A pillar of the Emporia community has passed away.
John “Jack” Atherton was 96 when he died Sunday at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita.
Atherton was born in Emporia and attended the US Military Academy at West Point before receiving his law degree from the University of Kansas in 1953. He started a law practice in Hutchinson but returned to Emporia soon afterward and served the area as an attorney until he retired in 2000. He also served in the US Army during World War II and the Korean War.
Longtime family friend Steve Haught met Atherton at Emporia’s First Congregational Church around 40 years ago. Haught says Atherton was civic-minded, regardless of whether his work took him across town or across the state.
Atherton’s love of history was well-known, having been the first lifetime member of the Lyon County Historical Society. Director Greg Jordan says Atherton knew his stuff.
Atherton is survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters and five grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 am Saturday at Emporia’s First Congregational Church. Visitation will begin at 9:30 am Saturday. Burial will be at Maplewood Memorial Lawn Cemetery, with military honors provided by the Ball-McColm Post 5 American Legion and Lowry-Funston Post 1980 Veterans of Foreign Wars.
