Alan Overton was born February 22nd,
1944 in Colby, KS to Arlie & Maudie Overton. He went to be with
the Lord Sunday April 18th, 2021. He was one of three children,
having an older brother, Charles, and two sisters, Carol, and Helen.
Growing up his time was spent in Colby working on the family farm and
the Mattress manufacturing shop that his dad and mom started and
operated. At a very early age, 13 years old, he had a large part of
the responsibility on the farm near Studley, KS. He would tell
stories of staying home and finishing the farming responsibilities
while his Dad and Mom would load up the camper along with his sisters
and make a journey to Port Isabel, Texas each winter where his dad
had Snapper boats and a commercial fishing business fishing for Red
Snapper. He would finish up the farming responsibilities and drive,
at that young age for the first time, a 1949 Chevy pickup from Colby,
KS to Port Isabel, Texas to join his Dad working on the snapper
boats. He would enroll each winter in school in South Texas and loved
to talk about how much he enjoyed doing that and how much he looked
forward to it each year.
Alan met Mary Wolf and they joined in
Marriage on August 16 1965 in Colby, KS. Soon after on June 6th, 1966
they had their first daughter, Brenda, then four more children over
the course of the next 20 years, Arlie, 1967, Cathy, 1971. Keith,
1973, and A.J., 1986.
While he started out farming and
receiving, the Young Farmer of the year award in Studley, KS for his
skills and talents and his love of farming and ranching, He and Mary
made the decision to move to Newton, KS soon after His first daughter
was born and he took a management job for Hurst Manufacturing, an egg
processing facility. It wasn’t long before they left Newton and
that career to go back to his love of farming and ranching, moving to
Potwin, KS and working for a large farmer.
For the largest part of his life he was
self- employed, owning a television and appliance sales and repair
business in whitewater, KS from 1973 to 1986. While farming long days
on the farm near Potwin, he began night school with Bell and Howell
learning the trade of repairing Television’s and radio’s. He
received his certificate of completion and in 1973 and they moved the
family to whitewater to open his business, “Alan’s T.V. and
Appliance that he and Mary operated until 1986.
It was never all about work! His
greatest joy was spending time with his family, which included
camping, fishing and sports. He spent countless hours teaching and
coaching each of his kids his favorite sport of baseball and
softball. He was also committed to the kids in the community coaching
and being involved for many years in the programs supporting youth.
It wasn’t just baseball and softball, he also coached a few of his
kids in basketball. As his children got older and began playing
sports in school, he rarely missed a game. He was asked by one of his
sons once why he made such a commitment to make every game. He said
growing up, that his own dad worked hard and didn’t place an
importance on coming to his games when he grew up. He wanted his kids
to know they were important and wanted them to see him in the stands
each time they went onto the field or the court. He and Mary were
always there cheering them on and then continuing long cheerful
conversations replaying every play after the game.
Come Friday’s it was time to load up
the family camper and head to Marion Reservoir camping and fishing
for the weekend. He spent hours teaching his kids, with patience, how
to build a campfire, how to string a hook, how to catch a fish and
take it off the hook. He stopped at nothing, until it came to eating
the fish, He didn’t enjoy eating freshwater fish so neighbors back
home received a lot of the catch, which was perfect, as he loved to
give and they loved to receive.
Alan did many things for careers
throughout his life. He finished with owning a semi-truck and hauling
groceries over several states, then opening a small fruit stand
outside of Newton, KS along with his wife Mary. He made many trips to
south Texas getting pottery and fruit to stock their store. He loved
visiting with all the customers that came into the store, developing
close relationships with many of them.
After a short time in that business his
wife became ill. At this time he became fully committed to taking
care of Mary leaving the business behind. He never left her side for
the duration of her illness. He and Mary spent nearly fifty years in
a committed marriage to each other on this earth. He showed his
commitment of his marriage vow to her of which he took to heart and
lived it out. If you were to ask him what his greatest earthly love
was, he would always answer the same; his wife and his children, his
grandchildren, he loved his family, and they always came first. He
cherished every moment and was happiest when he was around family
whether at home, on the ball field, the court, the lake or the ocean.
It is worth mentioning that he loved Bologna sandwiches with onions
no matter what time of day it was, teaching many of his grandchildren
and children how to make them and love them also. Alan loved the Lord
showing that love through his actions and how he treated others. Alan
will be missed by friends and family of whom he touched so dearly
with his kind, gentle, patient loving heart.
www.jostfuneralhome.com
