Francis "Fritz" Gwin

And the Lord said to him, "I am ready for you now, come with me"….and he went with Him.

Francis B."Fritz" Gwin was born on a farm near Morrowville, Kansas, January 13, 1921, the second of eight children born to Roy E. and Anna Gwin. He died August 25, 2017 at the Mitchell County Health Systems.

He graduated from Wichita County High School, then attended Kansas State University before entering the Army Air Corp for two years, then returned to KSU and graduated in 1947 with a degree in Agricultural Economics.

He married Arlene Mastin in 1948.  A daughter, Francene was born in 1952.They lived on the farm in Leoti until moving to Beloit in 1959 where he changed careers and began working for Farmland Industries, then for Farmway COOP. They were privileged to be married until her death in 1960. He became general manager in 1969 and retired in 1986. He was a firm believer in the COOP system and was proud of the loyalty his employees showed him. He served on many boards of directors during his career, both state and national.

Fritz was an active member of the First United Methodist church, sang in the choir for 40 years, taught Sunday school, and served on various committees. He was a director at the Guaranty State Bank, a Rotary member for years, and a Paul Harris Fellow. He was chairman of the committee to establish a new hospital and served on the hospital board. He served on numerous boards including KARL and the Solomon Valley Feedlot. He was a long-time board member and served as chairman of Farmland Industries,

He enjoyed sports, especially Kansas State Football where he played tailback and left halfback from 1939 - 1942. He was named team captain his senior year. His coach called him "little britches" due to his small stature and feisty attitude on the field.  Fritz was a life member of the Golden Cats Club, and was honored as the oldest living team member in 2015. He loved all kinds of music, taught himself to play the piano and was playing until the time of his death. He loved playing golf after his retirement, it was "going to work" each morning. He was an avid reader and was saddened that a stroke affected his reading comprehension.

Fritz married Margaret "Peg" Treaster June 6, 1963 and gained four children through the marriage – Scott, Rebecca, Jana and Lisa. A daughter, Brenda was born in 1964. During their 54 years of marriage, they enjoyed traveling, both throughout the United States  and abroad. Fritz took many photos and enjoyed sharing them with friends and family. He recently spoke frequently about returning to one of his favorite places, Lombard Street in San Francisco.

Survivors include Peg, of the home:  Children, Scott Treaster (Debi), Beloit, Francene Gwin, Calhan, Colorado, Rebecca Treaster, Des Moines, Iowa, Jana Schwandt (Gary) Manhattan, Lisa Thompson (David) Beloit and Brenda Mulkey (John), Overland Park.    Grandchildren include:  Rachel, Devin, (Kelsey)  Austin, (Karley) Nick (Lindsay) ,Gavin, Jared, Braden and great grandchildren Avery, Easton, & Will, sister Corrine, numerous nieces and nephews along with many special friends.

In addition to his first wife Arlene, he was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Roy, Howard, and Harold; sisters, Ruth, Betty, and Deanne; and his son-in-law, Jerry Porter.

Memorial services will be at 1:30 PM Wednesday, August 30 at the Beloit First United Methodist Church. Visitation with family present will be from 5-7 PM Tuesday at the Roberts Family Funeral Home. Cremation was chosen and there will be no viewing. Memorials may be given to the Gwin Memorial Scholarship Fund.