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Kathleen Margaret O'Neal



Kathleen Margaret O’Neal was born the middle child of John Henry and Artie Holmwood (Smith) Faber on October 13, 1931, on a farm north of Campbell, Nebraska. She was baptized June 1, 1932. When she was small, the family moved to a farm in Rawlins County, Kansas, where she grew up. She loved everything about the farm, especially “the smell of fresh turned earth and just plain getting dusty, dirty clear up to your elbows”.

She went to Pleasant View District 56 Rawlins County country school through 8th grade and then attended Colby Community High School, boarding in town with the Imhof family.


Kathleen married James Smith in 1950 and to this union were born Michael (Mike), Amy, and Nancy. They divorced.


She married Donald (Joe) O’Neal March 24, 1966. To this union were born Joseph (L.J.), Heidi and John B.


Family and friends were very dear to her. She enjoyed farming, square dancing, polkas, bowling, embroidery and crochet handiwork, crafts, musicals, yard work, gardening, and thinking outside the box to solve problems. She loved a good joke and was a bit of a prankster. She was also open to adventure-letting the kids hatch chicks, raise ducks, and even let John B build a half-pipe for skateboarding in the yard. Silly songs and sayings were frequently heard and of course plenty of snacks.


She started a tradition of having Mexican food at Christmas, followed by a treasure hunt and buckets of homemade cookies for everyone to take home. Another tradition she started was giving bear hugs to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren which were enjoyed up until her final days.


Going to church and Bible study were important to her. She had a strong faith and saw that her children were raised in the church also. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and LWML.


Her father was involved in the beginning of the Bird City Threshing Machine Show and the family has continued the legacy. Kathleen was Threshing Machine Show Queen in 2010.


Kathleen and husband Joe owned the J K Texaco gas station (first gas station on the interstate exit 54) and the North Village Laundromat. In addition, she sold Watkins products, was Post Master at the Levant post office and had other various employments in the community.


She is survived by three children, Nancy Arendt, L.J. (Melanie) O’Neal and Heidi (Greg) Haffner; daughter-in-law Mary Smith; seven grandchildren, Matt (Christina) Smith, Marcy (Randall) Neff, Kathleen Arendt, Lacy (Skyler) Brogan, Traci (Justin) Soukup, Alex (Carson) McKenna and Andrew Haffner; 15 great-grandchildren, and step-children Steve O’Neal and Michelle Walsh.


She was preceded in death by her parents; brother Jack; sister Dinah; husband Joe; sons, Mike and John B; infant daughter Amy; son-in-law Marlin Arendt; and grandson Christopher Arendt.


When asked an important lesson learned, she said “Don’t need everything this world seems to think we need to be happy. If we just would care about people and not “stuff” and know this is really not our home. We are just passing through. We’re caretakers for God’s creation.”


“See you around” with a circular motion was often her goodbye.


There will be a memorial service at 4:00 p.m. Monday, June 2, 2025, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Colby. Following the service the family will receive friends from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Colby American Legion with burial in the Faber Cemetery at 7:00 p.m. Memorials can be made to Hospice Services NWKS, Tri-State Antique Engine & Thresher Association, or Kenton Krehbiel Villa High Project and sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391,

Colby, KS 67701. For information or condolences visit baalmannmortuary.com


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