Kenneth Dale Kiser Jr.

1964 - 2019

It was a warm summer’s day back on Saturday, August 1, 1964 when parents Carlene Ray and Ken Kiser welcomed their first child into their home in Harper, Kansas. The child was immediately called by his first two initials so not to confuse just who Ms. Carlene was correcting at any given point in time! K.D. grew up in Harper attending Harper Schools and graduated from Chaparral High School in 1982. K.D. considered himself blessed at an early age, as he found a profession he truly loved, and started work at the Harper Advocate in the summer of 1978. Upon high school graduation, he began full time work at the newspaper office and took on the role of sports editor and photographer for more years than he cared to admit. Ken fell in love and married Sherri Ann Wager on June 1, 1985 in Abilene, Kansas. They made their home in Harper and to this union two beautiful daughters were brought into the world; Alyssa Ann on July 20, 1987 and Jennifer Nicole on February 7, 1991. Jennifer received a phone call as close to her actual birth time as possible annually because Dad found it special, she was born at 2:07 on 02/07. Both daughters attended and graduated from Harper Schools and Chaparral High School. Ken and Sherri acquired The Wakita Herald in 1991 from Miriam Draper and after splitting his work time between the newspaper and a printing facility in Anthony, Kansas; Ken made the leap of faith into the full time newspaper endeavor. After several business building years, Ken and Sherri acquired the Medford and Pond Creek newspapers. Ken put the papers of Grant County into a single edition beginning in January of 2016. Throughout their married life, Ken and Sherri traveled with their children; the first trip was a wedding anniversary to Hawaii with then three year old Alyssa. Once they landed, Sherri explained her sickness during the flight as Miss Jennifer would be arriving about eight months later. Asked why she didn’t spill the good news earlier – Sherri responded with her famed red-headed wit, “Would we be here in Hawaii right now if I would have?” That trip lead to numerous others back to the island of Kauai as well as several trips to Disney World. Ken and Sherri made their first solo trip to Hawaii on their 25th wedding anniversary. Their final trip together was to Paradise Island in the Bahamas in May of 2013. The small Kiser family was proud that in November 2012, Alyssa was united in marriage and Ken and Sherri added a son to their family, Brice Lytle. We could not have been blessed with a better young man for their daughter. The Kiser family world fell apart with the unimaginable cancer diagnosis Sherri received in June of 2013. Sherri passed from this world in Ken’s arms in November 2013 at the age of 49 after finding out she and Ken would be grandparents shortly into 2014. God’s gift to the small Kiser family arrived in the form of a baby boy on Easter Sunday, April 20th. A Second Chance: Life for Ken changed substantially when he fell in love with Valerie Kay (Messer) Dell, and what a whirlwind! Being a little on the quiet and reserved side, God blessed him with his polar opposite, in the form of the outgoing Ms. Dell. Neither Ken nor Val had an explanation as to how their relationship came to be – Ken felt she was a special gift from Heaven. Ken and Val were united in marriage on April 5, 2019. Ken and Val were all about making certain her boys college educations would be paid for and put off their wedding several years for that precise reason. The couple had vacations to both Hawaii and Jamaica. After receiving his own cancer diagnosis in 2017, Val faithfully stood by his side, as his health diminished. She was instrumental in his continued existence. The couple put tens of thousands of miles on a vehicle making the doctors’ appointments as Ken fought hard to stay in her life and fulfill the promises he had made to his children and lovely new bride. Ken was preceded in death by wife, Sherri Ann; and a host of wonderful friends he had made over the years and adopted as members of his extended family through owning and operating newspapers in several communities. Surviving is wife, Valerie Kiser of Medford, Oklahoma; daughter, Alyssa, son-in-law, Brice and grandchildren, Rhett and Everly Lytle of Garden Plain, Kansas; daughter, Jennifer Kiser of Pullman, Washington; step-sons, Clay Dell of Stillwater, Ok and Dexter and Dustin Dell of Medford, OK; his mother, Carlene Taylor of Abilene, KS; and sister, Kristine Kiser-Barrett also of Abilene, KS. He is also survived by his late wife’s mother and father, Dee and LouAnn Wager of Goddard, KS and mother-in-law, Pauletta Messer; and a host of extended family members, nieces and nephews. Graveside service is 10:00 am Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Visitation will be held one hour prior at the mortuary. On a truly personal note, whatever the date that goes down in the books as Ken’s passing, one thing is for certain – that date will mark the first day tears were not shed for the loss of Sherri Ann; it will mark the first day tears were not shed for the amazing love of his wife, Valerie.