Duane Rieke

FAMILY WILL BE GREETING FAMILY & FRIENDS AT FUNERAL HOME FRIDAY, MAY 15 FROM 5:00pm TO 7:00pm

Duane Lee Rieke was born November 10, 1927 to George Alfred & Maude (Childs) Rieke on the farm that his great-grandfather Gaylord Childs homesteaded in Republic County.  He attended Liberty Center School and then attended and graduated from Chester High School, graduating in 1945. Duane grew up working on the family farm, peaking his interest in soil service. Upon graduation Duane proudly served in The United States Army Air Corps and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan.  When Duane returned to the states he attended Kansas State University, graduating in 1953 with a degree in Agronomy. Duane married Marilyn Baumfalk December 22, 1957 in Beatrice, Nebraska. He spent much of his life working as a soil scientist for the USDA Soil Conservation Services, taking him and his family around Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas before finally settling back home in Belleville, KS. Duane was a man of deep faith, ever prayerful and in love with the word of the Lord.  His church family meant much to him. An avid sports fan, Duane loved cheering on his beloved K-State Wildcats and Kansas City Royals, in person or watching on TV.  He also proudly sported a Republic County Buffs hat when he went out.  Duane is preceded in death by his parents George and Maude Childs Rieke, brother Keith Rieke, sisters Esther Moxham (Dale), Eleanor Navis (Bill Sr.), and Marjorie Dugger (Victor).  Surviving Duane are his wife Marilyn of the home, brother Zachariah (Gail) of Santa Fe, NM, daughters, Lora of Belleville, KS, Ann Leabo (Chad) of Kansas City, MO, and sons Dan (Kate) of Lenexa, KS, and Daryl (Kay) of Belleville, KS.  Duane also leaves behind six favorite grandchildren, Grace, Daniel, Sarah, Sophia, Jack, and Olivia as well as numerous nieces and nephews and other family members across the nation.

Funeral services will be held 10:00 am, Saturday, May 16, 2015 at the American Lutheran Church, Belleville, Kansas with the Reverend Thomas Kamprath officiating. Interment will be in the Chester City Cemetery, Chester, Nebraska. Visitation will be held Friday 9:00am to 8:00pm with family greeting family and friends from 5pm to 7pm at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to The American Lutheran Church in Belleville, KS or The Belleville, KS Public Library. Tibbetts-Fischer Funeral Home, Belleville assisted the Rieke family with these arrangements.