Lorine Martin Kieler

Lorine Martin Kieler, 89, died Wednesday, November 20, 2019. Lorine Kieler was a Renaissance woman - knowledgeable, interested, and talented in many and varied areas of life. Lorine’s roots were in Owensboro, Kentucky, where she was born on March 4, 1930, reared, and resided for 18 years. Her life’s journey took her to many places and involved her in varied activities and relationships. She studied, taught, and/or was employed at Mt. Holyoke, Wooster College, Southwestern College, Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Friends University, Wichita State University, St. Mary’s of the Plains, Dodge City Community College, and Butler County Community College where she focused on the study of history and religion, languages and teaching. After following her United Methodist pastor husband to Kansas in 1958, she lived in Belle Plaine, Winfield, Wichita, Dodge City, El Dorado, and Augusta and returned to Wichita in 1992. In many ways she has been a citizen of the world. With her love of traveling, Lorine’s Journeys have taken her to more than 36 countries and almost every (if not all) states in the union. Her passions included the appreciation of other cultures, living an inclusive life, music, literature, beauty, and the arts as well as an enjoyment of nature. Lorine met her husband, Harold Kieler, on a blind date. After more than a year’s courtship they were married on December 18, 1954. Lorine chose the “Song of Ruth” to be sung at their wedding. Like in the song, which says “where you go I will go,” Lorine was faithful in following her itinerant United Methodist pastor husband around Kansas. She and Harold have three sons - Ben of Silver City, New Mexico; Bill in the Netherlands; and Paul (married to Janet) who resides in Denver, Colorado. Lorine was first and foremost mother to her family and a companion to her husband, but in 1978 Lorine began her second career - teaching French and Spanish. She taught high school for six years in El Dorado and then taught French for nine years with Butler County Community College. Lorine related to people with a spirit of openness and sensitivity. She had a spark for life, a great sense of humor, and was a friend to all - a person with a compassionate heart. She enjoyed being a teacher and served as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ in all things. She had a passion as a community and church volunteer, a love for nature, and was a conservationist and environmentalist. In several communities, she has served on the library Board of Trustees. In Dodge City she was Chair of the Board and led the planning for their new City Library. She loved to tutor children and especially enjoyed “tutoring” her own grandchildren (Alison, Michael, Naomi, Anika and Solomon) at the piano and in French. In church, her service included a time of presidency of the United Methodist Women. Lorine’s parents were Mary Gilmour and Benjamin C. Martin, now deceased. She had three siblings - Mary Martin Hoffman of Williamsburg, Virginia, and two who are now deceased - a brother, Ben Martin and a sister, Sarah Purdy. In addition to five living grandchildren, Lorine continued throughout her life to mourn the passing of her first grandchild, Benjamin Martin Kieler. In the final decade of her life, Lorine enjoyed life in the Larksfield Place Retirement Community. In the final few years when she resided in the Health Care Center she had warm feelings for all those who engaged in her personal care.While neither flowers or gifts are necessary, Harold would prefer a gift to the scholarship endowment Lorine established at Southwestern College in Winfield Kansas if you would like.  Such a gift can be made at  https://www.sckans.edu/makeagift Select the endowed scholarships and specify “Gilmour-Martin-Kieler /Foreign Language Scholarship Endowment” in the space provided. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, November 30, 2019, at First United Methodist Church. Downing & Lahey East Mortuary. Share tributes online at: www.dlwichita.com