Gary Lee Sillett

Gary Lee Sillett, age 74, of Princeton, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, August 19, 2020, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Family will meet with friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at Dengel & Son Mortuary. Gary was born November 6, 1945, at Kansas City, Missouri, the son of James Ray and Mary Juanita (Chenoweth) Sillett. He grew up in California, moving in 1988 to rural Princeton. Gary enlisted in the United States Army from January 1963 to January 1969 serving in Korea. Gary was united in marriage to Ellen Kulesus November 10, 1967, at West Covina, California. They were happily married nearly 53 years and had two daughters. He was employed as a journeyman boilermaker for 15 years in a shipyard in Long Beach, California from the 1970s to 1980s. Gary was a sales clerk and did inventory control at Sears in Overland Park, Kansas in the early 1990s. In the mid-1990s, he worked in quality control at Mid America Aerospace in Ottawa, and in the late 1990s, Gary was a pressman at the Ottawa Herald, retiring in 2010. He was a member of the Kansas Oldtime Fiddlers, Pickers and Singers and was the M.C. and president of the Osawatomie Chapter. He was a life-member of the NRA. Gary enjoyed playing the guitar and violin, writing music, and whittling. He played in several bands and enjoyed Bluegrass, country, and old-time music. Gary was always involved in the life of his family and enjoyed the time they spent together. His grandchildren were his pride and joy. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Sillett and Mary Hartman, and brother, James Sillett. Survivors include his wife Ellen of the home; two daughters, Audrey (Larry) Lintner of Ottawa, and Karen Sillett (Jason Hormann) of Edgerton; three siblings, Richard Sillett of Huntington Beach, California, Ronald (Lynn) Sillett of Oregon City, Oregon, and Kay Lynne (Ronald) Wortham of Vancouver, Washington; and seven grandchildren, Jaden, Collin, and Landon Hormann; Brianna, Alex, and Tinley Sillett; and Tommy Lintner. Contributions for general expenses would be greatly appreciated by the family c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, 235 S. Hickory, Ottawa, Kansas 66067.