Lester William Donley, DO

Lester William Donley, DO, beloved physician and proud Kingman Eagle, spent 101 years living exactly where he wanted to be — in the town he loved, caring for the people in it. He died on June 19, 2026.

Lester was born on December 6, 1924, in McPherson, Kansas, arriving a few minutes before his fraternal twin brother, Leonard. When the twins were six months old, their parents, James and Anna Donley, moved the family to Kingman so that their father could establish his osteopathic practice. Family lore has it that the twins were so ornery that their mother swore off ever having any more children.

Lester grew up a true Kingman Eagle. He attended grade school and high school in Kingman, where he quarterbacked the football team all four years. In his senior year, he led the Eagles to their first undefeated and untied season. He was equally at home with a saxophone or clarinet in hand and was the founding member of the dance band "Cokey and his Cocoanuts." He graduated in 1942 with his sights set on becoming an osteopathic physician, just like his father.

After a year at Kansas State, Lester was drafted into the Army Medical Corps and stationed at Schick Army Hospital in Clinton, Iowa. When rumors spread that his unit would be transferred to the Pacific following the Battle of the Bulge, Lester seized the moment — and married his high school sweetheart, Mary Jane Baker, on March 24, 1945, in Kingman. After the war, he completed his premedical courses and was admitted to the Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in 1948. He joined his father's practice in Kingman in 1953 and never looked back.

To his patients, he was simply "Dr. Lester" or "Doc," and he was the last of a vanishing breed — the country doctor. He treated everybody like they were somebody. He made house calls and nursing home visits, truly listened, and was generous with his time in ways that are rare in any era. He had a particular love for obstetrics and claimed to have delivered over a thousand babies, often whistling cheerfully as he worked. His light-hearted demeanor and dedicated work ethic made him a beloved figure throughout the community. He was elected president of the Kansas Osteopathic Association in 1978. He was also inducted into the Kingman High School Hall of Fame in 2020.

Outside of medicine, Les was a devoted sports fan who never missed a chance to watch the Kansas City Royals or the Chiefs. He was a fervent supporter of Kingman High School athletics and music, a past vice president of both the Kingman Historical Society and the Kingman Humane Society, and a lifelong member of the Kingman Methodist Church. At his death, he was the longest continuously serving member of the Lions Club, having joined in 1953. He was a proud Kingman Eagle to the end and would not have chosen to live anywhere else.

Lester was devoted to his family. He had three children with Mary Jane: Jim, Steve, and Christine. Following her death in 1969, he found love again in Naomi Goenner, whom he married in 1971, and became a stepfather to her three children: Beverly, Mindie, and Rick, whom he loved like his own.

He is preceded in death by his father, James Donley, and his mother, Anna Donley, as well as his twin brother Leonard Donley, his first wife, Mary Jane (Baker) Donley, and his second wife, Naomi (Goenner) Donley. He is survived by his three children, Jim, Steve, and Christine; and three stepchildren, Beverly, Mindie, and Rick. He is also survived by a combination of 14 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

Memorial service will be held at the Kingman Methodist Church on Sunday, June 28, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Rivercross Hospice or The Kingman Hospital Foundation.