Opal I Konkel

Opal Irene Konkel, “Opal”, “Grandma”, “Granny O” passed away Monday, January 11, 2016, at the age of 80. Opal was born to Emmett and Trella Hemphill on March 8, 1935 in Byers, Kansas. She was the eighth of ten children. Growing up, Opal helped take care of her younger siblings. She enjoyed all outdoor activities and always did her best to keep up with the boys. As a teenager, she played on a traveling softball team for many years and later became an avid bowler. She graduated from Byers High School in 1954 and began working at Duckwalls. On March 4, 1956, she married Eddie Konkel of Haviland. In 1958, she began working at Alco, where she was for 40 years before retiring in 1998. After retiring she continued to work in the kitchen and volunteered in the home economics department at Skyline for several years. She loved to cook, sew, crochet and make crafts. Opal enjoyed the outdoors and was always looking for a chance to go fishing. Her top priority was taking care of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren as well as a few others over the years. Her favorite pastime was cheering for the KU basketball team, KC Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs. She is survived by: daughters, Trella Roland and husband Dan of Park City, Brenda Meyers and husband Brent of Lawrence; son, Daniel Konkel of Pratt; seven grandchildren, Matthew Roland of Wichita, Kirby Johnson and fiancé Marshall Clark of Albany, New York, Austin Meyers and Adam Meyers both of Lawrence, Amanda Looney and husband Michael, Dedra Truhlar and husband Richard Rawson, and Cara Konkel, all of Pratt; four great-grandchildren, Krista and Carrie Looney, Wyatt Konkel and Ray Rawson; brother Loren Hemphill and wife Marge of Plainville. Opal was a loving wife, mother, grandma and great-grandmother and will truly be missed. She is preceded in death by: her parents; husband, Eddie Konkel; daughter, Teresa Ann Konkel; sisters, Mary Ann Hemphill and Francis Briggs; brothers, Clyde, Clifford, James, Lowell, Raymond and Eldon Hemphill. Visitation with the family present will be held from 6 to 8 pm. Thursday, January 14, at Ayres-Calbeck Mortuary, Pratt. Funeral service will be held at 11 am Friday, January 15, at the Iuka Methodist Church with Pastor Susan Innes presiding. Interment will follow in Iuka Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Eddie and Opal Konkel Memorial Fund for a park bench for Lemon Park in their memory in care of Ayres-Calbeck Mortuary, 115 East 4th Street, Pratt, Kansas 67124.