John Henry Massoth, 89, passed away September 20, 2026, at Life Care Center in Burlington Kansas. John, along with his twin sister Joan, was born at home May 21, 1937, in Yates Center Kansas to John L. Massoth and Genevieve Reedy Massoth.

He was raised on a farm in Piqua, Kansas and attended grades 1st-8th in a one-room schoolhouse near the farm. During 9th and 10th grade, he attended St John’s Catholic School in Iola, KS. He then attended his junior and senior years at Yates Center High School, graduating in 1955. After serving in the National Guard, he attended classes at Kansas State University.

He eventually took a job as a ranch hand on the Fred Willard ranch in Madison, Kansas. He married Shannon Meek on February 13th, 1960. Together, they had four children. They would later divorce.

After working on the ranch for a few years, John started a job as a laborer and welder’s helper with Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company in Olpe, Kansas. He worked in that position for fifteen years while also running his own welding business where he provided services for the local oil fields. He eventually was offered the position of Field Supervisor with the Panhandle plant in Greensburg, Kansas and moved his family there and stayed in that position until taking early retirement in 1992. After that, he enjoyed his many hobbies while also taking occasional assignments as a welding inspector with Panhandle across Kansas.

Throughout his life, John was a very active person and a very hard worker. He was an avid hunter and loved raising bird dogs and hatching quail eggs. He especially enjoyed hunting quail and pheasants with his dear friend Lawrence Bishop, and if the two weren’t hunting, they were building many of the high-quality barbwire fences that can still be found on the ranches around Madison, KS. If that wasn’t enough, he also coached little league baseball and even served a term as the Mayor of Madison.

Once John became fully retired, he built his dream log cabin-style home in Burlington, Kansas, moving there in 2000. There he started a large chicken operation, selling eggs to the locals. He became an avid gardener, often planting over one hundred tomato and squash plants, giving away much of the produce he raised. As a beekeeper, he planted a large field of wildflowers to facilitate an abundant honey crop for several years. With never having idle hands, he began building unique, high-quality bird houses and shadowboxes to display antique gun shell boxes and other related memorabilia in his shop. Yet another sideline was selling pumpkins in the fall from his driveway. He loved interacting with the local residents. His bird houses became so popular that he began donating them to local charities where they would bring several hundred dollars at annual auctions. He was also an avid collector and auction attendee and was well known for his impressive collections of hunting-related antiques. He often supported the local Ducks Unlimited fundraisers with his various hand-crafted items he made in his shop.

John was a devoted, lifelong member of the Catholic church and a member of the Knights of Columbus, with his rosary beads always close by to pray for many needs. He was very instrumental in the construction of the parish hall at St. Francis Xavier church in Burlington. He also served on the Burlington Housing Authority.

He is survived by his twin sister, Joan Wingblade of Ashburn, Virginia, sister Mary Haynes of Wichita, Kansas, sister Karen (Larry) Roth of Valley Center, Kansas, daughter Lisa (Brian) Brinig of San Diego, California, son Scott Massoth of Burlington, Kansas, son Andrew (Molly) Massoth of Des Moines, Iowa, and son Dan (Melody) Massoth of Shell Rock, Iowa, grandchildren Micah, Claire, Brendan, Kevin, Erin, Jacob, Lucas, Jade, Kael, Anna, Kacyn and Wyatt, and great grandchildren Quinn, Julian, Shepherd and Augustine.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Marita (Jack) Hooper and brothers-in-law Jim Haynes and Robert Wingblade.

A Mass of Christian burial will take place October 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Burlington. Rosary will be recited at 10: 00 am prior to Mass. Inurnment will follow at the Catholic Cemetery in Burlington, Kansas. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Francis Xavier Parish in Burlington, Kansas.