Delores Irene (Jones) Needham

Delores Irene Needham, age 90 of Wellsville, Kansas passed away February 3, 2026 at Rock Creek of Ottawa. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be to Prairie Paws Animal Shelter in Ottawa in care of Wilson’s, PO Box 486, Wellsville, KS 66092.

Delores Irene Needham was born April 8, 1935 in Stanton Township in Miami County, Kansas, the daughter of Carl Virgil and Letha Virginia (McVay) Jones. She grew up in Lane, Kansas and graduated from Lane High School in 1953. In her youth, she enjoyed showing pigs, from which she won many ribbons. Also in 1953, Delores married James Hal Needham. While he was away in the military, she worked as a telephone operator in Ottawa and was even awarded for saving a woman’s life. After returning from military service, Jim and Delores purchased a farm and started their family. Although they later divorced, they continued to care for and help one another until his passing in 2020.

Delores worked for King Radio most of her adult life, retiring from the company in 1997. She was also a cook at the Wellsville Retirement Community for many years. She loved cooking and baking and being close to her grandchildren, watching them in gymnastics and baseball. She was a member of the Ruhamah Baptist Church in Rantoul.

Delores is survived by her daughters, Virginia Hughes of Ottawa; Penny Needham of Ottawa; Kim Johnson and husband Vance of Rantoul; sister, Betty Heimerman and her husband Jerry of Clearwater, KS; brother, Bill Jones of Rantoul; brother, Virgil Jones and his wife Debbie of Rantoul; sister, Frances Bussell of KCK; grandchildren, Chris Hutchinson and his wife Dawn of Wellsville; Ashton Schulz and his wife Holly of Ottawa; Tyler Hutchinson of Ottawa; Desiree Lamborn and her husband Lance of Omaha, Nebraska; Courtney Jenkins and her husband Stephen of Panama City, Florida; Dakota Zinn and his wife Brooke of Mississippi; Alisha Glock and her husband Taylor of Lawson, Missouri; 9 great grandchildren: Cooper and Harlow Schulz; Savannah and “Tripp” Jenkins and Miles Lamborn; Bensen and Weston Glock, Alaine and Elise Hutchinson and many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her beloved dog, Patches.

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