OVERBROOK, Kan. – Charlene Leonna Vawter, 75, passed away Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at Midland Hospice House, Topeka, Kan. She was born April 3, 1951, in Topeka, the daughter of Charles and Orean (Murphy) Price.
Charlene grew up in California and moved back to Topeka in her high school years, graduating from Topeka High School in 1968. She married and returned to California, living in the Los Angeles area for more than 30 years before returning to Kansas. She lived in Lyndon for a number of years before moving to Overbrook, Kan.
Charlene had worked as an RTO/PSR dispatcher and 911 operator for the Los Angeles Police Department for 27 years, and then became a dispatcher and finally a jailer for the Osage County Sheriff’s Office.
Charlene raised her family and enjoyed all of her grandchildren. She loved music, dancing, and animals.
Charlene was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Orean; brother, Michael James; and sister, Sharon James.
Charlene is survived by her two children, Leslie Allen, of Overbrook, and John Vawter, Virginia Beach, Va.; four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; and other relatives and friends.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 28, at Overbrook Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made to Helping Hands Humane Society, sent in care of Feltner Funeral Home, 818 Topeka Ave., Lyndon, KS 66451. Condolences can be left at feltnerfuneralhome.com.
