Roy Wilford Riegle
| Grand Master Wilford Riegle | |
|---|---|
 52nd Triennial Conclave, Chicago, IL[1] | |
| Born |
April 27, 1896 Rice County, Kansas |
| Died |
February 2, 1988 (aged 91) Lyon County, Kansas |
| Resting place | Leavenworth National Cemetery |
| Residence | Emporia, Kansas |
| Education |
Washburn University (Bachelor of Arts, LL.B., Master of Arts) Kansas State Normal School |
| Occupation |
Riegle & Riegle Law (Partner) Lyon County Judge[2] Kansas State Senator |
| Years active | 1925-1986 |
| Organization | The United Religious, Military & Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St. John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes & Malta |
| Home town | Kansas |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Board member of | Kansas State Historical Society |
| Religion | Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod |
| Spouse(s) | Keith Maria Riegle (Roberts) |
| Children |
Ardis Gene Riegle Roy Wilford Riegle, Jr. Jo Anna Riegle-Scherrer[3] Mary Keith Burns |
| Relatives | Ethan James Scherrer (Great-Grandson) |
Roy Wilford Riegle, commonly known as Wilford Riegle, was born in Lyons, KS on April 27, 1896. Struggling to get by on his own towards the pursuit of higher education, he worked at a local mortuary in Jetmore, KS. Attending the Kansas State Normal School in the late 1910s, he met his future wife (Keith Maria Roberts). He also first entered the city he would reside in for the remainder of his life: Emporia, KS. He fought during World War I as part of the United States Army in Company L, 137th Infantry, 35th Division, and maintained a presence in the military as a Colonel during World War II. He was a Republican member of both the Kansas House of Representatives and the Kansas Senate for multiple terms. In 1957, he became President of the Kansas State Historical Society. In 1973, he took office as the Grand Master of the Knights Templar of the United States of America. This was a revered position for any Kansan, yet alone any countryman, to achieve. By the end of his career in 1986, he was the longest-serving probate judge in the history of Lyon County and, quite possibly, the state of Kansas itself. He died in peace, surrounded by his family, on February 2, 1988.[4]
 Riegle & Riegle Law (Palace Building) |
 Juneau, AK (World War II) |
_%26_Keith_Maria_Roberts_(Wife).jpg) Jo Anna Riegle-Scherrer (Left) & Keith Maria Riegle (Right) |
For further reference
- ↑ Knights Templar reference
- ↑ "The Emporia Gazette from Emporia, Kansas · Page 12". Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Jo Anna Riegle (1930 - 2011) - Find A Grave Memorial". findagrave.com.
- ↑ "Roy Wilford Riegle papers". Retrieved 20 September 2012.