1942-2026
Larry Junker 83, of Winfield, KS, went to be with his Lord and Savior on August 12, 2026 surrounded by his family.
Funeral Services will be held at 10 AM Tuesday August 18th, 2026 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Graveside services will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery. Memorials should be left to Trinity Lutheran School Endowment or St. John’s College Alumni Association Scholarship Endowment. Contributions can be left with Shelley Family Funeral Home.
Larry was born in Thayer County Nebraska. One week after birth he became a Child of God through Holy Baptism performed by Rev. Theo Dreoguemuller. Since his father was in the Army Air Corps, he spent the next few years in Yuma, Arizona. After his father’s discharge, they moved to Gladstone, NE, where his father was employed. He renewed his Baptism vows on May 26, 1956 through Confirmation by Rev. A. P. Bruenger. He attended Fairbury High School and graduated in 1960, and then attended Fairbury Junior College. In 1967, he graduated from Kearney State College, Kearney, NE, (now known as the University of Nebraska at Kearney) with a BS in Education. He was employed by Cedar Rapids High School. On June 3, 1967, Larry married Kristen Spencer and shortly thereafter moved to St. Paul, MN, where he went to worked for Sperry Univac (now known as UNISYS). In 1979, the family moved to Winfield, KS where he served as the Vice-President for Development for St. John’s College. After the college closed in 1986, Larry worked for First National Bank, now RCB, as Vice-President of Marketing and later was the Executive Director of the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce and then spent time employed by IKON Office Solutions. Larry retired in 2006 and became the Executive Director of the St. John’s College Alumni Association for 20 years retiring (again) on July 1, 2026. In 2002, he entered the LCMS Kansas District’s Lay Leadership Program and graduated in 2004. He was commissioned as a Deacon in the LCMS by Rev. Rick Hathaway, and also spent 6-years on the Board of Directors of the LCMS Kansas District. He enjoyed working at the Walnut Valley Festival, beginning in 1992, first doing interviews of the contest winner, and in 1998, he was instrumental in restarting what is known as the WVA Voice. This newsletter, which was published 10 times during the Festival, soon became a successful publication of the WVF. Larry spent a number of years with the Winfield Community Theater, the College Hill Coffee group, and was a member of the Kiwanis Sunrisers for 40 years.
Larry is survived by his wife and four children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Left to morn are his wife Kristen, children Rebecca Unruh (Brandon), their children Grace and Nathan (Rachel) and their son Elijah, Kimberly Stranathan (Kurt), their children Riley and CJ, Robin Allacher (David), their children Spencer (Brooke) and Megan (Riley), and Todd Junker (Jamie), their children Jaxon and Rylan. Also left behind are sisters Linda Wranosky (Vernon), Karen Emal, Kathy Heidemann (Larry), and a brother Donald Junker (Carolyn). Preceding him in death are parents, Raymond A. Junker and Renata H. (Schroeder) Junker.
