John Max Amos

John Max Amos of Council Grove, Kansas went home to Jesus on September 8th, 2024 at the age of 94. Max, as he was known locally, was born on July 25, 1930 in Kelso, KS to John Henry and Alice Arabelle (Henning) Amos. Growing up he enjoyed swimming in the creek & riding his pony Fritz in between his farm chores alongside his older sister Pearl Verla Nichols of Sea Ranch Lakes, FL. Raised on a farm in the 1930's gave him grit and determination throughout his life.

He married the love of his life, Anna Ruth Crosby on August 17, 1958. They were blessed with three children, Sharon J. Amos (1960-2021), Jay M. Amos (Cindy) of Wichita, KS and Karen J. Grimes (David) of Largo, FL. Max and Ruth were blessed beyond measure with four grandchildren, Parker Amos (Taylor) of Santa Monica, CA, Cameron Amos (Elizabeth) of Moscow, ID, Rebecca Grimes and Nathan Grimes, both of Largo, FL. His grandchildren were his pride & joy and he supported them in every way teaching them love and responsibility. Max instilled an ethic of hard work, thoughtful planning and stewardship of the land to all of his family.

After a grade school teacher favored some girls in his class and informed him he wouldn't make much of himself academically, he went on to earn two Bachelor’s degrees in Agricultural Economics & Business Administration and Master's degree in Production Economics from Kansas State University. He continued his studies at Ohio State University earning his PhD in 1960 and taught at Kansas State, Tulsa University, North Dakota and University of Missouri-Rolla. 

His career was noted in co-founding a Consortium of Engineering Management in collaboration with University Extension Service to consult with many companies large & small across Missouri in improving the efficiency of their operations. He is the author of over 75 publications in the field of System Engineering, energy analysis and management planning. He was co-author of two related textbooks and spoke at many conferences including internationally on topics related to engineering management. 

As a reflection of his tendencies toward efficiency, productivity and organization, Max kept a continual list of chores to be done and projects to be addressed, but all daily activities were prefaced by his favorite mantra "it depends on the weather." Max was known for his tree & brush control to restore Kansas lands back to the original tall grass prairie of the area, planting broken land back to native grass as early as 1963. However, having an eye for future generations he planted and nurtured walnut groves and pine forests for many years, and was well-known by the Forest Service as a constant buyer of seedlings for wildlife habitat.

Under Max’s management their family farm has been given multiple conservation awards including the Farm Bureau County Natural Resources Award, the Morris County Kansas Buffer Initiative, the Century Farm Award, and NRCS Grassland award for conservation in 2008. Civic involvement included a third-generation membership with the Masonic Lodge for 72 years. He also supported the Ranchland Trust of Kansas and Arbor Day Foundation. Max was a member of the Rolla Presbyterian Church for many years and served as a session elder.

Memorial donations may be given to the Ranchland Trust of Kansas or the Wilsey Fire Department.Services will be held at the Methodist Church in Council Grove, Kansas on Saturday, September 14, 2024 with a visitation at 10:00, service at 10:30, graveside at Sunny Slope Cemetery at 11:30 and luncheon at 12:00. (sawyerfuneralhome@tctelco.net).