By 1907, Chester and his family were living in Fowler, Kansas. Several newspaper articles show he and his sister in several wedding parties along with Bertha and Frank Lasater (brother & sister).
In 1909, newspapers show Chester in business with Frank Lasater. The picture to the right shows Lasater and Mendenhall and two women (girlfriends/wives?) in front of their restaurant- The Way-Side Restaurant- located in Fowler, Kansas.
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| 30 April 1909 The Fowler News Fowler, Kansas |
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| Way-Side Restaurant Ad 23 April 1909 The Fowler News Fowler, Kansas |
I don't know when the store opened, but also by 1909, the two men also owned a hardware store called Lasater and Mendenhall.
Chester's business partner was George Franklin "Frank" Lasater (1886-1969). He was born to George Washington Lasater and Jennie Bell Bosley. Their daughter Bertha married Chester on April 3, 1910 in Fowler.
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| Chester and Bertha on their wedding day |
Chester and Bertha had 3 children together:
Virginia Margaret (1911-2008)
Howard (1913-2010)
Maxine (1920-1981)
Chester and Frank were in business together all of their lives and I'm sure their families grew up together. Chester died on June 11 1959 at the age of 70. He died at his home following a heart attack. He is buried in the Fowler Cemetery alonside his wife Bertha.
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| Chester's obituary in the newspaper 18 Jun 1959 The Fowler News Fowler, Kansas This was the biggest I could get the newspaper article to appear into the blog post- if you would like a transcript, please let me know. |
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| Gravestone of Chester and Bertha Mendenhall |
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