Obituary of Boyd Hauser

BOYD E. HAUSER A memorial celebration of life for Boyd Elton Hauser will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 21, 2017 at the Lamar United Methodist Church in Lamar, MO. Boyd died at home on Thursday, January 12, 2017 after a brief stay at the hospital. A visitation service will be held prior to the memorial service at the church starting at 10:00 a.m. There will be a lunch served at the church after the memorial service. The obituary may be viewed and condolences sent online at www.konantzwarden.com and donations may be made to the Lamar United Methodist Church. Boyd was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Wiley Hauser and Roger Hauser. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Wilma Jean (Teel) of the home, two sisters, Betty Bigbee of Springfield, MO and Pat Gordon of Springfield, MO. He is also survived by his five children, daughter Gwen DeSeure, Lamar, MO; son Gary and his wife Colleen, Knoxville, TN; daughter Sherry Bardezbain, Phoenix, AZ; son David and his wife Anne, Lenexa, KS; and daughter Teresa McGough and her husband Jeff, Acworth, GA. He also is survived by 12 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren and 2 additional great-grandchildren on the way. Boyd was born at the family farmhouse west of Sheldon, Missouri on February 27, 1927 to Lawrence Boyd and Anna (Purcell) Hauser. He was valedictorian of Sheldon High School in 1945 and left to serve in the Navy prior to his high school graduation. He served three years in the Navy post-World War II and got his Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education at Southwest Missouri State Teacher's College in 1954. He furthered his education with a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Kansas in 1957. Mr. Hauser started his career as an educator by teaching grades 1-8 in a one room school house in Prairie Center, west of Sheldon, MO prior to finishing college. In 1955, after moving to Kansas City, he taught at South Park Elementary and went on to become one of the first of two Junior High Counselors in the State of Kansas, working in that position at both Hocker Grove and Hillcrest Junior High Schools. In 1962, he became principal at Hillcrest Junior High. He then transferred to the North Kansas City School District and was Assistant Principal for 17 years (1963-1980) at Northgate Junior High and then Counselor at North Kansas City High School his final 10 years (1981-1990) before retiring in 1990. He bought the family farm in 1973 and fulfilled his lifelong love (besides Jean) for the family farm. He spent his summers and retirement years growing vegetables in numerous gardens, mowing grass, picking mushrooms, cutting brush, building fences, driving tractors and having fun. He delighted in his grandkids and made it to everyone of their high school graduations, not to mention many of their marriages, sporting events, school concerts, and too many birthday parties to count. Boyd was a Naval Veteran, lifetime member of the National Education Association (NEA), Phi Delta Kappa member, as well as member of the Retired Teachers Association and the Lamar United Methodist Church.