Eldon W. Dillingham

Eldon W. Dillingham

Eldon W. Dillingham, 71, McFarland, died Wednesday, October 11, 1989 at an Alma Nursing hime where he had been since March 1985.

Mr. Dillingham had been chief clerk to the agent of Rock Island Lines and had been with Rock Island 31 years before he retired.

He was born November 2, 1917 at Hoyt, the son of Carl and Grace Ross Dillingham. He spent most of his life in McFarland.

Mr. Dillingham was a member of the United Methodist Church in McFarland until the church was closed, then transferred his membership to the United Methodist Church in Paxico. He was a charter member of the McFarland Lions Club and served for several years as mayor of McFarland. He recieved the Community Bootstrap Award in 1972 from Rock Island Lines for community service.

He was married to Margaret Sackrider, April 27, 1939, in Wamego. She survives.

Other survivers[sic] include a daughter, Margaret Feyh, Alma; four sons, Jim Dillingham, Alma, Tom Dillingham and Edward Dillingham, both of McFarland, and Eldon C. Dillingham, Wamego; four brothers, Paul Dillingham, Alma, Roy Dillingham, McFarland, Donald Dillingham, Topeka, and Wendell Dillingham, Bellefonte, Pa.; a half brother, Glen Schulthess, Wichita; 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Saturday, October 14, at 11 a.m. at the Alma United Methodist Church, with Rev. Deborah Hanes-Nelson officiating. Interment followd at the McFarland Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers were his grandsons and grandsons-in-law, Darrin Dillingham, Ron Dillingham, Chris Dillingham, David Feyh, Ron Boeckman, and Vance Kelley.

Memorial contributions may be to the Alma Group Home of McFarland Senior Citizens in care of LaMar-Gentry Funeral Home in Alma.

From the Alma Signal-Enterprise
19 October 1989