LYONS, Kan. – Arlene Winifred (Bunker) White, 86, passed away Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at Hutchinson, Kan. Arlene was born Feb. 11, 1936, at Dorrance, Kan., to Thomas and Frances Bunker.
She was raised on the family farm between Dorrance and Wilson, Kan. She attended school at Dorrance, and graduated as valedictorian of the Dorrance High School class of 1954.
During her high school years, she met Albert Leon White, who had been recruited to play football for nearby Bunker Hill High School. They were married on May 27, 1954, and shared 38 years of marriage, until Leon passed away in 1992. They had three children, Sue Jean, Wayne and Sheryl.
The young family lived in Liberal, Kan., Guymon, Okla., and Amarillo, Texas, as Leon established his career in the freight business, working for Navajo and then Transcon truck lines. Offered a job with Graves Truck Line, the family moved to McPherson, Kan., where they lived for many years. Arlene worked as the office manager at Graves and Navajo, gaining her experience in the freight business. Arlene and Leon purchased Alexander Truck Line, Lyons, Kan., which they operated for more than 12 years. Arlene later became the executive director of the Lyons Housing Authority, from where she retired.
Arlene continued to live independently in Lyons, until her recent move to an assisted living facility in Hutchison, Kan.
Arlene was the best mom in the world, and her children were the pride of her life. She always supported them in everything they did; and they could always count on her help in times of trouble. She always enjoyed when her family got together, especially at Christmas.
Arlene was a devoted Christian who loved and trusted in God, and she was a member of Lyons United Methodist Church, at Lyons. She especially enjoyed her Bon Ami Sunday school class, and studying the Bible.
She and Leon enjoyed fishing together, spending many days on Wilson Lake and Kanopolis Lake and other Kansas Lakes. She liked to talk about their trip to Lake Texoma, where they caught many stripers. In earlier years, she was a dedicated go-kart mom, attending practically every race that her husband competed in throughout the central U.S., although she didn’t particularly enjoy camping all weekend in the dirty, dusty, noisy pits of the go-kart races.
Her hobbies included quilting, sewing, gardening, genealogy and mapping cemeteries. She was the No. 1 fan and reader of Osage County News.
She had served on the boards of Rice County Historical Society and the Lyons Housing Authority, and was treasurer of her Sunday school class during the years she attended.
Arlene was preceded in death by her husband, Leon; her parents; and a brother, Kenneth Bunker.
Surviving are her children and their spouses, Sue Jean White and Robert Connor, Bellaire, Texas, Wayne White and Jan Williams, Scranton, Kan., and Sheryl and Darin Clifford, Hutchinson, Kan.; brothers, Keith Bunker (Nancy), Las Vegas, Nev., and Lynn Bunker, Houston, Texas; sister-in-law Claryce Bunker, Salina, Kan.; and grandsons, Jimmy Clifford, Lenexa, Kan., and Andy Clifford, Hutchinson. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, and former sister-in-law, Pat Plumhoff, Coweta, Okla.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Monday, July 18, at the First United Methodist Church, 101 S. Pioneer St., Lyons. Burial will follow at 2 p.m. at the Dorrance City Cemetery, Dorrance. Visitation will be 4-6 p.m. Sunday, July 17, at Birzer Funeral Home, Lyons, with family present.
The family suggests memorial contributions to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014, or memorials can be sent in care of Birzer Funeral Home, 214 West Ave. South, Lyons, KS 67554. Condolences can be left at birzerfuneralhomes.com.
