Phyllis Elaine (Nelson) Hearn

Phyllis Elaine Hearn, 86, of Winfield passed away Sunday, November 1, 2020 at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita.

Funeral services will be held at 10 AM Friday, November 6, 2020 at the Shelley Family Funeral Home of Winfield. Interment will follow at the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery. A time of visitation will be held from 6-8 PM Thursday, November 5 at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Winfield Arts and Humanities Council, and the Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter 138, contributions may be left in care of the funeral home. Masks and social distancing will be required for service attendees.

Phyllis Elaine Hearn was born May 17, 1934 the daughter of Russell J. and Hilda (Stephens) Nelson, in rural Winfield. She attended Tannehill rural grade school and graduated from Winfield High School in 1952.

She began her career at age 14 working at Kerr’s Department Store where she remained throughout high school. She was awarded a piano scholarship to Southwestern College and at that same time began working at Smith-Moon Steel as secretary to both Mr. Smith and Mr. Moon. Because of financial constraints she left college and began working at the Boeing Company in order to earn enough to return to school, which she did the next year.

In 1955 she married Jamie Wampler and they later divorced. Her employment continued when she was hired to become office manager at the Lutheran Children’s Home and remained there until her husband was transferred to Miami, OK.

After returning to Kansas, she returned to Boeing where she remained until she was hired as personal secretary to Charles Koch of Koch Industries, Inc. In 1975 she married LTC Norman Hearn, and at that time the family moved to Panama City, FL where her husband was stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base. She was a very active volunteer for the American Red Cross on base as well as the Officers Wives’ Club.

Upon returning to Winfield in 1977, she worked for a time at the Snyder Clinic until she was hired by Cessna Aircraft at Strother Field where she did aircraft licensing and weight and balance calculations for all single engine aircraft manufactured there. In 1987 she began work as executive assistant at First Community Federal Saving and Loan in Winfield. After the institution sold, she began working as a personal assistant to the John F. King and Mack S. Summers’ families and continued there until their deaths. Since that was a part-time position, she also worked as a program director at Winfield Arts and Humanities. She worked for the Marion P. Mathews family as a personal assistant and continued in that capacity until 2019.

She was a very active volunteer in Winfield and played viola in the Winfield Regional Symphony for over 20 years.

Surviving is her sister, Mary Ellen Woods of Winfield, sons Mark (Dorothy) Wampler of Mesa, AZ; Michael (Francie) Wampler of Georgetown, TX; daughter Marcia (Kevin) Duggins of Lees Summit, MO; stepdaughters Jill (Kim) Hanson and Joanna (Terry) Perensovich of Sitka, AK; grandchildren: Leah (Charles) Velz of Winfield, Megan (Stephen) Belisle of Wichita, Lindsay Wampler of Mesa, AZ, Laura Wampler of Tulsa, OK, Brandon Wampler of Kansas City, MO, Tyler Duggins of Lees Summit, MO; step-grandchildren: Tristan (Angela) Hanson of Buda, TX, Briane Hanson of Amsterdam, Austin (Kairee) Eastman of Rose Hill, KS, and Sadie Eastman of Edmond, OK; great-grandchildren Ledger, Noran, Everett and Ivy Belisle of Wichita; step-great-grandchildren: Shawn, Skyler, and Shane Velz of Wichita, Alice Eastman of Rose Hill, KS and Lucius Hanson of Buda, TX.

She was preceded in death by her husband Norman, parents, grandparents, brothers Lyle and Darrell Nelson, nieces Kerrie and Dani Marlow and Cynthia Nelson and grandson Logan Wampler.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Phyllis Elaine (Nelson) Hearn, please visit our floral store.