Eleanor Marie (Appelhans) Dinkel, 97, went to be with Our Lord, July 24, 2019 at the home of her son James, in Morland, Kansas after a lengthy illness in Hospice Care. She was born July 19, 1922 on the family farm in southern Graham County, Kansas to Joseph and Katherine (Richmeier) Appelhans. She was the third oldest of 12 children.

After finishing her education at the area country school, Eleanor helped birthing mothers and their children at different households in the St. Peter and Collyer community. Before passing she was the oldest living woman in the St. Peter area.

Eleanor married Anton "Tony" Dinkel, May 8, 1946 at the St. Anthony Catholic Church, St. Peter, where they both attended Mass since childhood.

She was a 40 plus year member of the St. Anthony Christian Mothers' Society until the church closing in 1999. She then attended the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Hill City, Kansas. In their 46 years of marriage were born five sons and four daughters: David, Dorothy, Thomas, Katharine, James, John, Barbara, Paul and Mary whom were all raised in the Morland Community. Eleanor was a homemaker until all the kids were in school, then started working at the Sheridan County Hospital in Hoxie, Kansas until her retirement in the mid 1980s.

Her greatest passions were gardening, cross-stitch, embroidery and hand-quilting, all the while listening to her nephew's polka band music. She spent many hours creating numerous quilts of various sizes for her own enjoyment and quilting for several quilting clubs, churches and fund- raising events all over Kansas. Eleanor always had a huge garden and canned fresh fruits and vegetables. Most of the cherries and mulberries went into crocks to ferment for wine served at Thanksgiving and Christmas. She also enjoyed group tours to the Dakotas and Las Vegas casinos to play the penny slots. And at times would throw a hint, "You know, it's been a while since we've been gambling.

Eleanor was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Anton (1992); five children: Thomas (1998), David (2007), Barbara (Dinkel) Compitello (2010), Paul (2013), Dorothy (Dinkel) Bennett (2018); daughter-in-law Mary (Nelson) Dinkel (1998); grandson-in-law Brian Potter (2003), sisters: Katharine at one year of age, Mary Evers, Sister Gilberta (Martina), Clara Dinkel; brothers: Edwin at birth, Alfred, Ralph, Kenneth, and Edwin J.; brothers-in-law: Steve Zerr, George Evers, and Albert Dinkel.

She is survived by four children: Katharine Archer, and John (Cathy) Dinkel, all of Hill City, James (Regina) Dinkel of Morland and Mary Dinkel of McPherson; daughter-in-law, Marcia Dinkel of Oberlin; son-in-law, Raymond Bennett, Junction City; sisters: Louella Zerr, Colby and Rosalie (Jake) Heier, Hoxie; sisters-in-law: Darlene Appelhans, Hill City, Vivian Appelhans, Hoxie, Doris Appelhans, Thorton, Colorado; 24 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren and 14 great great-grandchildren and many relatives and friends.