Sfc (Ret.)Nolan Self

SFC (Ret.) Nolan Self was one of the last two remaining Buffalo Soldiers in the State of Kansas. Mr. Self passed away on September 9, 2016 at Valley View Senior Life Center, Junction City, KS. He was born on September 1, 1918 in Leesville, LA. The youngest son of the eleven children of Brack and Joanna Self. When Nolan was just a small boy, his father moved the family to Pine Bluff, AR.

Nolan was drafted into the Army and in March 1941 after serving two terms in the civilian conservation corps he was assigned to the 10th Cavalry stationed at Ft. Riley.

In 1942 at a Count Basie dance in Topeka, KS, sponsored by Joe Louis he met the woman he swore he was to marry , Wilma Pollette from Falls City, NE. They fulfilled their vows on October 21, 1942.

His military service included 5 campaigns in Europe in World War II, 16 months in Korea, and in Panama, 3 years in the National Geodetic Society (small plane mapping of upper South America and Central American Countries). Nolan retired the 31st of December 1963 and shortly thereafter, was hired as the Superintendent of the Junction City Sanitation Department, where he worked faithfully for 17 years. His proudest achievement was the number of young men he was able to mentor while they worked for him. It was a joy when so many returned as grown men to thank him for teaching them to learn the skills they needed to help them become responsible adults.

Nolan leaves to mourn his passing, his devoted wife of 74 years, his six sons, Larry (Diane), of Martinsburg, WV; Bill (Judy) of Honolulu, HI; Frank (Shirley) of Waxhaw, NC; Steve (Jane) of Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Ronnie (Rachelle) of American Canyon, CA; and Curtis (Charlotte) of Manhattan, KS; his remaining sister Loretta Williams of Richmond, CA; 20 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren, his daughter-in-law, Barbara Self of Manhattan, KS and a host of nieces and nephews, family friends, and the many countless friends that God had blessed him with through Ward Chapel Church. Nolan gave his heart to the Lord when he returned from WWII and was baptized in Lincoln, NE. Since that time he ensured the family attended church wherever they were stationed. He always knew God had richly blessed his life.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two sons, Mark and Jay.

Home Going Services will be at 11:00 a.m., Friday, September 23, 2016 at the C.L. Hoover Opera House, 135 W. 7th Street with Pastor Viola Jones officiating. Visitation will be Thursday, September 22, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home, 203 N. Washington Street. A Private family burial with full military honors will follow the services at Kansas Veterans' Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions have been designated to the Alzheimer's Association.