Ethel Marie Kufahl

Ethel Marie Kufahl left this world to be with the Lord on December 22, 2025. She was born November 30, 1940, in Cedar Point, KS, to Orval and Agnes Pracht as the fourth of seven children.

Ethel’s childhood was spent surrounded by extended family wherever the family moved—and they moved often: Cedar Point; Talmage, KS; Americus, KS; Chapman, KS; El Paso, TX; Park City, KS; and Emporia, KS, where she attended nursing school for a year before moving to Topeka where she lived the rest of her life.

While working as a data entry operator for the State of Kansas, Ethel met her future husband, Ron, who worked in the Department of Motor Vehicles. They were married on July 7, 1963, on a sweltering summer day in the unair-conditioned Faith Lutheran Church in Topeka. They honeymooned at the Lake of the Ozarks, sharing their first meal as a married couple at a restaurant along the turnpike.

When her daughters were young, Ethel devoted herself to being a stay-at-home mother. She welcomed them home from school with warm chocolate chip cookies, kept the freezer stocked with fudgsicles and freezer pops in the summer, and greeted them with hot chocolate when they returned from playing in the snow in the winter. She served as a room mother each year, drove countless carpools, and never missed a school program, piano recital, or softball, volleyball, or basketball game. She enjoyed her soap operas while tending to her home and family.

Once her daughters were old enough to stay home on their own, Ethel returned to work for the State of Kansas, this time with the Department of Revenue, where she remained until her retirement in 2003.

Family was central to Ethel’s life. She maintained close relationships with her siblings, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. She rarely missed a family reunion and served multiple times as its president and secretary. Each summer, she spent a week with her daughters at her parents’ home, and she and Ron took their girls on annual family vacations, often to Colorado or the Ozarks.

In retirement, Ethel and Ron enjoyed traveling together, taking memorable trips to the Southwest; Alaska; Texas; Washington, DC; Washington state to see her sister; South Carolina to see one of her grandsons graduate from bootcamp; Missouri where they went canoeing; and Yellowstone National Park where they went snowmobiling.

Ethel was deeply involved in her church community at Faith Lutheran. She served on the Fellowship Committee, helping to decorate the church for Christmas and participating in social events with the group. She was a member of the Altar Guild, the Deborah Circle, and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML). Through these ministries, she delivered meals to new mothers, prepared and served lunches after funerals, and helped raise funds for various causes through the annual chicken noodle dinner. For more than 25 years, she served as secretary of the Faith branch of the Aid Association for Lutherans. Later, she and Ron volunteered as cooks at Let’s Help.

Ethel is survived by her husband, Ron; her daughters Lisa (Randy) Haag of Topeka, Pam Kufahl of Kansas City, MO, and Cindy (Tim) McCormick of Topeka; her grandchildren Dakota Haag, Cassidy Haag, Alyssa (Devin) Deters, and Brady (Madison) McCormick; and her great-grandson, Eli McCormick. She is also survived by her siblings Pearl Wilt, Dan (Anna Mae) Pracht, Dick (Martha) Pracht, and Dave Pracht, along with many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Ethel was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Ronald Andrew; her brother Donald Pracht and his wife Lois; her sister Doris Brunner and her husband Junior; her brother-in-law Rex Wilt; and her sister-in-law Vivian Pracht.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the caregivers at Interim Health Care—especially Rylie—and to the nurses and staff of Faith Home Health and Hospice for their loving care and support over the past year.

Honoring her request, cremation is planned. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on January 2, 2026, at Faith Lutheran Church in Topeka. Visitation will occur prior to the service from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.

Private family inurnment will be held at a later date.

Dove Cremations and Funerals, Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.

Memorial contributions may be made to Faith Lutheran Church, https://www.faithlutherantopeka.com/online-giving, 1716 SW Gage Blvd., Topeka KS 66604, or to the Alzheimer’s Association, https://www.alz.org/kansascity, 8001 Conser, Suite 240, Overland Park, KS 66204.

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