Ileta Klecan

Ileta Klecan, 86, Hanover, died Saturday, October 23 at the Hanover Hospital. Visitation will be Tuesday, October 26, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Hanover Mortuary. Vigil Service is Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. at St. John’s Catholic Church in Hanover. Funeral Mass will be 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 27, at St. John’s Catholic Church. Father Joseph Kieffer will officiate. Pallbearers are Kody Tegtmeier, Kellan Tegtmeier, Blaine Bettencourt, Taylor Huettenmueller, Riley Vincent, Anthony Klecan, Colton Klecan and Carter Klecan. Burial will be in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery. Ileta Rose (Mathewson) Klecan was born January 31, 1935 to Albert and Hilda (Osterhaus) Mathewson in Baileyville, the youngest of 5 children. She attended Sacred Heart grade school and Baileyville High School where she was proud of her perfect attendance, never missing a day in her 12 years. Ileta enjoyed playing basketball and volleyball in high school. She grew up on a farm south of Baileyville where she enjoyed hunting rabbits and squirrels, milking cows, and spent every weekend with family, friends and neighbors playing cards. Ileta worked at the school cafeteria after graduation and helped raise her niece, Jane, when her sister, Irene, died in childbirth. She met Joseph Klecan at a wedding dance in Marysville and after months of dating, he proposed to her outside the Hanover liquor store during his brother, Orvill’s wedding. They were married October 30, 1956 and enjoyed just 1 week shy of 65 years together. They made their home at the Klecan family farm where they lived the rest of their life, raising their family of 5 girls, 2 boys, and many grandchildren. They worked sun-up to sun-down, raising animals, gardening, and farming. Their table was always full of the produce and meat that came directly from the farm. Ileta loved hosting and cooking for every family occasion where the kids and family gathered for any reason. She loved a full house and always said “the more the merrier”. Her motto during these gatherings was “eat it anyway”. We would just finish a meal and she was planning the next one. She was one of the original leaders of the Girl Scouts in Hanover and proudly continued that for many, many years. She coordinated Easter Egg Hunts, campouts, working on badges, selling poppies and Girl Scout cookies. When she was not transporting her children to accordion lessons, sports practices, and their jobs, she spent time as a St Johns Altar Society Circle Leader and was a member of the Legion Auxiliary for over 50 years. She started working at Ricky’s Café when their youngest son started in school, working there for 35 years as a waitress as well as catering many local events. No matter where we went, there was either a relative or a Ricky’s customer who knew or recognized her. Even in her last years in the nursing home, she continued to try to serve the other residents at lunch and asked the nurses what they would like from Ricky’s. She loved being a grandmother and loved sending food home with her kids when they came home for a visit. Her kids fondly remember making taffy, popcorn balls, hamburger buns, cookies, and she was the first to volunteer to take food whenever a neighbor or friend needed a pick-me-up. Ileta and Joe loved to work together, creating many wood-working projects such as picture frames, doll cradles, cedar chests, barns, sand shovel cranes, and wooden toys for friends and family members. Ileta also loved to make quilts for her grandchildren. Ileta was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Ray Mathewson and Marvin Mathewson, sisters Irene Schmitz and Dorothy Schmitz, one grandchild, Kaleigha Tegtmeier. Ileta is survived by her husband, Joseph, her seven children: Jeri Tegtmeier and husband Eugene (Hanover KS) , Teresa Van Sandt (Cypress Tx), Kate Bettencourt and husband John (Wamego KS) , Linda Huettenmueller and husband Ron (Garnett KS), Donna Vincent and husband Cory (Spring, TX) , Larry Klecan and wife Shana (Wamego KS), and Steve Klecan and wife Jen (Olathe KS), 18 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A memorial fund to be designated later. Contributions may be sent in care of the Hanover Mortuary. Funeral video for Ileta Klecan To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ileta Klecan, please visit our flower store.