Aletha Churchman

Aletha Churchman passed away Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the age of 85. Aletha was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa on June 11, 1939. She graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Wichita, Kansas and attended Wichita State University. She worked as a secretary to the Chaplin at WSU and as a secretary at Goddard Schools. As a young mother, she delivered honey to grocery stores with her mother-in-law and repaired player pianos including the clown player piano at Joyland. Aletha worked at the Wichita Dairy Council and then retired after a long, successful career at Cessna Citation Marketing. Aletha was a talented artist and musician. She had a passion for painting and enjoyed painting southwestern scenes and animals. She also created stained glass artwork and was an excellent seamstress. She played the clarinet, piano, and organ and was an organist at St. Francis of Assisi parish. Aletha loved animals. She loved spending time with her family and friends and enjoyed traveling. She was a loving and caring daughter, mother, grandmother, and trusted friend. She was very social and loved being around people, attending family gatherings, and sharing coffee or lunch with friends. In her later years she was stricken with Alzheimer’s and began the long, hard journey and heartbreaking goodbye. We all loved her so very much and we hurt for her and missed her even before she was gone. She was a huge part of our lives that bonded us all together and brought so much joy to us all. A special thank you to Premier Living and Good Shepherd Hospice for their support and care. Aletha is preceded in death by her parents, John and Florence Buckles and her granddaughter, Janelle Churchman. She is survived by her sons, Mike Churchman, of Goddard, Kansas, John Churchman of Wichita, Kansas; daughter, Sheri (Hai) Pham of Wichita, Kansas; grandchildren, Matt (Kim) Churchman, Sterling Cokeley, Thomas (Marlaena) Pham, Marissa (Andrew) Kouns, Nicholas (Shiyao) Pham, Christopher (Alyssa) Pham, Stevie Churchman; and ten great-grandchildren. Graveside Service will be at 11:00 am, Friday, May 16, 2025, at Resurrection Cemetery, 1640 North Maize Road, Wichita, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established with: Kansas Humane Society, 3313 North Hillside, Wichita, Kansas 67219. Services in care of Downing & Lahey Mortuary - West Chapel.