Cecil Felzien

Cecil Raymond Felzien passed away on January 30th, 2012 at the Cheyenne Manor Nursing Home in Cheyenne Wells, CO. Cecil was born on October 15th, 1918 on the family farm south of Wheeler, KS. He was confirmed in the Lutheran faith on July 15, 1934 and was a member of First St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Burlington, CO, at the time of his death. He graduated from St. Francis Community High School in 1938 and then went to Hays State until March of 1942. At that time he enlisted in the Army serving in World War II as a Radio Operator in the Aleutian Islands. Then in 1945, he returned to Kansas and opened his own filling station in Bird City, KS. This is where he met a cute waitress, the love of his life, Elouise Pittman, whom he married on December 21, 1946. To this union, two children were born: daughter, Marsha and son, Gregory. In 1950, he moved his family to Burlington where he was an active businessman having Felzien Cleaners & Clothing and W-B Liquor Store. He and his brother Harold were partners in business. Burlington at the time was a booming place with lots of businesses on Main Street and downtown was full of people on Saturdays. He also was the rural mail carrier for 18 years, retiring in 1986 from the postal service. In his earlier years, he loved to fish and hunt. Also in his “spare time” he did some farming and ran some cattle. He really loved his cows and spent a lot of time with them; still owning a few head at the time of his death. He and Elouise loved to dance and took ballroom lessons. And later started square dancing often going to dances two and three times a week. They also liked to travel and went on several wonderful trips. He was a lifetime member of the VFW Post No. 6491 and a past Commander in 1963. He was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce as well as many other organizations thru the years. He served on the Fairview Cemetery District Board for over 20 years. Preceding him in death were his father, Emil Felzien; mother, Edna (Bowans); brothers, Leland, Roby, Harold, Lowell; and sister, May Sabatka. He is survived by his wife Elouise of 65 years, daughter, Marsha Jackson and husband Rick, and son Gregory; a sister-in-law, Rosalie Felzien (Harold); seven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren.