending Kansas State University for one year, he enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corp in October 1942. He was stationed at Fort Worth, Texas, for one year and served two years in World War II in England, France, Germany, and Belgium, where he worked in ground crews for P-47 airplanes. John was married to Dorothy Bronaugh on September 9, 1945. She preceded him in death on September 29, 1970. On November 14, 1971, he married Bette Brun Dierking of Atchison, who preceded him in death on December 23, 2006. He had five children, Kay (Ron) Harper Gammon of Oak Harbor, Washington, Peggy Harper Seematter who preceded him in death on December 8, 1972, Janet (Mike) Harper Schooler, of Riley, Kansas, Drew (Joanne) Dierking of Lander, Wyoming, and Cathy (Jerry) Dierking Venters of Kansas City, Missouri. Following WWII, John worked for implement dealers in Manhattan and Marysville for six years before moving to Frankfort in 1951 and beginning his career as a farmer. He farmed west of Frankfort until 1982. Between 1983 and 1996, the Harpers spent their winters in Corpus Christi, Texas, and their summers in Frankfort, finally retiring full-time to Frankfort in 1996. John was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Frankfort, where he served as an elder and sang in the choir. He was a member of the American Legion and the VFW and served as a Master and held other offices in the Masonic Lodge. He enjoyed making contacts with people across the U.S. for many years as a ham radio operator. In addition to four children, John is survived by eleven grandchildren and twenty-five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his only sister, Marjorie Mabel Harper, of Belpre, Ohio, in 1997. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Frankfort Community Care Home, First Presbyterian Church in Frankfort or the Frankfort Public Library. Contributions may be sent in care of Padden Funeral Chapel. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John A. Harper, please visit our flower store.