Guy Josserand Jr. of Dodge City / Howell passed on July 9, 2017 at the age of 97.  He was born on December 21, 1919 in Gray County, son of Guy Sr. and Gertrude (Cleghorn) Josserand.

Jr., as he was commonly known, graduated from Copeland High in 1936, passing with minimal class work but claiming to have "read every book in the library." Always a tinkerer, he rigged a 6 volt generator to the windmill to charge one of the first radios in the county but was frustrated that both earphones of the single headset were monopolized every evening by the adults including many neighbors.

An Agricultural Deferment early in the war allowed him to head up the family sheep and sugar beet and wheat operation when his father had Fish and Game responsibilities in Pratt. Entering the US Naval Air Force on 10 June, 1943, he became Photographers Mate and was discharged December 15, 1945.

Early in 1945, at a USO dance, he met Hazel E Porter (Feb 26, 1924 to July 17, 2014), the third child of Roland Leigh Porter and Mabel Switzer Porter of Newton Highlands, MA. Decades later, she remarked that she had "met a sailor in cowboy boots." They soon married on February 20, 1945.

Returning to the farm, which had moved from north of Copeland to near Dodge City's Howell elevator, three children began joining the family, Letitia Ann Josserand, Guy III, and Leigh Porter. Besides the regular area crops the father-son partnership introduced swine production in the late '50's and began developing newer, more enclosed, farrow to finish operations growing to average four to five thousand hogs. Always planning, refining and innovating new operations, techniques and procedures, much equipment was custom designed and built by Jr. himself. Most if not all the pre-manufactured items like feeders and fountains required adaptation and preventative maintenance such as rivets replaced with bolts, even before first service.

Known for his gregarious nature and razor sharp wit Jr. was a voracious reader and always eager to share. Intense interests included just about everything but especially people. Color film reignited his interest in photography and he began to collect dozens of souls on paper. Later on the camera was replaced by the Santa Fe Trail as a vehicle to travel and trace the patterns of human behavior past and present.

Jr. held memberships in the Kansas Livestock Association; Swine Breeders Association; Kansas Farm Bureau, Rotary Club; Santa Fe Trail Association, and NRA.

Surviving Jr. are his two oldest children Tish of Dodge City and Guy III of Tucson Arizona.  Preceding him in death are his sister, Yvonne Wilson and son, Leigh Josserand.

Internment service will be at Copeland Cemetery at 10:30 AM Saturday, July 22, 2017. Memorial service, food and fellowship will be at the Howell Community Center, 1/4 mile south of Howell elevator or 7 miles west of Dodge on Highway 50 at noon the same day.  Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guest book at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.