Leo John Van Hole

OBITUARY: Leo John Van Hole
Leo John Van Hole, 95, died of Mesothelioma on October 2, 2011 at Midland Hospice House in Topeka, Kansas. He was born on July 26, 1916 as the eighth child of Remi and Daisy Van Hole on a farm west of St. Marys, Kansas. The family which eventually consisted of ten children lived on several farms around St. Marys and later near Valley Falls, Kansas.
As the family stories say and the history books confirm, life in rural Kansas during the 1920's and early 1930's consisted of hard physical labor, harsh summers and winters, and sparse incomes. John (the name he preferred) never forgot what it was like to be poor and spent his life protecting his own family from such a fate.
John attended Catholic and public schools. Some were even the proverbial one-room country schools which according to him were always at least five miles from home. He attended Valley Falls High School where he met his future bride Mary Alice Huber.
After high school John and Mary married in the midst of the Great Depression with what must have been a deep trust that the future would get better. They started married life with nothing more than their wedding vows. The marriage lasted over seventy-seven years.
John got a job with the Santa Fe Railroad which involved helping rebuild steam locomotives. Diesel locomotives replaced steam engines in 1949 and John had to find other employment. He purchased a service station business in the Oakland neighborhood of Topeka where his family lived at the time. He and Mary ran this successful business for 12 years. It enabled them to put their daughter and son through college. The work was not easy, but John and Mary had many fond memories of that time in their lives. They closed the business the same week that their son graduated from college –"Mission accomplished." John got rehired by the Santa Fe as a machinist and worked there until he retired in 1981.
John and Mary had a long and enjoyable retirement. Early on they enjoyed dancing and traveling. They played golf with the Santa Fe retirees for many years. John played gold until he was 92 years old. He also regularly exercised at the North Topeka YMCA until his final illness overcame him. He had many friends at the YMCA whom he enjoyed being with every week.
As with everyone there was some sadness in John's life. Only a sister Helen, of Grand Junction, Colorado remains of all of John's siblings. The others were Frank, Remi, Larry, Phil, Jean, Lucille, Rebecca, and Marie. A granddaughter, Carol Van Hole, also preceded him. And finally, Mary his wife of so many years continues to endure a downhill path with Alzheimer's disease.
John leaves three loving granddaughters, Stephanie Ball, Suzanne Ball, and Diane Van Hole. He also leaves two people who owe him their existence and to whom he gave a lifetime of love and support. He was our Dad.
Ruth Ball and Steve Van Hole.
John was cremated. A gathering of friends is planned from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Saturday October 8th at Penwell-Gabel Family Center, 1940 NW Central Avenue, Topeka. Memorial donation may be sent to the Kuehne-Thomas Branch YMCA, 1936 NW Tyler, Topeka, KS 66608.