Earl Francis Jr.
Earl W. Francis Jr., 47, 2423 Virginia Ave., died at 2:50 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1998, at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin,
after two months of ill health. Mr. Francis was born July 26, 1950, in Joplin and was a lifetime resident. He graduated from Joplin High School in 1968 and Missouri Southern State College in 1973 with a history degree. He owned and operated E&G Antiques and Collectibles in Joplin the past four years.
He was a charter member of St. James United Methodist Church, where he was a lay leader and president of the United Methodist Men's Group and former choir director.
He married Gail Corrington on Oct. 12, 1973, in Joplin. She survives.
Additional survivors include a son, Shawn Francis, of the home; and a brother, Gregory Francis, Joplin.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. James United Methodist Church. The Rev. George Wade, the Rev. Bob Simon and the Rev. Louis Lowe will officiate. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery, Webb City.
Pallbearers will be Thomas Hamilton, Bill Barnett, Mike Maddox, Dale Bingham, Rick Stiles and Tyler Burress.
Members of the St. James United Methodist Men's group will sit together.
Visitation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. today at Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary.
Contributions may be made to the St. James United Methodist Church building fund.
Bud Gray
L.R. "Bud" Gray, 79, Joplin, died at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1997, at Freeman Neosho Hospital after a long illness.
Mr. Gray was born Aug. 5, 1918, in Joplin, and was a lifetime resident. He worked for 20 years as a commercial construction worker, retiring in 1980. He was a member of Spring City Baptist Church, Spring City. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II.
He married Eva Belle Boyd on Oct. 5, 1940, at Neosho. She died Aug. 24, 1983. His second wife, Helen Gray, died Dec. 14, 1992.
He was also preceded in death by a son.
Survivors include a son, Bill Gray, Joplin; a stepson, Jim Harvey, Joplin; three daughters, Jeannie Caylor, Neosho, Nancy Craven, Racine, and Sharon Jones, Dickinson, Texas; a stepdaughter, Kenna Calentine, Saginaw; four sisters, Elsie Stevens, Alba, Helen O'Donnel, state of Arizona, Esther Moxley, Redding, Calif., and Hazel Altman, Joplin; 21 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Parker Mortuary, Joplin, with the Rev. Johnny Wilkins and the Rev. Jack Daniels officiating. Burial will be in Osborne Memorial Cemetery, Joplin.
Pallbearers will be Eddie Craven, Scott Sprenger, Wayne Sampson, Keith Gray, Richard Jones and Wade Jones.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the mortuary.
William Kirby
William R. Kirby, 45, Auxvasse, a Joplin native, died Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 6, 1998, at Boone Hospital Center, Columbia, after a long illness.
Mr. Kirby was born April 12, 1952, in Joplin. He attended Liberal High School. He was a rental manager at U.S. Rents-It. He was a member of Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church and the Hatton Extension Club.
He married Nancy J. Knipp on Jan. 24, 1992. She survives.
Additional survivors include four sons, Trever Kirby and Zachary Kirby, both of Columbia; Sean Kirby, Denver, Colo., and Kasey A. Kirby, Hatton; a stepson, Gregory Adkins, Columbia; his father and mother, Kirmit and Wanda Kirby, Asbury; two sisters, Kay McKee, Liberal, and Lois LeVaugh, Sheldon; and a grandchild.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Nashville Christian Church. Burial will be in Nashville Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday at Nashville Christian Church.
Contributions may be made to Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church or the Kasey Kirby Education Fund, in care of Parker Funeral Service, Columbia.
Wilhelm Fritz
Wilhelm Fritz, 92, Luebeck, Germany, died Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1998, at his home after an illness. He was the father of Heike Weston, 4301 S. Sergeant Ave.
Mr. Fritz was born Dec. 1, 1905, in Germany. He was an engineer in the estimating department for Schlichting Weft Ship Builders before retiring in 1972. He also built U-boats in Germany before 1939. In the early 1930s, he served as bodyguard for Willie Brandt, former chancellor of Germany.
