Donald Eugene Tharp

Donald Eugene Tharp, 95 died Monday, October 1, 2024. Donald is survived by his son, Jim of Wichita; daughter, Peggy Rishel and son-in-law, Timothy Michael Flynn of Wichita. Preceded in death by his beloved wife, Shirley Kathleen (Schmidt) Tharp; parents, Loyd Edward and Gladys Virginia (Stout) Tharp; sisters, Louise Watson Bondie and Guyla Jo Usher Condit. Don was a kind and caring human being and will be deeply missed by those who knew him. Honoring Don's wishes, there will be a private graveside service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been set up with Home Health and Hospice of Kansas, 7607 E. Harry St., Wichita, KS 67207. Don was born in Sedan, Kansas, December 26, 1928. After turning 17, Don joined the Marine Corps and was assigned to serve in San Francisco. At the end of his service time, he was asked and agreed to enlist in the reserves for two years, due to global uncertainties after the ending of WWIl. Don met his wife Shirley while they both worked at Boeing, and he once said, "meeting Shirley was when my life really began." Don worked at Boeing for 35 years. After retiring, he committed much of his free time to genealogy research, setting up websites for counties in SE Kansas and in Nevada. The national coordinator for Genealogy Trails noted that Don had made "a huge contribution to the genealogy world." He "was a vial part of Genealogy Trails and his contributions to the websites he hosted were always very much appreciated." In addition, "he also helped out on many of our other websites even though he had no genealogical connection to them." Services in care of Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.