Mark W. Stallbaumer, 86, of Seneca, Kansas, died early Wednesday morning, June 4, 2008 at the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital in Seneca.

He was born May 6, 1922, on a farm north of Seneca, the son of Allie A. and Frances E. Luckeroth Stallbaumer. He grew up there, attended Clear Creek Country School, St. Mary’s School at St. Benedict, and Seneca High School, graduating in 1940. After graduation, he farmed with his father.

On May 10, 1944, he married Elda Haverkamp at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in St. Benedict. As a young couple, they farmed and lived northwest of Seneca. In 1946 they bought a farm north of Baileyville, and expanded their operation in 1954 when they bought a farm southwest of Seneca, where they resided until 1976.

In 1952 Mark took a correspondence course from ITI for radio and television repair. He opened an electronic repair store in Seneca in 1954, while also running the Seneca Planing Mill from 1954 to 1964.

As his electronic repair business expanded, he built a new shop on Highway 36 in 1964, which also featured an adjoining laundomat business. He retired from the repair shop and sold it in 1981, and sold the laundromat in 1982.

Mark and his wife built a home in Seneca in September of 1976; for years, they traveled across the U.S. in a motor home and wintered in Arizona.

Mark was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Church and the St. Joseph Society at the church in Seneca, and a past member of Sacred Heart Church in Baileyville, where he served on the church board and was an usher. Mark loved old cars and had an extensive antique car collection.

Survivors besides his wife Elda are three sons, Galen Stallbaumer of Seneca, Terry Stallbaumer of St. Bridget, and Dean Stallbaumer of Centralia; three daughters, Edna Mae Koch of Kansas City, Kansas, Kathleen Bowhay of Du Bois, Nebraska, and Jane Haug of Centralia; a brother, Gilbert Stallbaumer of Seneca; two sisters, Irene Niekamp and Dorothy Heiman, both of Seneca; 22 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his brother Eugene Stallbaumer, his grandson Nicholas Stallbaumer, and a granddaughter Jenny Marie Stallbaumer.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 9 AM Saturday, June 7, at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Seneca. Rosaries will be prayed at 2 & 7 PM on Friday at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca.

Memorials may be given in Mark’s memory for the Seneca EMTs, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, or Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church.