My sister and I lost our Mother today, and with that our final link to the wheat fields of Kansas.

Patricia_Riely_Council_Grove
Patricia Irene (née Riely) Lapham.

Mom’s obituary from The Council Grove Republican:

Patricia Lapham, a life-long resident of Kansas died peacefully on August 12, 2020 at the Kansas Masonic Home in Wichita.

Patricia is survived by her son, Stephen Brockelman of Baltimore, Maryland and her daughter, Sandra Adams of Winter Garden, Florida; grandson, John Adams; and three great-granddaughters, Adalynne, Kalista, and Olivia. She is predeceased by husbands, Frank Brockelman, Jr., Donald Gene Rees, LeRoy Lapham, and stepchildren, Don W. Rees, and Dianne (née Rees) Loddy.

Patricia was born in the Munker’s Creek community of Morris County, Kansas on April 5, 1929. The only child of Freda (née Lowe) and John George Riely, she attended the Lull Meadows Little Red School House, and graduated from Council Grove High School in the class of 1946. She was a loving mother and homemaker who enjoyed traveling. Patricia also was an avid reader.

A lifetime member of First Congregational Church UCC, she was involved in many church activities and will be deeply missed by her friends, family, and all who knew her.

Due to coronavirus concerns a memorial service will be scheduled for a later date. Interment will be in Greenwood Cemetary. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to First Congregational Church, 400 W. Main, Council Grove, Kansas 66846.

#PatriciaLapham #CouncilGrove #Kansas #FlintHills #Obituary

By Stephen Brockelman

As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.

6 comments

  1. A sad loss and a grand age. Something romantic in the term ‘Wheat fields of Kansas’ your mother was such a pretty little girl and grew into a beautiful woman. 😀

    Reply
    1. Stephen Brockelman – Baltimore, Maryland – As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.
      Brockelman says:

      Thank you so much for your comment. It means a lot to me.

      Reply

  2. I’m very sorry to hear this. My condolences to you and your family.

    Reply
    1. Stephen Brockelman – Baltimore, Maryland – As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.
      Brockelman says:

      I truly appreciate your condolences. It means a lot.

      Reply
    1. Stephen Brockelman – Baltimore, Maryland – As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.
      Brockelman says:

      Thank you so very much for your kindness. Although she died, she’s still very much alive in my sister and me and all who knew her.

      Reply

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