Gerald "Bud" Palmer Sholders

Gerald Palmer Sholders, known affectionately to all as Bud, passed away on Friday, May 8, 2026 at the ripe old age of 95 years, 4 months and 16 days with his wife, Kay at his bedside.

Bud was born to Jesse Lawrence and Doris Marie (Danielson) Sholders on December 22, 1930 in El Dorado, Kansas. He was the fourth of five children, growing up during the Depression.

He attended Oil Hill Elementary and El Dorado High School. While in high school, he contracted spinal meningitis, which caused him to lose vision in his left eye. He was a very sick young man and as a last medical option, he was given a dose of penicillin (the first civilian in the State of Kansas to receive this anti-biotic, which required special permission from the Government). He slowly made a full recovery and adapted to life with vision in just his right eye. Shortly after this trial, Bud made a public profession of faith in Christ and was baptized in Milkman’s Creek near Towanda, KS. After high school, he worked at Boeing in Wichita, KS and it was during this time that he met Kay Arlene Sexton, the oldest daughter of Bill and Ruth Sexton, and they began dating. They were married at The Congregational Christian Church in Towanda on August 31, 1958. They lived briefly in several area towns before moving to Newton, KS in 1966 where they settled and raised their family.

Throughout the years, Bud worked at Full Vision and Hesston Corp. He also spent a few years at Wichita Park Cemetery. He worked hard at each job, carried his metal lunch pail and thermos of sweet tea and never once used a sick day in his life.

In his free time, you’d often find Bud tinkering in his workshop, making homemade gifts for friends and loved ones. In the 70’s, Bud tore down an old barn, saving the boards and nails, and built his 2 car garage and workshop, which still stands to this day. Over the span of five decades, Bud often worked on remodeling and updating the family home. As his parents and parents-in-law aged, he and Kay also served them selflessly with projects and maintenance at each of their homes. He also served elderly neighbors, doing odd jobs and mowing, even into his 80’s.

Bud and Kay were active members at Bible Baptist Church in Newton and served faithfully for over 20 years. Bud served as an Usher and helped with many building maintenance projects. More recently, they have been members at Immanuel Baptist Church, also located in Newton.

Bud volunteered at the Newton Area Senior Center and at The Salvation Army for many years. In addition to volunteering, he loved music and sang Bass in church, the Senior Center choir and with family. He was also known to pull out one of his many harmonicas and join in with playing. He liked to travel. Bud and Kay traveled to all 48 contiguous states, hitting their last two of Washington and Oregon in 2018 for their 60th wedding anniversary, making the trip with several family members. He always had a good time playing pinochle, skip-bo and dominoes and ALWAYS wanted to win! Speaking of winning, he relished being a Bingo winner while he lived at Presbyterian Manor, because that meant he was winning a candy bar…something else he also enjoyed. He spent many hours watching Westerns, The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune and several of the classic cop shows on TV. His favorite sports team was the New York Yankees. He also cheered on his grandkids as they competed in sports when he was able to attend. Other things Bud loved were root beer, chocolatey chocolate milk, cashews, orange slices, syrupy sweet tea, peanut M&M’s, and anything that contained sugar. He always looked forward to seeing new great grandbabies and spent many hours cooing, rocking and talking to them. Another thing Bud was known for was his delight in counting random things - sneezes, train cars, law enforcement cars on the way to TX, airplanes, and semis. His work at Boeing developed a fondness for aircraft and flying. He enjoyed a couple of trips to Wichita with Patricia to watch planes take off and land while sipping a root beer. For his 90th birthday, he was also able to go up in a Cessna Skyhawk SP with his daughter Marcia and her pilot friend, in TX. Bud collected belt buckles, having over 150 in his collection, along with several harmonicas and pocket knives.

Bud is preceded in death by his parents, Jack & Doris Sholders, his in-laws, Bill and Ruth Sexton, three older siblings, Leonard Sholders, Lucille Allen, and Jerry Lozano. He is also preceded in death by his son, Gary Paul Sholders, who passed away unexpectedly in 2023. Bud is survived by his wife, Kay. They were married 67 years, 8 months, and 8 days. He is also survived by his two daughters, Marcia (David) Whiting of Fort Worth, TX and Patricia (Troy) Deutschendorf, of Newton, KS. Bud is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren, with one on the way. From Marcia and David in Texas, his family included Benjamin (Rhiannon) Whiting, Norah and Jude; Victoria (Daniel) Brantley, Ellie, Aubrey, Macey, Charlie, Jase, Silas, and Baby; Stephanie (Timothy) Saranita, Noah and Thomas; Kathryn (Layton) Hinkle, Lizzy, Levi, Ruthie, Killian; Joseph (Nicole) Whiting, Olivia and Chelsea. From his son Gary, survivors are Christopher (Elizabeth) Sholders, Gavin and Riley; Lynsey (Wesley) Oldenettel, Rowan; Austin Schroeder, Karsyn, Paetyn, and Taelyn; Kirsten Sholders, Oliver and Kinsley, all of Newton. From Patricia and Troy, survivors are Cole (Megan) Deutschendorf; Asher Deutschendorf, all from Manhattan, KS. He is also survived by his younger sister, Jessie Winters, of Potwin, KS, sister-in-law Helen Kinsey of Larned, KS and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Bud lived at Presbyterian Manor since December 2023, where he received the most loving and attentive care. He was well-loved by caregivers and residents alike. Over the last few months, Good Shepherd Hospice partnered with the Manor staff and the family, keeping Dad comfortable, cared for, and supported. We are so thankful for all the wonderful caregivers, who loved Dad and poured into both him and our family.

Visitation will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026 at Broadway Colonial Funeral Home 5-8 p.m. with the family present from 6-8 p.m. Graveside service will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. at Greenwood Cemetery in Newton, KS. Memorial service will be held following the graveside service at Immanuel Baptist Church in Newton, KS (1515 N Anderson Ave) at 10:30 a.m. with lunch following. In lieu of flowers, suggested memorial donations are: Immanuel Baptist Church, Good Shepherd Hospice, or Presbyterian Manor’s Good Samaritan Fund ℅ Broadway Colonial Funeral Home.

Bud taught us more in ordinary moments than he ever realized - how to show up, how to live faithfully and how love can live in the simplest acts. He was steady, hard-working, ornery and loved by so many. We will miss him dearly. In honor of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend - please enjoy the occasional sweet treat and count the train cars.