John Wingfield Obituary

John Wingfield, retired associate professor in the Grain Science Department of Kansas State University, died in Winfield, Kansas at the Cumbernauld Village care home, on May 28, 2020. John was born in Norton, Kansas to Roy and Ona Wingfield. He grew up in Norton and met his future wife, Barbara Hubbard there.. When he turned eighteen, in June of 1945, he enlisted in the Navy and served aboard the U.S.S Boston, a heavy cruiser, and for a brief time, the aircraft carrier Essex.

After the war, John studied at Kansas State University in Manhattan, first majoring in chemical engineering, then changing to grain science with a degree in cereal chemistry. After he graduated, John worked for several milling companies, including General Mills, and the Red Star Mill in Wichita. Most of his milling career was with Colorado Milling and Elevator in Denver, Colorado, where he and his wife Barbara married in 1951 and brought up their family. During his long milling career, John designed and oversaw the construction of several mills and productions plants.

He served as president of the Association of Operative Millers during 1965-66.

In 1968 John and his family moved to Seattle to work as a corporate engineer for Univar Corp, designing an automated warehouse in San Francisco among his accomplishments. In 1971, John was appointed vice president of Centennial Mills, a division of Univar in Portland, Oregon He retired from Centennial Mills in 1976 to teach at his alma mater, K-State, in the grain science department. While teaching, he earned his master's degree in 1979. He was appointed associate professor in 1981. He retired from teaching in 1990.

John travelled around the world while teaching at K-State, as adviser for U. S. Wheat Associates. John also wrote several papers while teaching, and a book, A Dictionary of Milling Terms and Equipment.

John served as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, Kansas. He wrote several devotional books on the Christian faith.

John's first wife, Barbara, died in 1994 after forty-three years of marriage. He was remarried to Veon Woodfin afterward for twelve years before she, too, passed away. They lived happily together in Laguna Woods, California. After Vee's death, John returned to Kansas. He remarried again, to Norma Hubbard, who passed away in 2019, after many years of happiness together. John was close to Norma's children: Ronald, Richard, Elizabeth, and Lisa, and to their children, and to their children, as well.

John is survived by two children, Rev. William Wingfield and his wife Vickie, of Wellington, Kansas; and Diane Wingfield and her husband David Nixon of Los Altos, California.

John's grandchildren are Amy Lyle and her husband Jonathan of Santa Rosa, California, and Elizabeth Oldag and her husband Andrew of Bellevue, Washington, Vanessa and Aaron Wingfield of Wellington. He has four great- grandchildren, Camden and Marian Lyle, and Autumn and Penelope Oldag, great-grandchildren. He has a step-grandson Mike Nixon with his wife Becky with their children Ana, Alex and Robby; and a step-granddaughter Kate Beck with her husband Jim, with their children: Josie and Rory.

A memorial service in Manhattan will be conducted when John's family from around the country can attend. He will be buried in Sunrise Cemetery.