Melvin Joseph Korphage

Mel was born in February 1947, in Wichita, Kansas, to Leonard and Matilda (Tilly) Korphage. He was the oldest of three boys, his brothers being Maurice (Shorty) and Kenneth (Kenny) Korphage. They were adventurous, hardworking, smart young men who loved to joke around with one another. That never changed. Even at his hospice bedside Mel’s brothers were joking with him, which was heartwarming to see.

Mel and his brothers found adventure every summer as they were sent to live with and help their grandmother on the farm, just outside of Olpe, Kansas. Mel’s greatest adventure (outside of raising a family with his wife, Patricia) was the summer he spent in Alaska during college in the late ‘60s. His cousin, Gesena, and her husband, Walt lived there and invited him for the summer. He did a wide variety of jobs while there, including logging. They’d fell the trees, prep them, and then float them down the lake. He had many stories from that time that he loved to share.

Mel’s Catholic faith was deeply personal and rooted in his upbringing. He attended St. Anthony’s grade school, and then Kapaun Catholic High School. Mel worked for the Jesuits to pay for his high school education. He ran cross-country and was a yell-leader for the Kapaun cheer squad. Mel attended college at Wichita State University (WSU) where he initially majored in Art but graduated with a degree in History. He worked three jobs at a time to put himself through school. Years later, while working full-time and raising three young daughters, Mel went on to complete a Masters of Business Administration from Baker University. Hard work, dedication, and a commitment to education and life-long learning were part of his character. Throughout his adult life and to the end he read voraciously, loved crossword puzzles, followed Wikipedia’s “This Day in History” and worked the NYT Wordle.

Mel met his future wife, Patricia Lafferty, at the WSU Neuman Catholic Campus Center. After dating for two years, they were engaged for another year while Patricia lived in Kansas City for an internship in Clinical Laboratory Science at KU Med. Mel moved to Kansas City after graduation and they were married in August of ’71. Mel and Pat recently celebrated 52 years of marriage. They shared their Faith; and being consciously considerate of one another was central to their marriage.

Mel and Pat had three daughters – Rebecca, Teresa, and Kathleen. It was a very busy household. They intentionally exposed the girls to all kinds of art, theater, dance, music, and folk and cultural festivals. Mel and Pat’s value in education extended to their daughters, all of whom have graduate degrees. They raised the girls to prioritize service to others, and to be independent and opinionated. In his final days one thing he kept saying was how proud he was of his daughters and the women they have become.

One of Mel’s college jobs was as a bank teller, which sparked a career in banking. He retired as a retail banking senior executive. His favorite part of the job was being a leader and mentor to the staff. He loved helping younger people see and believe in their talents, supporting their development and career growth. Decades later he still had former employees and colleagues reaching out, staying in touch, and grateful for his guidance, leadership, and friendship.

Retirement was difficult for Mel, particularly his final four to five years as his health declined and he was diagnosed with cancer. It was difficult because he was a doer, always making a list for the day to stay focused and centered on his goals. Illness limited what he could do, and in some ways that was harder to deal with than the cancer treatments. He was an artist, carpenter, loved to go fishing and spend time on yardwork and in his garden, a voracious reader, classic movie connoisseur, and history buff. Mostly he loved spending time with his family. Mel had a Servant Spirit. During his career in banking, he handled customers and employees kindly and often went out of his way to help strangers. He was a wonderful neighbor and friend, always willing to help with a need, quietly and without any fanfare.

Mel was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Matilda Korphage. He is survived by his wife, Patricia (Lafferty) Korphage, daughters Rebecca Korphage, Teresa Albright (Mike), Kathleen Williams (Jeff), grandsons Biko and Stokely Williams, brothers Maurice Korphage (Christine) and Kenneth Korphage, and many nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends. He is missed and will always be loved.

While flowers are lovely, should you want to send something, let it simply be a card. If you want to gift something, please donate to either:

Kansas City Hospice House: www.kchospice.org/donation

Fr. Kapaun’s Canonization: www.frkapaun.org