Obituaries - Saturday, March 14

Rex G. Cooper

Rex G. Cooper, of Salina, KS, died peacefully at home on March 12, 2026, at the age of 78. He was born on April 21, 1947, to Arthur (Mex) and Nelda Cooper. He was raised in Hoxie, graduating from Sheridan County High School in 1965.

Rex received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Fort Hays State University. He served with the United States Army in Vietnam, earning a Bronze Star.

He married Lynn Pratt in Hoxie on December 29, 1973. They were married 52 years.

Rex was a devoted teacher and coach for 36 years. He began his career in Smith Center in 1973 where he taught high school social studies and established the school’s first wrestling program. After six years he accepted a teaching and wrestling coaching position at Southeast of Saline, Gypsum, in 1979.  He was proud to be part of the coaching staff for SES’s two state wrestling championships in 1985 and 1986. He touched the lives of countless students and athletes and was proud of his time in the classroom and on the mat.

Rex was especially proud of his two children and six grandchildren. He enjoyed traveling both domestically and internationally, making several trips to Europe and Hawaii as well as his annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas with family members. He enjoyed golfing, working in his yard and reading and he never grew tired of learning. He also carried on his father’s tradition of making the best eggnog in town, delivering the Christmas treat to countless friends.

Rex is survived by his wife, Lynn, of the home; daughter, Sarah Shelby and husband Jimmy, of Salina; son, Evan Cooper and fiancé Jenny Nyberg, of Lawrence; and six grandchildren: Kennedy and Addison Gottschalk, Clayton and Luke Shelby, and Avery and Molly Cooper. He is also survived by two brothers, Mex and Kem Cooper, and a sister, Cindy New.

He will be remembered for his dedication to his students, his love of family, and the many lives he influenced through teaching and coaching.

Memorials can be made to the Southeast of Saline Education Foundation, Gypsum, KS.

A private inurnment will be on March 18, 2026, at All Saints Cemetery, Salina, KS.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Southeast of Saline Education Foundation5056 East K-4 Highway, Gypsum KS 67448

Dorothy "Eileen" Budnick

Dorothy “Eileen” Budnick was born on September 4, 1938, in Albion, Pennsylvania, to Anna Mae Olear and John Thomas Rizner. She went home to be with her Lord and Savior on March 8, 2026, in Salina, Kansas, after several years of medical challenges.

Eileen graduated from Franklin High School in Portland, Oregon, in 1956 and attended Seattle Pacific University for one year. She married Duane King Budnick on October 28, 1961, in Seattle, Washington. The couple began their family in Seattle before moving to Portland in 1964, where Eileen continued raising their children while working part‑time as a secretary and real estate manager. She was an active and devoted member of Lents Evangelical Church.

Eileen later lived in Central Oregon and eventually settled in Salem, Oregon, where she spent 37 years. Her lifelong love of flowers and gardening led her to active involvement in local garden and fuchsia clubs, where she found joy, friendship, and community.

Eileen is survived by her sons, Daniel K. Budnick and partner Susan Lentsch of Portland, Oregon, and Darr C. Budnick and wife Nancy of Salina, Kansas; her daughter, Delana S. Kiossovski and husband Val of Mountlake Terrace, Washington; and her granddaughters, Elizabeth and Rachel Kiossovski.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Duane K. Budnick; her sisters, Shirley Lawson and Gladys Eggiman; her son, Derek A. Budnick; and her grandson, Aaron C. Budnick.

Eileen was deeply loved by all who knew her and will be profoundly missed. A private family graveside service will be held in the near future at Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland, Oregon.