Byron Wayne Ulery

Byron Wayne Ulery of Olathe, KS, passed away quietly on October 17th surrounded by family. Byron was born in Manzanola, Colorado on August 4th, 1940 to Laurence and Fannie Ulery, the fifth of six boys. As a boy working alongside his family, he grew proud of his farming roots and had a great natural talent in agriculture. When it came time to decide upon a career, he chose to become a teacher of agriculture and received both his BS and his M.Ed. from Colorado State University. He accepted his first teaching position at New Raymer High School in New Raymer, Colorado in 1963. From there, he went on to teach vocational agriculture in Fowler, Kansas and Jetmore, Kansas, where he met and married the love of his life, Shirley Rae Bamberger. They then moved to Dodge City, Kansas where Byron was an instructor at Dodge City Community College.

After a couple of years, Byron decided to try his hand at going into private industry and was incredibly successful, beginning as a feed sales specialist for Farmland Industries in both Colby and Beloit, Kansas until 1979, when he became a Marketing Manager at Farmland Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. He was then recruited into Farmway Co-op, Inc. in Beloit, KS as a feed manufacturing manager in 1981 and worked his way up, retiring in 2002 as the CEO of Farmway Co-op, Inc. During his time as the CEO, he received many awards, including the Dreyer Award for Outstanding Cooperative Management, and served on numerous boards, committees, and councils. One of his most significant accomplishments was facilitating the organization of AgMark, a grain marketing LLC owned by Farmway Co-op. Family was always an incredibly important part of Byron’s life. Their first son, Kevin, came to them in 1973. After that, they had Darren in 1974, followed by Patrick in 1977, and Laurence Christie in 1986 (stillborn). Additionally, he became a father figure to many others. As a child himself in a family of all boys, he was right at home in raising his own family, and was an integral part of many of their activities, such as 4-H, Boy Scouts, church, school, and sports. In addition to his children, Byron also has six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. These grandchildren were a very important part of his life. He took every opportunity to attend the functions they were active in and to show support.

Byron never stopped being a teacher, passing along many of his passions about agriculture to his boys, and even coming out of retirement to consult for North Central Kansas Technical College in Beloit, Kansas. Although he was an exceptionally hard and loyal worker, he also knew how to have fun and loved to travel. He and Shirley went many places together, such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and numerous trips across the United States including his home state of Colorado. Family was always welcome to join them on their traveling adventures. Byron enjoyed his time volunteering at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop Farm after he moved to Olathe in 2010.

He passed away while on vacation with his family in Breckenridge and is survived by his wife of 46 years Shirley Ulery of Olathe, KS; son Kevin Ulery and wife Brenda Ulery of Ellsworth, KS; son Darren Ulery and wife Brandi Ulery of Olathe, KS; son Patrick Ulery and wife Heather Hastie-Ulery of Yakima, WA; brother Fred Ulery and partner Carol Brazner of Camarillo, CA; brother Ernest Ulery and wife Alice Ulery of Pueblo West, CO; brother Dale Ulery and wife Virginia Ulery of Odessa, TX; sister-in-law Myrna Ulery of Manassas, VA; sister-in-law Jean Ulery of Altoona, IA; brother-in-law Denny Bamberger and wife Betty Bamberger of Jetmore, KS; sister-in-law Linda Housman and husband Jim Housman of Jetmore, KS; brother-in-law Junior Bamberger and partner Dorothy Lockett of Coolidge, KS; brother-in-law Mike Bamberger and wife Vanessa Bamberger of Jetmore, KS; grandkids Whitney Craig and Fiancé Brandon Anderson, Lindsey Craig and partner Greg Tripp, Justin Craig, Brady Ulery, Anna Ulery and Shelby Ulery; great grandkids Ayden Blue and Blake Tripp; and many nieces and nephews and other loving family and friends. Byron is preceded in death by: infant son Laurence Christie Ulery, mother Fannie Ulery, father Laurence Ulery, brother Ronald Ulery, brother Norman Ulery, mother-in-law Thelma Bamberger, and father-in-law Chris Bamberger.