He married Magdalene Gillert on Jan. 21, 1937, at Luebeck. She preceded him in death.
Additional survivors include three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
The body will be cremated.
Memorial services are pending with Clark Funeral Home, Neosho. Burial will be in IOOF Cemetery, Neosho.
Rena Baker
CARTHAGE, Mo. - Rena M. Baker, 90, Carthage, died at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1998, at a Carthage nursing home after a long illness.
Mrs. Baker was born Oct. 11, 1907, at Golden City. She moved to Carthage in 1968. She was a Baptist.
She married Isaac L. Baker on May 3, 1952, at Las Vegas, Nev. He died Feb. 13, 1970.
There are no immediate survivors.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Park Cemetery, Carthage.
Arrangements are under direction of Knell Mortuary, Carthage.
Charles Erickson
WASHBURN, Mo. - Charles Raymond Erickson, 75, Washburn, died at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, 1998, at his home after a sudden illness.
Mr. Erickson was born June 13, 1922, at Turley, Okla. He was a self-employed carpenter. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Coast Guard.
His wife, Lois Erickson, died in 1986.
There are no immediate survivors.
No services are planned. Private burial will be at a later date.
Arrangements are under the direction of Williamson Funeral Home, Cassville.
Gerald Fuller
NOEL, Mo. - Gerald Lee Fuller, 50, Noel route 2, died at 11:52 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, 1998, at Washington Regional Hospital, Fayetteville, Ark., after a sudden illness.
Mr. Fuller was born March 1, 1946, at Garrett, Ind. He had lived in the Noel area for 13 years, moving there from Hicksville, Ohio. He was a driver for Q Carrier, based in Savage, Minn. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He also was a member of the Nazarene Church.
He married Vicki McFeters on March 10, 1965, at Auburn, Ind. She survives.
Additional survivors include a son, Ronald Edward Fuller, Hamilton, Ind.; three daughters, Redena Gayle Fuller, Bryan, Ohio, Cynthia Fuller, Garrett, and Jalinda Cathleen Freeman, Noel; a brother, Steven Michael Fuller, Auburn; a sister, Patricia Keplar, Noel; and eight grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Ozark Funeral Home, Anderson. Burial will be in Butler Creek Cemetery, Sulphur Springs, Ark.
Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Gwendolyn Henderson
SOUTHWEST CITY, Mo. - Gwendolyn Lee Henderson, 90, Southwest City route 1, died at 7:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, 1998, in an Anderson nursing home after an illness.
Mrs. Henderson was born Jan. 16, 1907, at Clarksburg. She had lived in the Southwest City area all of her life. She was a homemaker.
She was a member of the Southwest City Full Gospel Church.
Her husband, Gordon Henderson, died in 1945.
Survivors include two sons, Robert Henderson, Joplin, and Denzel Henderson, Dayton, Ohio; and 10 grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Southwest City Full Gospel Church. The Rev. Mark Short and the Rev. Dennis Brannan will officiate. Burial will be in Saratoga Cemetery, near Southwest City.
Visitation will be from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday at Ozark Funeral Home, Southwest City, where the family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Edwin Hill
STELLA, Mo. - Edwin E. Hill, 49, Stella, died at 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1998, at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, as the result of an automobile accident that occurred on Sept. 5, 1997.
Mr. Hill was born Aug. 4, 1948, at Neosho. He was a lifetime resident of the Neosho and Stella areas. He was a forklift operator for Sunbeam Leisure Products. He formerly worked at Talbot Wire in Neosho for five years.
Survivors include his father, Richard W, Hill, Monett; his mother, Jean White, Stella; two brothers, Gary Hill, Neosho, and Jack Hill, Granby; and two sisters, Kathy Morris and Karen Nagurne, both of Neosho.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Clark Funeral Home, Neosho. Burial will be in Hazel Green Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Michael Hill, Stephen Hill, Gary Lynn Hill, Richard Hill, Jack Hill and Scott Hill.
