10/6/1947 – 3/21/2026
Lawrence
Dennis Edward Nystrom, 78, of Lawrence, Kansas, passed away peacefully at his home on the morning of Saturday, March 21, 2026, surrounded by his family and loved ones. He lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, but fought hard and with immense courage until the very end.
Dennis was born on October 6, 1947, the son of Evar Walter Nystrom and Marie Elizabeth (Ross) Nystrom. He built a long and dedicated career at Hallmark Cards, eventually retiring after 42 years of service.
On October 30, 1982, Dennis was united in marriage to Cheryl Doonan. She survives at the home. The two shared a wonderful life together, and in their retirement years, they loved hitting the road to travel the country together as “Snow Birds.”
In addition to his beloved wife, Cheryl, Dennis leaves behind a loving family, including his children: Paul Nystrom of Lawrence, KS; Denise Nystrom of Belton, MO; Kenny Nystrom and his wife, Liz, of Perry, KS; Chellie Doonan of Lawrence, KS; and Nichole Doonan and Bob of Lecompton, KS. His wonderful legacy will continue to live on through his 10 cherished grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends for a visitation and gathering to celebrate Dennis’s life on Monday, April 6, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home in Lawrence.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial contributions be made to the Lawrence Humane Society or the Lawrence Cancer Center, which may be sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Note: The Lawrence Times is offering Lawrence and Douglas County community members space to publish remembrances of loved ones who lived in this community, free of charge. These pieces are submitted by family and friends of the deceased and not written by our staff. Photos are also provided to the publication, and some may have been altered prior to submission. Read more obituaries here.
We are honored to be able to offer this service free to community members in mourning. We believe the last thing our neighbors need in those difficult moments is another financial matter to worry about. Please support the Times to help us continue providing this service — and news access — for all.
To submit an obituary to The Lawrence Times, please fill out the form at this link. We’re sorry, but we cannot accept obituary submissions via email or other means.
Receive obituaries via email
As of May 2026, we are launching a newsletter that will include obituaries only. Obituaries will no longer appear in our daily emails. You can sign up below to receive any and all of our emails. If you already receive our daily, weekly and/or occasional emails and you want to keep receiving them, please check those boxes as well.
Please make sure you click on the button that says “Yes, subscribe me to this list” in the email you receive or you will not receive future emails. That extra step is to protect you and make sure you’re not getting emails you don’t want.



