Charles Warren Lear

Charles Warren Lear, 91, died at Topeka, Kansas, on December 19th, 2015. He was born at Stafford, Kansas, to Rex O. Lear and Pearl Milton Lear on March 28, 1924.

Chuck was raised in Salina, Kansas, and graduated from Salina High School in 1942. He was recruited by coach Phog Allen to play basketball at the University of Kansas. He enrolled in the fall of 1942, where he played for the Jayhawks and joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

In the spring of 1943, the Army made him KU's first "one and done" basketball player and he was inducted into the U.S. Army where he served in Europe as a scout with the 28th Infantry Division. He participated in three major battles including a stint behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge.

Following his discharge from the Army he returned to KU and graduated in 1948 with a degree in business. He then began a long, successful career in banking, starting as a teller at the Farmers National Bank in Salina. He served as President of banks in Springfield, Missouri, and Hutchinson, Kansas, and ultimately retired in 1989 from Arvest Bank in Rogers, Arkansas.

Chuck and Mary Dale Varner began their 68 years of marriage at Great Bend, Kansas, on August 20th, 1947. Mary survives. They have three children, Christopher W. (Cindy) Lear of Topeka, Kansas, Marcia Lear (David) Nigg of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Andrew V. (Cindy) Lear of Springfield, Missouri. They were blessed with nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Chuck was preceded in death by his sister, Roberta Doroski; and a brother, Harold V. Lear.

Chuck was involved in many charitable and civic endeavors throughout his life, and was a member of Grace Episcopal Cathedral in Topeka, Kansas. He and Mary were excellent and avid golfers who enjoyed nothing more than playing golf with friends wherever they lived or travelled. Of course, he was a loyal Jayhawk fan, and cheered and suffered through each game with his family. He retained his sharp wit and humor until the very end. Mary and Chuck have lived at Brewster Place in Topeka since 2010.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, January 4th, 2016, at Mount Hope Chapel, 4700 SW 17th Street, Topeka, Kansas 66604, where the family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Donations may be made to the Brewster Place Foundation, Helping Hands Humane Society, or Grace Episcopal Cathedral.

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