Herbert Wells Mentzer (1900–1977)
Early Life and Family
Herbert Wells Mentzer was born on July 20, 1900, on a farm northwest of Yates Center in Woodson County, Kansas. He was the son of Charles O. Mentzer and Minnie Wells Mentzer, and one of several children raised in a family that valued hard work and education.
By 1905, the family was living in Neosho Falls, Kansas, where four-year-old Herbert appeared in the Kansas State Census. The 1910 census found the Mentzers farming in Liberty Township, Coffey County, and by 1915 Herbert was enrolled in Rosemund School District No. 9, a small rural school typical of early 20th-century Kansas. He later attended Neosho Falls High School, where he completed his education before entering the workforce.
Early Adulthood and World War I Era
Like most young men of his generation, Herbert registered for the military draft on September 12, 1918, in Woodson County during the final months of World War I. Although there is no record that he served in the war, his draft registration reflects the national mobilization of young men his age at the time.
In 1920, nineteen-year-old Herbert was still living with his parents in Everett Township, Woodson County, helping with farm work. During these years, he likely gained the mechanical skills that would later serve him well in railroad work.
Marriage and Family Life
Herbert married Ruth Shirley Kitterman on September 17, 1928, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ruth, a native of Coffey County, Kansas, was born on February 6, 1906, and had attended Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia before teaching in local schools.
The young couple began their married life in Oklahoma City, where Herbert worked as a locomotive fireman and engaged in real estate. Their first child, Janice Joy, was born on June 11, 1929, followed by a son, Billie R. Mentzer, around 1932.
The 1930 census shows the family comfortably settled in Oklahoma City. Newspaper accounts from the period describe Herbert as a hardworking man involved in community life and devoted to his growing family.
Railroad Career and Moves
By the mid-1930s, Herbert was working as a fireman and later an engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad, one of the largest and most influential rail lines in the American Midwest. In 1934, the family relocated to a farm near Talala in Rogers County, Oklahoma, where a local newspaper noted that Herbert “wanted to keep up with the news in northern Rogers and Nowata counties.”
The Mentzers remained in Oklahoma for several years before moving to Shawnee, Pottawatomie County, where Herbert continued his railroad career. The 1940 census lists him as a locomotive fireman with Ruth managing the household and caring for their children, Joy and Billie.
Tragedy struck the family when their young son Billie died around 1940, at only eight years of age. The loss profoundly affected Herbert and Ruth, who leaned on their faith and family for strength.
Return to Kansas and Later Years
During the 1940s, Herbert and Ruth returned to Coffey County, Kansas, settling on a farm east of LeRoy. He registered for the World War II draft in 1942, as required for men his age. Herbert became active in community life, joining the Tuscan Lodge No. 82 of the Masons in Neosho Falls and later the LeRoy United Methodist Church.
In later years, Herbert transitioned from farming to a second career as a real estate broker, continuing to work well into the 1970s. Friends and family remembered him as industrious and fair-minded—a man who valued both his work and his community connections.
He frequently attended family gatherings and funerals, reflecting the close-knit nature of the Mentzer and Wells families. His name appeared often in local newspapers of Yates Center, LeRoy, and Iola, noting his visits, business dealings, and community involvement.
Death and Legacy
Herbert passed away on March 25, 1977, at the Allen County Hospital in Iola, Kansas, at the age of 76. His obituary described him as a retired farmer and real estate salesman, a member of the Tuscan Lodge, and a faithful member of the LeRoy United Methodist Church.
Survivors included his wife, Ruth, their daughter Janice Joy (Mrs. Edward Strawder) of LeRoy, a brother Leslie Mentzer of Neosho Falls, and sisters Pauline Briles of Emporia and Gladys Green of Newton, along with five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was laid to rest in the LeRoy Cemetery, Coffey County, Kansas.
Ruth survived him by only a few months, passing away on August 1, 1977, at Sterling Heights Manor in Iola. She, too, was buried at LeRoy Cemetery beside Herbert and their son Billie.
Historical Context
Herbert’s life spanned a transformative period in American history. Born at the dawn of the 20th century, he grew up during a time when Kansas and Oklahoma were defined by rural life, steam locomotives, and the steady march of modernization. His career with the Santa Fe Railroad connected him to a vital industry that powered American growth, linking small-town Kansas to the wider world.
He weathered the Great Depression, World War II, and the postwar boom, adapting from farming to business and embodying the resilience typical of Midwestern families of his generation. His membership in local civic and fraternal organizations—particularly the Masons and the Methodist Church—reflected his deep roots in community and faith.
Today, Herbert Wells Mentzer is remembered not just as a farmer and railroader but as part of a family whose history mirrors the broader story of rural Kansas life through much of the 20th century.