Arthur Lingle Obituary

A hero to many and a true blue Jayhawk, Arthur "Art" Lingle passed away on Monday, January 12, 2026 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital with family by his side. Born December 7, 1929 in Ogilvie, Minnesota, Art was the son of Alma Blanche (Slabach) and Myron Earl Lingle. He grew up on a rural farm surrounded by eleven brothers and sisters, and always told stories of their daily chores and obligations. At the age of nine, Art contracted polio and lived in an iron lung for nine months; however, for those who had the pleasure of knowing him, polio never defined Art Lingle. After his family moved to Kansas, Art graduated from McPherson High School and then went on to graduate from Salt City Business College in Hutchinson.

Art married Sandra Ellsworth on November 7, 1960, and together they had two daughters, Rebecca "Becky" Lingle Taylor, and Tami Lingle Willhite. Art and Sandra moved to Lawrence, KS and later divorced.

As a true Jayhawk fan, Art began working for the University of Kansas Office of Admissions in 1969, and he later became the Assistant Business Manager for the KU Athletics Business Office. While working in this role, Art would spend many afternoons with his grandson on the Allen Fieldhouse floor, draining one-handed, three-pointer hook shots while using his other arm to lean against his crutches. It was during these years working at KU when he met the love of his life, Dianne Eudaly, who worked in Robinson Center. The two were married on August 2, 1975 and spent fifty years together making wonderful memories. Art and Dianne enjoyed traveling, weekly dinners with friends, and hundreds of KU football and basketball games, but most of all, they were truly best friends.

Outside of his working hours at KU, Art spent much of his time completing tax returns for friends, neighbors, and colleagues or spending time at the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County as an AARP volunteer, but his true joy was in watching sports. Whether sitting on the second row during KU men's basketball games, keeping stats from the bleachers at his grandson's baseball games, strategically planning his fantasy football team from the comfort of his living room chair, or watching the GameChanger app on his iPad as his great-grandsons played baseball in North Carolina, Art was always a part of the game.

Art held many irreplaceable titles during his lifetime: son, brother, husband, Dad, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa, and friend. In each of these roles, he served as proudly as anyone could-and he did so without complaint. Despite contracting polio paralysis at such a young age, Art found ways to be productive when he could have found excuses. His ability to do this in the face of constant struggle is what so many people admired about him. He defied the odds. He beat polio and spent a lifetime making a positive impact on other's lives.

Art is survived by his wife, Dianne; daughters Becky Taylor of Lawrence and Tami Willhite and husband, Alvin of Valley Falls; stepsons Steve Eudaly and wife, Marcy McGrew Eudaly of Lawrence, and Scott Eudaly and wife, Karen Willey of Baldwin City; step-daughter Vicki Eudaly of Lawrence; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren, and two of his siblings, Shirley Gatz and Eddie Lingle. Art was preceded in death by his parents, nine of his siblings, and one of his great-granddaughters.

A private, family service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to be made in Art's name to the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary.