FRIEND, Harold Vern - b. February 12, 1939 - d. September 29., 2022

[patyrn]

Harold Vern Friend, age 83, of Winfield, Kansas, passed away September 29, 2022 at Winfield Senior Living.  He was born February 12, 1939 on the farmily farm north of Howard, Kansas to Jesse "Vern" and Florence (Armstrong) Friend.

Harold grew up alongside four siblings.  He attended Rule Vale School in Fiat, Kansas and then Fairview School in Elk County, Kansas, graduating from Howard High School in the Class of 1957.

In 1956, Harold joined the Army Reserves and served his country in the Reserves for 8 years, attending the Field Artillery Lineman school at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.  He worked several places as a young man including the Russell Simmons Service Station north of Severy, Kansas and then Sunset Manufacturing in Wichita, Kanssas before going to work as a machinist in several machine shops in Wichita and Derby, Kansas.  He then went to work for Beech Aircraft in 1977 and continued a career with them until retiring in 2001 from the Engineering Department where he built test equipment for aircraft.

Harold enjoyed fishing and builidng pulling tractors.  He spent many weekends on Winfield Lake taking family and friends fishing on his cabin cruiser boat which was the biggest boat on the lake.  When he wasn't on the lake, he was building pulling tractors with his brother-in-law and nephew.  They loved building these tractors and would travel to pulls in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas as part of the Garden Tractor Pulling Asssociation.  The first tractor he and his nephew, Chance, built was named "Get a Grip".  He then went to build his own tractors, "Gopher" and "Bucket of Bolts". 

Harold is survived by his sister, Louise Havens of Winfied, Kansas, and many nieces, nephews, and extended family.  He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Melvin and Arthur Friend; and his sister, Phyllis (Friend) Barber.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at Grace Lawn Cemetery in Hwoard, Kansas.   Memorial contriutions are suggested to the Grace Lawn Cemetery and can be mailed to or left with the funeral home.  Countryside Funeral Home, 206 E. Washington, Howard, Kansas 67349 has been entrusted with arrangements.

(taken from the Countryside Funeral Home website)