Goering, Peter W. (1948-2009)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2009 May 25 p. 9

Birth date: 1948 Sep 23

text of obituary:

PETER W. GOERING JR.

Peter W. Goering Jr., 60, of Topeka, Kan., died Feb. 7, 2009, at home after a courageous two-year battle with cancer. He was born Sept. 23, 1948, to Peter and Mary (Henderson) Goering in Goessel.

He graduated from Lehigh Rural High School in 1966, among the last class to graduate from that school. He attended Bethel College for two years before transferring to Kansas State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1970.

After two years spent in I-W at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, he began his career in journalism in 1973 when he accepted a job as sportswriter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He covered college sports for many years before being named assistant sports editor in 1981. In 1990 he became sports editor, a position he held until being named managing editor in 1996. During his time in sports, he was named Kansas Sportswriter of the Year five times. He served as the Capital Journal’s executive editor, continuing to write his sports and news column until his health declined, leading to his retirement in September 2008. He received the Clyde M. Reed Jr. Master Editor Award from the Kansas Press Association in April 2008 for lifetime achievement in the newspaper industry.

Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Diane; two daughters, Debbie Redd and her husband, Ryan, of Topeka, and Elizabeth Goering of Topeka; a son, Brett Goering of Dana Point, Calif.; two sisters, Deanne Duerksen of Hillsboro and twin sister Peggy Goering-Kuck of Pacific Grove, Calif.

Funeral services were held at Christ the King Church in Topeka. Burial was in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Topeka.