Orville Burtis

Orville Brown Burtis, Jr., 93, of Lenexa, Kansas, died on January 8, 2012, at his residence in the Lakeview Village Care Center, of natural causes.

Born November 24, 1918, in Clay Center, Kansas, to Orville Brown and Gertrude Elisabeth Harling Burtis, Sr., Orville graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1941. He served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946, first as an instructor in the Washington, D.C. area, and then as a member of the Army Veterinary Corps in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations.

In September of 1947, Orville was employed by Davis-Noland-Merrill Grain Company of Kansas City, MO, later renamed the Z Bar Cattle Company, as a ranch manager. He eventually became President and General Manager of the company and served in that capacity until its dissolution in 1986. He spent his retirement years farming and breeding Barzona cattle in Johnson County, Kansas, playing cowboy polo, and traveling. Orville married Edith Ruth Robbins on November 12, 1950, in Kansas City, Missouri. They eventually settled in Johnson County, Kansas, where they enjoyed 53 years of marriage.

Orville was a member of the Kansas Livestock Association from 1948 until his death, and was recognized as a 60-year member of that association in 2008. He was a Lifetime Member of the Kansas State University Alumni Association and a regular supporter of the university. He and Edith were long-time members of the Lenexa United Methodist Church, which he served in a variety of leadership roles. In his retirement years, he was a member of Rotary International.

Orville is survived by his sisters Cornelia Burtis Davis of Cedar Falls, Iowa and Karen Burtis Butler and husband James of Valentine, Nebraska; his sons David Robbins Burtis and wife Rae Jean of St. Joseph, Missouri, and John Orville Burtis and wife Kris of Waterloo, Iowa; his daughters Helen Edith Burtis and husband Michael of Gilbert, Arizona, and Trudy Elisabeth Burtis and partner Claudia of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: David, Eric, Rachel, James, April, Walter, Alyssa, and Jonathan; 11 great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Orville was predeceased by two brothers, John Walter and David Harling Burtis, his parents, Orville and Gertrude Burtis, Sr, and his wife, Edith Burtis.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the Lenexa United Methodist Church, 9138 Caenen Lake Road, Lenexa, Kansas 66215.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in the name of Orville B. Burtis, Jr., to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.