On August 31,2025 James Lee Oehlert was called home to be with his Creator, precious Lord and Savior.  He was born to Herbert and Alice (Olsen) Oehlert in Hutchinson, KS on March 27, 1946.  Making him 79 years old this date.

He grew up on the family farm in Haven, KS.  Tragedy struck early in his life his father died, leaving two young boys and a very determined, strongwilled mother to raise those boys on the farm.  They learned to plant and work the fields with the help of concerned, wonderful neighbors who were willing to lend a hand with all of the farming endeavors.  One of Jim's contributions in making money was raising sheep and selling the wool.  Besides his dad, Herbert Oehlert, those who preceded him in death were his mother Alice (Oehlert) Shaw at 100 years of age, stepfather Horace Shaw and Jim's son Troy Oehlert.  Those remaining who will miss him so much are his wife Vola who truly considers Jim as a treasured gift from God.  We met and married in 1993.  God gave us 32 memorable years together.  Others are his son Trent (Molly) Oehlert and their children, Jason, Benjamin (Ben) and Samantha (Sami) of Lenexa, KS.  His brother Gary Oehlert (Haven, KS) and Gary's three kids: Chris (Stephanie), Olathe, KS-Jennifer (Dana) Brown, Wichita, KS and Gregg (Candi), Whitewater, KS-Vola's sister's and brother, Marilyn (Steve) Owens, Emporia-Janiece (Dale) Isch, Gridley) and Colin Young, Gridley and many nephews and nieces and great nephews and nieces.

While Jim was in grade school and high school he loved participating in most sports that were offered.  He lettered three years in football, basketball and track.  He especially loved the exhilarating feeling of pole vaulting.  He graduated high school in 1964.  College was next and he had a free ride with scholarships in both track and basketball.  He spent 2 years at Hutchinson Juco and then went 2 more years at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS earning a bachelor's degree in Social Science, Physical Education.  During his college years he married his high school sweetheart, Marsha Troyer and to that union two healthy boys were born.  He liked to tell the story about, while he was in the service playing basketball, how suddenly there were a bunch of his friends who walked in and set down in bleachers.  He felt nervous thinking they had bad news to deliver to him.  Instead, it was just the opposite, they had found out good news and were there to congratulate him on becoming a first time daddy, first born Troy Scott.  For the second born son, Trent Ryan he was present at his birth. With this marriage he had the added bonus of a father in law, Paul Troyer, who he loved like a dad.  This man was a Godly man who undoubtedly was sowing good seed into Jim by his example and by the very ways he lived out his days here on earth.  This first marriage ended in divorce.

Very shortly after college graduation he received draft notice.  Once Jim was drafted he signed up for the Navy, wanting to be a pilot in that arena.  Did all the testing but had eye testing yet to do and that is when he found out he was color blind.  Thus began his Navy time from July 16, 1968-May 23, 1972, as a Naval corpsman-Time spent in San Diego, California, Yokosuka, Japan, Water ways of Mekong Delta region in Vietnam and then to a US Navy recruiting station in Denver, Colorado.  Awards/Medals received during this time:  Navy unit commendation (with Bronze Star), Vietnam service medal, Vietnam campaign medal, National Defense service medal and combat action ribbon.

Jim had no idea of what career he planned on pursuing following college but after his navel training he knew it was going to be medically oriented.  He graduated from the first Physician Assistant program that Wichita State University offered in 1972-73.  He worked several places as a PA but his all time favorite was Coffey County Health System in Burlington KS.  He worked a little over 20 years manning the satellite clinics.  Coffey County Health System is where he met and fell in love again with his present wife, Vola Young who was a nurse working at the hospital.

Jim was an easy, fun person to be with, he had many interests, when young he had a consuming interest in his sports, liked hunting and that love of guns continued throughout his life.  He loved his job and when he came home from work he just was usually in constant motion.  He liked to do inside and outside work at home. One year we won yard of the month basically because of his beautiful grass.  He bought his first old house in Burlington for the big garage to store all of his tools and woodworking equipment and had room to dream what else he needed to fill that space.  He constantly was busy little by little fixing up rooms to make our house become a very comfortable home.  He took pleasure in restoring most of the living room-dining room furniture heirlooms that came from Oehlert grandparents.  He also liked building furniture and outside structures, which we were finally told, you can not build one more thing unless you build up.  When I came into the picture his sporting game he liked to participate in was golfing, which he loved.  Mostly was content to watch and enjoy through TV, the Kansas City Chiefs and KU basketball and golfing.  He ruptured his Achilles tendon shortly after we married, trying to keep up with the nephews playing  basketball.  He became an adamant supporter of building the existing Christian church and spent many hours trying to repair things at the old church.  He liked to travel especially with family and friends.  He liked old cars, new cars, trucks and motorcycles.  He enjoyed going to car shows .  Loved boating and camping.  We started out tenting and moved our way up to more comfortable accommodations. Jim always loved music, he enjoyed a surprisingly wide range of music.  He started early, having leading song roles in grade school, but by high school he no longer wanted to sing alone but enjoyed being in a boys quartet and other vocal and instrumental groups. He had to play what was available and free which was French horn and that certainly wasn't what he desired to play.  He was proud of his son who probably inherited some of his musical DNA. Trent began asking for a guitar and lessons at age 5, they thought it would be a passing whim but they realized early on that he loved his guitar and his music passion only grew, he was in top ranked Jazz band at Kansas University and now still plays his guitar in the Kansas City area, with the Way Too Famous band. I could tell you so much more about about this wonderful man but I have probably went on too much and that would not be what Jim would want.  I told him at least early on that we were given a little bit of heaven here on earth in our relationship.  Probably half of our married life I would say was marital bliss but then medical issues began and it was many years of a spiraling downward trend of health issues. Through it all Jim never was bitter towards God about his situation -Even when you weren't sure about what he was comprehending he knew that this was not our permanent home but because Christ died for us and rose again we too have that glorious hope and confidence in an eternal home.  With hope for something better to come there is peace.

Funeral services will be held 10:30 A.M. Monday, September 8, 2025, at the Burlington Christian Church. Burial will follow in Gridley Cemetery.

The family will meet with friends from 9:30 A.M. Monday until service time at the church.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Burlington Christian Church or Hand-In-Hand Hospice and may be sent in care of Jones Funeral Home, PO Box 277, Burlington, KS 66839.