Roy Wilford Riegle

Grand Master Wilford Riegle
Chicago Conclave - 1973[1]
Born	(1896-04-27)April 27, 1896 Rice County, Kansas
Died	February 2, 1988(1988-02-02) (aged 91) Lyon County, Kansas
Alma mater	Kansas State Normal School Washburn University
Occupation	Colonel of the United States Army Lyon County Probate Judge[2] President of Kansas State Historical Society[3] Senator of the State of Kansas
Spouse(s)	Keith Maria Roberts (1923)
Children	Ardis Gene Riegle Roy Wilford Riegle Jr. Jo Anna Riegle Scherrer[4] Mary Keith Riegle Burns
Parent(s)	Uriah Brooks Riegle Joanna Gentzler

Roy Wilford Riegle, commonly known as Wilford Riegle, was born in Lyons, KS on April 27th, 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 town he would call home 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 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 2nd, 1988.^[5]

Law Office @ The Palace Building, Commercial Street, Emporia, KS

Supervision on the Military Base in Juneau, AK during World War 2

Jo Anna Scherrer (Daughter) & Keith Maria Roberts (Wife)

References