Frank Ohlrogge

Frank Arthur Ohlrogge, 88, of Colby, died Friday, November 25, 2022. He was born in Thomas County, KS, near Mingo, on June 24, 1934, to Wohler and Mae (Rogers) Ohlrogge. The family moved to Levant in 1940, when Frank was six years old. He graduated from Levant High School in 1952 and then furthered his education at the St. Paul Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota, for a semester. Frank married JoAnn Marrs on August 28, 1955. The couple had seven children.

Frank worked for several plumbers and the City of Colby before opening his own plumbing business which he ran from 1961 to 1990. He was also a volunteer firefighter in Colby for 25 years. In 1973, Frank began farming for his father-in-law Stanley Marrs. Then, in 1985, he and JoAnn went into the cattle business along with raising pigs and sheep. The couple started making pets of all the animals and named each one. They enjoyed doing this very much and made a hobby of it. Harvest time was always a big time for family, and everyone would help out. Frank and JoAnn enjoyed when the grandkids would come out to the farm. One special time was when they had some buffalo, a cow called “Big Girl”, a pig named “Petunia” and two donkeys some of the grandkids liked to ride. In 2005, they started renting out the farmland and then began downsizing the animals, getting rid of the last in 2015.

Frank will most be remembered for his love of making people laugh, telling jokes or asking people if they had a clean joke. He had a beautiful singing voice and especially enjoyed singing hymns. He had a knack for whistling with vibratos and even in his last days was heard whistling a favorite hymn. Being in church was important to him and he instilled a strong moral code into his family. He loved hunting and vacationing in Colorado and his family has many fond memories and stories of these trips.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents, all nine of his siblings and son-in-law Leland Davisson.

He is survived by his wife JoAnn; children Mark Ohlrogge, Marlis Davisson, David (Nancy) Ohlrogge, Steven Ohlrogge, Paul Ohlrogge, Joel (Denise) Ohlrogge and Deena (Bill) Bowles; grandchildren Dustin (Amber) Davisson, David (Jennifer) Davisson, Shera (Esteban) Ortiz, Shawna (Aaron) Stoney, Todd (Genevieve) Ohlrogge, Eric (Valerie) Ohlrogge, Mitchell (Kayla) Ohlrogge, Shane Ohlrogge, Bailey Bowles, Mason (Blair) Bowles, Brooke Bowles, Donovan Ohlrogge, Sean Ohlrogge; great grandchildren Trevor Lucero, Aden Basgall, Austin Davisson, Anthony Ortiz, Mikey Davisson, Kaylee Davisson, Ashlynné Ortiz, Jaxon Ohlrogge, BenLee Stoney, Rose Ohlrogge, Mavrik Ohlrogge, Piper Ohlrogge, Hazel Ohlrogge; and several extended family members.

Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m., with a funeral at 10:30 a.m. Monday, November 28, 2022, at Baalmann Mortuary, Colby, KS. Burial will take place in Beulah Cemetery. For information or condolences visit www.baalmannmortuary.com