The body may be viewed after 9 a.m. today at the funeral home, where the family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. today.
Shirley Hill
WEBB CITY, Mo. - Shirley D. Hill, 62, Springfield, a former Webb City area resident, died at 7:55 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, 1997, at St. John's Regional Health Center, Springfield, after a long illness.
Mrs. Hill was born Feb. 13, 1935, at Oilton, Okla. She was a homemaker. She was a Jehovah's Witness and attended Beacon Hill Congregation in Springfield.
She married Richard L. Hill on May 29, 1952. He survives.
Additional survivors include two daughters, Trish Katz, San Francisco, Calif., and Becky Bunch, Lampe; two sons, Tim Hill and Bryan Hill, both of Springfield; three sisters, Roberta Shaw, Webb City, LaWanda Wood, Neosho, and Aline Bray, Springfield; and two grandsons.
The body has been cremated.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Scenic Heights/Parkview Congregation, Springfield.
Arrangements are under the direction of Greenlawn Funeral Home South, Springfield.
Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Beacon Hill Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Springfield.
Mary Morris
LAMAR, Mo. - Mary Elza Morris, 91, Burlington, Kan., formerly of Lamar, died at 3 a.m. Tuesday at a Burlington nursing home after a short illness.
Mrs. Morris was born Jan. 28, 1906, at Cayuga, Okla. She had lived in Lamar since 1951, moving from Kingman, Kan. She moved to Burlington a short time ago to be near her family. She was a homemaker and a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Lamar.
She married Charles L. Morris on Aug. 9, 1926, at Grove, Okla. He died July 24, 1996.
She was also preceded in death by a son and two daughters.
Survivors include five sons, Charles R. Morris, La Habra, Calif., Glenn Morris and Delbert Morris, both of Arlington, Texas, Dan Morris, Irvine, Calif., and Gene Morris, Riverside, Calif.; three daughters, Elizabeth Jones, Cherokee, Okla., Leona Lichlyter, Burlington, and Betty Foster, Republic; 22 grandchildren. and 17 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Lohmeyer-Konantz Funeral Home, Lamar, with Jack Davis and Ralph Williston officiating. Burial will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery, Lamar.
Grandsons will serve as pallbearers.
Contributions may be made to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in care of the funeral home.
Kermit Neas
NEVADA, Mo. - Kermit Walker Neas, 89, Nevada, died Tuesday morning, Jan. 6, 1998, at a Nevada nursing home after an illness of several months.
He was born Sept. 4, 1908, at Irwin. He was a lifetime area resident and farmer.
He married Opal Ann Moore on Jan. 12, 1929, at Sheldon. She died Feb. 7, 1987.
He was also preceded in death by two infant sons.
Survivors include two daughters, Betty Pritchett, Milo, and Sue Hinkle, Nevada; two brothers, Jack Neas and Cawood Neas, both of Nevada; a sister, Dorothy Young, Sheldon; six grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada, with the Rev. Carl Craig officiating. Burial will be in Sheldon Cemetery.
Friends may call from now until the hour of service at the funeral home, where the family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. today.
Contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, in care of the funeral home.
Willis Troutman
SHELL KNOB, Mo. - Willis A. Troutman, 77, Shell Knob, died at 3:42 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5, 1998, at Carroll Regional Medical Center, Berryville, Ark., after a short illness.
Mr. Troutman was born Dec. 10, 1920, at Parker, Kan. He retired in 1983 after 42 years of service from Beech Aircraft, Wichita, Kan., where he was crew chief in the spot welding department. After retiring, he moved to Shell Knob in 1989.
He was a member of the United Methodist church and attended Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church at Wichita. He was a member of Albert Pike Lodge No. 0303, AF&AM, and the York Rite Temple, both of Wichita. He was an Army-Air Force veteran of World War II.
He married Lorraine Huff on June 5, 1942, at Wichita. She survives.
Additional survivors include a daughter, Patricia Renee King, Haysville, Kan.; a brother, Leroy Troutman, Osawatomie, Kan.; two grandchildren; and two stepgrandchildren.
