Ada Marie Viets

ADA M. VIETS Ada M. Viets, 92, of Overland Park, KS, passed away December 11, 2017, at Saint Luke’s Hospice House. Ada Marie (Lathers) Viets was born November 11, 1925, in Fort Scott, KS. Her father died when she was very young, so she lived with cousins while growing up. She graduated high school in 1944, and immediately started work as a teacher after qualifying for an auxiliary teaching certificate. She taught in several small towns in southeast Kansas while taking classes at Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg in the summers. She earned her degree and full teaching certificate in six summers. After five years teaching in McCune, KS, she had the opportunity to teach the children of military personnel in Germany. She spent three years in Germany, and was able to tour most of Europe (including the Soviet Bloc) while there. Her years in Europe had a tremendous influence on her life. After returning to the states, she taught in McCune and Parsons, KS. During this time she met and began dating Donald F. Viets, and they married on August 3, 1959. Ada and Don moved to the Kansas City area, and Ada began teaching in the Valley View school district. After a brief break from teaching to rear her two sons, she taught in the Shawnee Mission School District at John Diemer Elementary School from 1967 until her retirement in 1985. Ada and Don retired to Pittsburg, KS in 1986 where she became actively involved in St. John Lutheran Church, AARP, Senior Citizens Club, and the Southeast Kansas Retired Teachers Association. In 2006, she moved back to the Kansas City area to be closer to her immediate family. She lived at Greenwood Terrace in Lenexa, KS, where she led daily devotions, was a member of the book and poetry clubs, and became an avid bingo player. She was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Overland Park, KS. Ada was preceded in death by her husband, Donald F. Viets, and three sisters, Lillie, Neola, and Juanita. She is survived by two sons and their families: Bruce E. Viets and wife Amy, and their three children, Kayla, Layney, and Garrett, and Dr. Brian E. Viets and wife Gilda, and their two children, Conner and Erin. A memorial service will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Overland Park, KS, on Friday, December 15, 2017, at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Metro Lutheran Ministry of Kansas City.

Ada Marie Viets

November 11, 1925 - December 11, 2017