Tom J. Feist, 77 passed away on January 17, 2011 at Via Christi Hospital Wichita, KS. He is survived by two sons Jay and Todd (Wichita) and four daughters Kathy Vescovi (Kansas City), Paula Alefs (Wichita), Jill Utz (Oklahoma City), Jodi King (London), 15 grandchildren and his close friend Sandy Hines (Spearville, KS). He is also survived by all seven of his siblings, Jim Feist (Spearville), Jane Steimel (Bethesda, MD), Betty Holloway (Wichita), Marion Rainbolt (San Diego), Jesse Feist (Lake Charles, LA) Diane Lawrence (Denver) and Carol Woods (Denver).
Tom was a life-long resident of Spearville, Kansas. He received his BA of Education at St. Mary of the Plains College and served as President of the Alumni Association. He taught history at Spearville High School (1959-1972) and served on the Spearville Board of Education as well as farmed and ranched in the area. He was co-founder and President of Feist Publications, Inc (1977-2004) and was named Publisher of the Year 1991-1992. He served on the Boards of Yellow Pages Publishers Association and the Association of Directory Publishers where he served as president. In 2003 he received The Kelsey Group's "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his innovative leadership in the yellow pages industry. Tom was also the owner and board member of the Ford County State Bank. Among his proudest achievements, particularly as a history enthusiast was making history by winning an unanimous decision in the U.S. Supreme Court landmark case, Rural vs. Feist, forever changing copyright law. He was a civil war buff, an avid runner, cyclist, landscape photographer and big fan of the K.C. Royals, Chiefs and Jayhawks.
Services provided by Burkhart-Ziegler, Dodge City, KS. Funeral Mass will be held Saturday, January 22 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Church Spearville, Kansas with Fr. Ted D. Stoecklein presiding. Commemorative vigil will be held at Burkhart-Ziegler Funeral Chapel Friday, Jan 21 at 7:00pm. Visitation will be Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the chapel. Condolences may be placed on www.burkhart-ziegler.com.