Efton Vining Obituary

Former Ignacio resident Efton Howard Vining died Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Independence, Kansas. He was one week shy of his 95th birthday.

Mr. Vining was born to Frances and Lenora Hawkins Vining on Oct. 15, 1919, in Wann, Oklahoma. He grew up in Wann and attended schools in the Wann and Copan areas. His parents died when he was 14, and he moved to Ackman, Oklahoma.

Mr. Vining entered the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked at Mesa Verde National Park. He lived and worked in the Pleasant View area until he enlisted in the Army in 1942. He served from North Africa to Italy and France during World War II and survived four beach landings.

In 1948, he married Margaret Lucile Murphy in Cortez. He farmed until 1951, when he moved to Farmington and became a surveyor with El Paso Natural Gas. After retiring in 1977, Mr. Vining moved to his dream farm in Ignacio. In later years, he wintered in rural Independence with his daughter and son-in-law.

His favorite hobbies were collecting arrowheads, listening to music and farming. He had a special knack for swinging an axe and sharpening a shovel, his family said, and he was accomplished at irrigating his farm land.

He dedicated himself to serving his church as an elder for many years. He was a member of the Bayfield Church of Christ and Cherryvale Church of Christ.

Mr. Vining was precede in death by his wife of 63 years, Margaret Lucile Murphy Vining.

He is survived by his son, David Vining, of Ignacio; two daughters, Eileen Farnsworth of Peachtree City, Georgia, and Margaret Hoffmeister of Independence; sister, Flossie Ann Owen, of Grand Junction; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life was held Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014,at the Church of Christ in Cherryvale. Burial took place at Pratt Cemetery east of Independence.

Memorial remembrances may be delivered or mailed to Wickham Family Funeral Home, 216 East 4th Street, Cherryvale, KS 66712.