John B. Wooley

John B. Wooley, age 92, died February 15, 2019 (of natural causes).  He was born July 13, 1926 in Wichita to Ernest G. and Ella Lee (King) Wooley. He was preceded in death by his oldest sibling, Norma Jean (Wooley) Brookens, her husband, Roy B. Brookens, and his younger sister, Sylvia C. (Wooley) Wege.  John’s wife Colleen Lee (Schreffler) Wooley, died January 22, 2013.  Colleen was the love of John’s life. John is survived by one sibling, a sister, Mary Warene (Wooley) Testerman, her husband Dr. Leroy Neal Testerman of West Hartford, Connecticut, and a brother- in- law Maynard J. Wege of Seattle, Washington.  John is also survived by 5 nephews and 5 nieces all of whom live out of state. John’s parents were southerners, father from Arkansas and mother from Mississippi.  From 1931 to 1942, John, his parents and 3 sisters lived in Arkansas where they were sharecroppers - cotton farmers. John made his first dollar in one day by picking 200 pounds of cotton by hand at 50 cents per hundred, at age 13. In 1942 John and his family moved back to Wichita.  John graduated from Wichita High School East in 1944 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday.  About a month later he went to boot camp at Camp Benion, Farragut, Idaho.  Later he was transferred to Torpedo School in San Diego, California and then transferred to a naval base in California from which he was shipped overseas to Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. Due to his father’s ill health from midlife until his death, John’s family was economically stressed most of the children’s early years.  Nevertheless his parents educated their children to be honest, dependable and loyal to their friends and each other so that they all did well in school and life.  They were wonderful, loving parents and his mother in particular was “the rock” of the family and never ceased to work for her family and the children’s benefit. In June 1945 John was assigned to the USS Smith, a destroyer and was a crewmember during the height of the Japanese Kamikaze attacks until the end of the war. There were days when he did not expect to ever come home alive.    Then he was transferred to Guam, Marianas Islands until November, 1946.  From there he was transferred back to the US and served on the USS Armmon and the USS Duncan (both destroyers) and later on the USS Prairie, a Destroyer tender.  John was honorably discharged in San Diego CA on his 21st birthday and came directly home to Wichita and his family.  He worked for Dillion grocery store for almost two years and worked at the Boeing Airplane Company for a short time before enrolling in Wichita University.  After 3 years at WU he went to Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kansas.  He graduated from Washburn Law School in February 1956 and passed the state Bar Exam the same month.  John came directly back home to Wichita and started practicing law with the firm of McClellan, Michaud, and Robbins.  In December, 1958 John joined the county attorney staff under Warner Moore and in Jan 1959 under Keith Sanborn, then the newly elected County Attorney.  John served there until November 1961 when he left to office with Lee Meador and Otto Koerner in the Bitting Building.  In 1965 John and Marvin J. Martin formed a partnership and practiced law in their own building on the Southeast corner of Central and Market streets. On June 2, 1969 John was sworn into office as the one of the first two Federal Magistrate Judges in the District of Kansas.   Sworn in the same day in Kansas City, Kansas was Robert Miller from Paola, Kansas.  Miller, now deceased, was appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court by Governor Robert Bennett.  Miller later became Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. John served 24 years and 4 months as Federal Magistrate Judge in Wichita and retired Oct 1, 1993.  He and his wife, Colleen spent the next 14 -15 golden years in Wichita.  They enjoyed traveling, mostly in the western United States.  Colleen became ill with Alzheimer’s in 2006-2007 and her health gradually declined until her death in January 2013, shortly after her 82nd birthday. John attended ROTC at Wichita University.  In May 1952 John received a 2ND lieutenant’s commission.   He immediately joined the U.S. Army Reserve, 89th Division, in Wichita and retired as a full Colonel in 1986. For approximately the last 20 years of his reserve career he served as the Staff Judge Advocate (Chief Legal Officer) on the Special Staff of the several Commanding Generals of the division. Visitation will be at 10:00 am, Funeral Service will be at 11:00 am, Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at Downing & Lahey East Mortuary. Donations, in memory of John and Colleen made to the Alzheimer’s Association are encouraged.  Interment will be at the Old Mission mausoleum next to his beloved wife, Colleen.