Donald "Don" Dean Stowell

Donald “Don” Dean Stowell, age 83, of Louisburg, Kansas, passed away on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas, surrounded by his loving family.

A visitation will be held from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm, Friday, May 3, 2024, at Louisburg United Methodist Church, 249 N. Metcalf Road, Louisburg, Kansas 66053. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:00 pm, Saturday, May 4, 2024, also at the church.

Don was born December 21, 1940, in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. He was the son of Elmer and Edna (Hartmann) Stowell. Don graduated from Boscobel High School in Boscobel, Wisconsin, with the class of 1958. Don had an opportunity to go to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, on a football scholarship, but chose to strike out on his own, leaving home at 17 years of age to work as a lineman with Alpha Construction Company. Soon after, a new opportunity arose in the telecommunications industry and Don joined K & B Contractors as a cable splicer. While working in Bennington, Kansas, Don stopped in for lunch at The Red Arrow Café meeting the waitress, Carolyn Baldock. It was love at first sight! The two were married June 17, 1962 in Lamar, Kansas. Don laughingly described Carolyn as “…his only vice”.

Working with K & B brought many adventures, meeting and making lifelong friends, and the opportunity to see much of the United States. One of Don and Carolyn’s first assignments was in Blythe, California. While in California, their first child, Donita “Doni”, was born in Fresno, in June of 1963. The 3 then traveled to many different states, moving from job to job with K & B. When the family was located in Lebanon, Missouri they welcomed their second daughter, Della, in November of 1965.

After 11 years with K & B Contractors, in 1972, Don was offered a position with MoKan Dial in Louisburg, Kansas. This was an exciting opportunity, as Don and Carolyn had been in Louisburg upgrading MoKan’s infrastructure years earlier, in 1963. This opportunity afforded a permanent location for the Stowell family. Don first worked as a lineman and central office technician. He eventually became the General Manager and retired from that position in 2003. Don served on the Board of Directors for both the Kansas and Missouri Independent Telephone Associations. Late in his career, this work led to the development of a cellular network in Kansas, Kansas Cellular, which eventually merged into what is now Verizon Wireless.

After planting their roots in Louisburg, Don and Carolyn took advantage of opportunities to become more involved in their hometown. Don was a member of the City Council, Louisburg Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Committee and a Trustee of the United Methodist Church. The Church was one of Don’s greatest passions and he was so pleased to have been a part of building the new Church that finished construction in 2007. Don was fondly thought of as the “lawn ranger” of the Church grounds.

Don loved sports! He enjoyed coaching his daughters’ softball teams and later watching them participate in high school sports. Don enjoyed watching those events and using his photography and videography skills to capture those moments. Don and Carolyn began keeping stats for the Louisburg High School football program around 1985. They must have done a fair job, as they could be seen on the sidelines under the Friday night lights for more than 25 years.

After Don’s retirement in 2003, he and Carolyn enjoyed traveling once again, only this time in their motor home! They traveled coast to coast, meeting up with good friends and family on many of their trips. While Don’s grandsons were in high school and college, weekends were spent on the road watching each grandson play football. Friday nights were dedicated to stats and watching Dalton’s Friday night football games. Then the family would load up into the RV and travel to the Big-12 Conference venue of the week to watch Mesa and the Jayhawks. This was a time that Don treasured!

Don is preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Edna Stowell; Carolyn’s parents, Wayne and Opal Baldock; His sister Betty Cook; Sister-in-law Jerri Stowell; Brother-in-law William (Bill) Baldock and his wife Ann Baldock; Sister-in-law Geraldine Flessner and Husband Del.

He is survived by his Wife of nearly 62 years, Carolyn Stowell; two daughters; Doni Stowell, and Della (Clark) Ribordy; three grandchildren, Mesa Ribordy, Dalton Ribordy (fiancé Maddie Olson) and Brook (Taylor) Thompson; two great grandchildren, Kaia and Kaden Thompson; and two brothers, Elmer “Duke” Stowell and Robert (Sue) Stowell; as well as many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made payable to Louisburg United Methodist Church Don Stowell Memorial Fund, c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, P.O. Box 669, Louisburg, Kansas 66053.