Willard Ira Colter, 77, died Feb. 10, 1996, at his home in rural Coldwater.

He was born Mar. 18, 1918, the son of Ira Everet and Lillie (Lee) Colter. He was the first of three children born to this union: Willard Ira and twins, Eunice Nadene and Eugene Everet. A Comanche County resident since 1937, moving from Missouri, he was a retired farmer and rancher. Colter married Mildred Madeline Houck Nov. 13, 1941, at West Plains, Mo. To this union seven children were born: Joyce Irene, Lillian Jean, Kenneth Ira, Madeline Sue, Jacob Willard, Robert Lee, and Mary Christine. Mildred died on Apr. 22, 1981. He was also preceded in death by his parents and brother, Eugene, of Mountain View, Mo.

On Aug. 22, 1981, he married Velma Jones at Liberal. She survives. Other survivors include three sons: Kenneth of Coldwater; Jake of Tacoma, Wash.; and Robert of Liberal; four daughters: Joyce Heft of Liberal; Lillian Thompson of Farmington, N.M.; Madeline Koehn of Dry Tavern, Pa.; and Mary Lyons of Cherokee, Okla; two stepsons: Wayne and Orville Jones, both of Liberal; two stepdaughters: Twila Weaver of Liberal and Janet Rodriguez of New Braunfels, Tex.; a sister: Eunice Davis of Mountain View, Mo.; 18 grandchildren; 17 step-grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.

Funeral was Feb. 13, 1996, at Hatfield-Prusa Funeral Home in Coldwater, with the Revs. Kelvin Heitmann and Faye Thurman presiding. Burial was in Crown Hill Cemetery, Coldwater.

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Thanks to Patricia Snyder for typing this obituary, which is from the collection of Bobbi (Hackney) Huck.

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