Lynn Raymond Menagh, 74, of Norton, Kansas, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
Lynn was born in Oxford on June 17, 1949, to his parents, Merlin and Betty Menagh. He had one sister, Sher Drassen, and three brothers, Mike Menagh, Terry Menagh and Steve Menagh. Lynn attended kindergarten through 12th grade in several rural towns in Nebraska and graduated from Ainsworth High School in 1967. He then attended Kearney State College and graduated in 1971. In Kearney, he met his future wife, Pamela Daffer, and they married on June 14, 1970. Lynn took graduate classes from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and continuing education classes at Baker University throughout his career.
Lynn taught Industrial Arts in Friend from 1971-1972. From 1973 until 1985, he served as a police officer and a police sergeant in Crete. In 1985, Lynn was selected to be the Chief of Police in Norton, Kansas, where he served until his retirement in 2007. Over his career, he provided counseling to high school students and co-wrote the original DUI statute in Kansas. Lynn also served his country in the Army National Guard for several years and was honorably discharged in 1977.
Lynn enjoyed being a police officer and working with his law enforcement peers in Nebraska and Kansas, as well as providing support to the community. Lynn was involved with the Norton Classic Cruisers and took his restored classic cars to various car shows in the Midwest and traveled several times on Tour Nebraska.
Lynn never met a stranger and made a humorous comment to everyone he met. His family, both immediate and extended, were extremely important to him. In his spare time, he enjoyed restoring classic cars, spending time with family, camping, fishing, hunting, going to coffee with his friends at the sheriff’s office and relaxing at his lake house in Kearney.
Survivors include Lynn’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Chad and Jennifer Menagh, grandchildren, Isabel and Luke, great-grandchild, Hudson, (Crete); Corey and Amie Menagh, grandchildren, Sydney and Colby (Norton); and Zach and Megan Zielonko, grandchildren, Ava and Ethan (Denver, Colorado). Lynn is also survived by his siblings, Sher and Mel Drassen (Golden, Missouri), Mike and Lora Menagh (Centennial, Colorado), Terry and Denise Menagh (Beatrice), Steve and Rhonda Menagh (South Bend). He was preceded in death by his spouse, Pamela Daffer; his parents, Merlin and Betty Menagh; and in-laws, Carl and Josephine Welborn.
The funeral service was Jan, 6 with burial in the Norton Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Friends of the Prairie Dog State Park and sent in care of Plumer-Gobber Funeral Home, 215 W. Main St., Norton, KS 67654. Condolences may be left at www.plumergobber.com.