The body will be cremated.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Cochran Mortuary, Wichita. Private burial will be at a later date.
Local arrangements are under the direction of Williamson Funeral Home, Shell Knob.
Contributions may be made to the Hospice Care of Carroll Regional Medical Center, Berryville, Ark., or the Shell Knob First Responders, in care of the Shell Knob funeral home.
Inez Weber
NEVADA, Mo. - Inez Nadine Morris Weber, 82, Nevada, died Monday, Jan. 5, 1998, at Nevada Regional Medical Center after a long illness.
Mrs. Weber was born Feb. 21, 1915, in Vernon County.
She worked for Matson Navigation, American President and Prudential Grace Lines cruise ships for many years, retiring in 1974.
She married Edward Weber. He survives.
Other survivors include a brother, W.E. Morris, Nevada.
The body has been cremated. No services are planned.
Arrangements are under the direction of Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada.
Patsy Cook
GALENA, Kan. - Patsy Coline Cooper Cook, 64, Galena, died at 10:35 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, 1998, at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, after a long illness.
Mrs. Cook was born Feb. 10, 1933, in Galena, and was a lifetime area resident. She worked for several years at the Kansas Army Ordnance Plant, Parsons. She later worked for Vogel Mills and Manufacturing, Galena.
She married Orville Cook on July 20, 1988, at Miami, Okla. He died Oct. 3, 1990.
Survivors include two sons, Bob Best, Havelock, N.C., and Rick Best, Galena; four daughters, Shirley Thomas, Tulsa, Okla., Dianna Dudley, Carl Junction, Mo., Cindy Fitzer, McLoud, Okla., and Sherry Green, Galena; a stepson, Jim Cook, Granby; two stepdaughters, Mary Tallman and Joanna Cook, both of Joplin; two sisters, Berneice Riley, Galena, and Sara Barbaria, Dickinson, Texas; 14 grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Derfelt Funeral Home, Galena, with the Rev. Charles Idleman officiating. Burial will be in Gandy Cemetery, west of Galena.
Pallbearers will be David Thomas, Matthew Thomas, Paul Dudley, Patrick Best, Greg Cantrell and Donald Brand.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Contributions may be made to the American Lung Association or St. Joh's Mercy Regional Health Foundation, in care of the funeral home.
May Boyd
MIAMI, Okla. - Services for May Pearl Boyd, 78, Miami, who died Sunday, will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at First United Methodist Church, Miami. The Rev. Charles Horton will officiate. Burial will be in Glenn-Abbey Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Miami.
Pallbearers will be Louis Green Jr., Maurice Snethen, Earl Goodman, Johny McVay, Frank Hansford and Jim Stackable.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at Cooper-Althouse Funeral Home, Miami.
Contributions may be made to Hillcrest Kidney Specialists of Oklahoma, in care of the funeral home.
Verna Hocker
JAY, Okla. - Verna Ann Hocker, 96, Jay, died at 10:42 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1998, at a Grove nursing home after a long illness.
Mrs. Hocker was born March 17, 1901, at Thompson, Ark. She moved to Jay in 1950 and to Grove a few years ago. She was a member of First Assembly of God in Jay. She had worked at Tinker Air Force Base, Midwest City, and was a technical nurse at the Guinn Nursing Home, Jay.
She married George Louis Hocker on June 19, 1916, in Tulsa. He died Feb. 2, 1996.
She was also preceded in death by two sons.
Survivors include two daughters, Maxine Duncan, Oklahoma City, and Patricia Bragg, Cushing; two sons, Norman Hocker, Quapaw, and Daniel Hocker, Oklahoma City; 35 grandchildren; 72 great-grandchildren; and 18 great-great grandchildren.
Arrangements are pending with Hinderliter-Woodard Funeral Service, Jay.
Bus Pendley
MIAMI, Okla. - Lester E. "Bus" Pendley, 83, 1926 L St. S.W., died at 4:15 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, 1998, at Baptist Regional Health Center, Miami, after a long illness.
