Earl Wathen
January 12, 2020
Earl Wathen, 88, Retired County Under Sherriff, died Sunday, January 12, 2020. Funeral Service will be at 1:00 pm, Friday, January 17, 2020, at Downing & Lahey East Mortuary. Preceded in death by his wife, Royce Gayle Wathen; parents, Earl, Sr. and Virginia Wathen; stepson, Timothy Blankenship. Survived by his daughter, Michelle Kingsbury of San Pedro, CA; son, E. L. “Tre” (Pamela) Wathen, III of Wichita; stepdaughter, Debbie Mertel; grandchildren, David Hernandez of Torrance, CA, Jessica (Ryan) Sherwood of Placerville, CA, Marina Blankenship of Sacramento, CA.
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I was on the WPD from 1962>1971 with Earl. Always the gentleman, solid officer and willing to help rookies like me. I left the department to go to ATF, went back numerous times to teach in academy and stayed in touch with Earl and the other “old-guys” at the weekly coffee meets when I was in Wichita. I will always value my time at the PD because of officers like Earl. We all look at what we have done at the end of the day and hope we made a difference for the better. I believe the same looking back at our lives. I think Earl and the other Police Officers will not have a problem with that.
Earl Wather was one of finest men I ever had the good fortune to know and work with. He was the most fastidious man I’ve ever known and was always willing to joke about his commitment to always looking as good as possible. He was just the kind of person you enjoyed being around. I am honored to have been able to call him my friend for 63 years.
I worked for Capt. and then Major Wathen first in Baker II and later on the Motor unit. I also attended a Bible study that Bob Eley lead. Earl was there as well. For me he was easy to work for, and I never saw anything but kindness from him. The last few times I ran into him were at Dillards Town-east. To the family I am very sorry for your loss.
Remembering you forever! Rest in peace my friend.
I want to say that Earl was a great person, and friend. I enjoyed visiting him and knowing he was once married to my dearest friend, Valeta, the mother of his son, Tre. Earl and Valeta remained great friends over the years. Earl was so proud of his accomplishments and his beautiful home. I would make sure he had a home-made dish, whenever I cooked extra food. I know he was loved, and Craig and I will miss Earl, our friend!
Please accept our deepest condolences for your family’s loss.