Dorothy Bergland Sayler Obituary

Maurine Faulkner Bergland Sayler, 95, widely published author, wife, mother, and business woman, died on Friday, December 19, 2009 in Colorado Springs. Born in Fort Scott, Kansas on January 19, 1914, Maurine grew up in Great Bend, Kansas. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Fort Hays State University, and became an Associate Professor at that university. She and her first husband, Bert Bergland, owned the Campus Book Store in Hays, Kansas for 27 years. Bert died in 1963. In 1966, she married Norvel Sayler, moving to Maryville, MO. Following his death in 1982, she moved to Estes Park, CO, and finally, to Colorado Springs in 1999. She was a published author of children's stories, most notably, "Turk, The General's Dog." She was a nationally syndicated humor columnist, and prize-winning author. She belonged to a number of writer's organizations, including the prestigious Western Writer's of America. If you did not know Maurine, your life is a bit less complete. This tiny, unpretentious woman, who hosted the famous in sports and politics her western Kansas home, was a conversational dynamo who made pen-pals of the famous, and made instant friends with strangers across the globe. To her final days, she made people laugh, her mind always churning with her sense of humor. Maurine traveled the world, and her marvelous sense of humor traveled with her, spreading warmth and friendship. Her conversations and writings put smiles on the faces of thousands. She continued to create friends and fans throughout her 95 years on this earth, and surely continues to do so in Heaven. Maurine is preceded in death by husbands Bert Edmund Bergland, and J. Norvel Sayler, her parents, a brother, two sisters, and step-daughter, Pamela Sayler. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Bert and Marti Bergland, grandchildren Kristin Ellsworth, Matthew Bergland and Nathan Bergland, step-son James Sayler, and five great-grandchildren. A Memorial service will be held on January 19th at 10:30 at First United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs. Donations may be sent to the Maurine Bergland Sayler Memorial English Scholarship at FHSU Endowment Association, P.O. Box 1060, Hays, Kansas 67601.