Lute Smith Stranathan was born November 25, 1901, near Kiowa, Kansas, to
     William and Fannie Stranathan. He grew up here and graduated from Kiowa
     High School in 1922. Soon afterwards he went to work in the Post Office.
       In 1927 he met Helen Nason at a Rodeo and they began dating. They liked
     to go fishing, hunting, dancing and riding in his Oakland sports car. They
     were married August 17, 1929.
       They took part in the town's activities. Several Decembers found them
     and the M.A. Parkers out in the breaks northwest of Kiowa picking and
     chopping down large evergreen trees to set up in the center of Main Street
     for Christmas decorations. there were many chinaberry trees in the area
     and they always returned with big bunches of the beautiful clear amber
     berries to share with friends for decorations. This was all legal in those
     days.
       I was born July 4, 1930, and January 8, 1934, my sister Norma Lee arrived,
     then October 4, 1938, my brother Sam E. joined our family.
       In 1942, jobs were scarce and living scant. A great many families left
     Kiowa to find work in the airplane plants, etc. We moved to Parsons, Kansas,
     where Dad worked in the Kansas Ordinance Plant. They made ammunitions.
       Our family moved to Wichita in 1945 and Norma and I graduated from North
     High School. Then I joined the Air Force and was stationed in Japan. On
     returning to Wichita, Ann Haggard and I were married. We now live in Grand
     View, Missouri. We have two children, Scott and Amy Jo. Scott is in the
     Navy and he and his wife, Deborah, have a son, Patrick and twins, Jeremy 
     and Angela. I am Electric Foreman for the Service Administration in Kansas
     City, Missouri.
       Norma graduated from Kansas University in 1955 and was a commercial artist.
     She married Jerry Bupp in Wichita and they have 2 children. Susan is at
     Wyoming University and Steven is enrolled in Wichita State University.
       In 1955 my parents and brother, Sam, returned to Kiowa, where Dad was a
     Rural Mail Carrier until 1965. The little children on his route called him
     "Mr. Mail Box."
       Sam graduated from Kiowa High in 1956. He attended Pratt Junior College
     two years. Married Helen Schupbach and they moved to Hays where he graduated
     from Ft. Hays College.
       Later in Ft. Scott, Kansas, Sam was Soil Conservationist and Helen graduated
     from Pittsburg, Kansas State University. They have four children: Todd, who
     is in the Navy; Carrie, Matthew and Thane.
       Since 1977, Sam has been Plant Manager of the Colorado Plant Environmental
     Center in Meeker, Colorado, and Helen works with the U.S. Geological Survey
     on Colorado waters.
       On September 12, 1965, my father died and is buried in the Riverview
     Cemetery at Kiowa. On May 22, 1972, Norma died and is buried in Lakeview
     cemetery in Wichita. Both died from cancer.
       At this writing - Mother is busy working with the American Cancer Society,
     Congregational Church, Historical Book, Southwest Kansas Agency on Aging,
     Garden Club, also attends most of the Health Association Western Kansas
     (HAWK) meetings.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 444 
     Submitted by: William Nason Stranathan