Mr. Pendley was born April 20, 1914, at Pekin, Ill., and was a longtime Miami resident. He retired from the former Northeastern Oklahoma Railroad, later the Frisco Railroad. He was a member of First Christian Church, Miami, where he was a Sunday School teacher and a deacon.
He married Bertha Bartman on Dec. 6, 1937, at Pineville. She survives.
Additional survivors include three sons, Ken Pendley, Miami, Lester Harold Pendley, Roger, Neb., and Jerry Pendley, Clifton, Va.; a daughter, Jean Voiles, Miami; a sister, Ruby Nichols, Miami; a brother, J.R. Pendley, Miami; 10 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at GAR Cemetery, Miami, with Albert Amos, minister, officiating.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Cooper-Althouse Funeral Home, Miami.
Denis Ralph
COMMERCE, Okla. - Denis Nelson Ralph, 73, 305 N. Cedar St., died at 9:05 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1998, at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, after a short illness.
Mr. Ralph was born Sept. 11, 1924, in Commerce, and was a lifetime resident. He was a band and vocal instructor and basketball coach for Commerce High School for 39 years. He was a member of the Ottawa County Retired Teachers Association and First United Methodist Church, Commerce.
He married Wilma Dean McFall on Dec. 25, 1945, in Commerce. She survives.
Additional survivors include two sons, Larry D. Ralph, Broken Arrow, and David A. Ralph, Weatherford; three daughters, Janie Ream, Texarkana, Texas, Barbara Kessler, Sania Park, N.M., and Cindy Martin, Owasso; a brother, Damon Ralph, Norman; and 13 grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church, Commerce, with the Rev. William Forrest officiating. Burial will be in GAR Cemetery, Miami.
Pallbearers will be Danny Boyd, Carol Giles, Greg Giles, Tom Harris, Dustin Hayes and Pat Rogers.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Paul Thomas Funeral Home, Miami.
Anna Smith
MIAMI, Okla. - Anna Maria Smith, 72, 41 N. Main, died Sunday, Jan. 4, 1998, at Baptist Regional Health Center, Miami, after an illness.
Mrs. Smith was born July 31, 1925, in Dublin, Ireland. She moved to Miami in 1973 from Galena, Kan. She was a homemaker and a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Miami.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bobby J. Smith.
Survivors include two sons, William B. Smith, Oregon City, Ore., and Lawrence Smith, address unknown; a brother, William Black, Dublin; and three sisters, Margaret Steigerwald, state of New Jersey, Sarah T. Gross, Boston, Mass., and Renee T. Halterlein, Readville, Tenn.
Arrangements are pending with Guilford-Thomas Funeral Home, Miami.
Janice Trask
GROVE, Okla. - Janice Janet Trask, 60, Grove, died at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, 1998, at her son's home in Grove after a long illness.
Mrs. Trask was born March 1, 1937, at Miami. She had lived in Grove the past 15 years, moving from Miami. She graduated from Fairland High School. She worked as an in-home health-care provider. She was a member of Bernice Baptist Church.
She married Claude Trask on July 22, 1953, at Miami. He survives.
Additional survivors include three sons, Claude "Slugger" Trask Jr., Afton, Michael "Skipper" Trask, Bernice, and Zachary Trask, Grove; a daughter, Lisa Nelson, rural Afton; three brothers, Coy Nichols, Baxter Springs, Kan., Com Nichols, Miami, and John Nichols, Parsons, Kan.; four sisters, Wanda Baldwin, Grove, Ann Campbell, Parker, Colo., Jean McNelis, Miami, and Georgia Bowen, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and 11 grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Paul Thomas Funeral Home, Miami, with the Rev. Chester Crittenden officiating. Burial will be in GAR Cemetery, Miami.
Pallbearers will be Slugger Trask, Skipper Trask, Bob Deatherage, Eric Van Dyke, Loren Jarvis and Sam Davis.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
