Ruth Ann (Smith) Kandt

Ruth Ann (Smith) Kandt, age 91, of Olathe KS, died Monday June 6, 2022 at the Cedar Lake Village in Olathe.

She was born on November 8, 1930 in Herington, Kansas, the daughter of Peter Paul and Osie Edista (Loughner) Smith. She grew up in the Herington area and graduated from Herington High School with the class of 1948.

Ruth met her husband Franklyn while they both worked at the drug store in Herington as "soda jerks". They were married on September 3, 1950 at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Herington. After marriage, they were at home in Manhattan for a short time while Franklyn attended Kansas State Agricultural College. They soon returned to Herington for work, Franklyn at the Bank of Herington and Ruth as a bookkeeper for Tatge Chemical Company. With the start of their family, Ruth became a full-time mother and homemaker.

In 1986, Ruth and Franklyn moved to Grand Island, Nebraska, where he took a job with the Farm Credit Bureau. Ruth worked at the local Hallmark store, and volunteered with the children's programs at Peace Lutheran Church. Franklyn retired in 1992, and they moved to Manhattan, KS. While in Manhattan, they were members of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church.

After Franklyn’s death in 2019, Ruth moved to assisted living facilities at Cedar Lakes Village in Olathe, KS to be near her daughter Kimberly.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband Franklyn, her parents, and seven of nine siblings: Ethel, Viola, Paul, Edgar, Edwin, Dorothy Jean, and Eugene.

She is survived by her sister: Betty Battles of Medford, Wisconsin; her children: Kevin Kandt (Valerie) of Omaha, Nebraska, and Kimberly Burdett (Charles) of Olathe, Kansas; her grandchildren: Arwen Ruth Lin (Jerry) of Chicago, Illinois, Lauren Jean Kandt of San Diego, California, Alyssa Ann Burdett of St. Paul, Minnesota, Christian Charles Burdett (Kelsey) of Norfolk, VA, and Michaela Marie Cox (Brady), of Olathe, Kansas; and her great-grandchildren: Naomi, Josiah, Johnny, Rhett, and Brooklynn.

The family will greet friends during a visitation from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 13, 2022 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 4801 Anderson Avenue in Manhattan. Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 AM Monday, June 13, at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan with the Rev. Michael J. Schmidt officiating. Graveside services will be held at 2:30 PM at the Sunset Hill Cemetery in Herington, Kansas.

Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church Building Fund. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502.