Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Ruth B. Willey
Ruth B. Willey, 97, of 211 N. Fairview, Pittsburg, died at 6:55 p.m. Wednesday Dec. 30, 1998, at Mt. Carmel Medical Center after a sudden illness.
She was born April 21, 1901, in Weir, the daughter of James and Myrtle Gaston Carroll. She and her family moved to the Pittsburg area in 1911.
She married Floyd C. Willey on July 21, 1921, in Girard. He preceded her in death July 20, 1986.
She was a homemaker. She was a member of the Salvation Army Church of Pittsburg.
Survivors include two sons, Carl Willey of the home, and Orval Willey, of Parsons; one daughter, Blanche Ann Sherman, of Pittsburg; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; three step-great-grandchildren and two step-great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, one son, James Willey, 12 brothers and sisters, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, at the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home of Pittsburg with the Envoy Mark Haslett of the Pittsburg Salvation Army Church officiating. Burial will follow in the Highland Park Cemetery of Pittsburg. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home where friends may call after 10 a.m. today. Arrangements are under the direction of the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, 522 S. Broadway, Pittsburg.
Amy Crapson
ERIE -- Amy Crapson, 97, of Erie, died at 5:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000, at the Arkhaven Residential Care Center, at Erie, where she had been a resident since April 8, 1986. She had been in failing health for the past several weeks.
She was born May 2, 1902, near Calvert, to Ernest W. and Margaret A. Harral Hurford. In 1911, she moved with her family to Erie, where she grew up and attended school. She also attended business college at Chanute.
She married Walter H. Crapson on Feb. 24, 1929, at Chanute. He preceded her in death on May 24, 1972. The couple lived for a time at Odense until moving to a farm near Hepler. In 1945, they purchased a farm near Walnut, where she lived until 1973, when she moved to Walnut.
She was a member of the Temple Baptist Church at Erie, the Walnut Country Club, and the 20th Century Club.
Survivors include a son, Dwight Crapson, of Walnut; two daughters, Florence French, of Lexington, Mo., and Pearl Wintjen, of Nevada, Mo.; a brother, Clarence Hurford, of Poteau, Okla.; a sister, Alberta McCoy, of Chanute; 11 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
She also was preceded in death by four brothers, two sisters, and three grandchildren.
Services will be 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Temple Baptist Church, with the Rev. Bill Bingham officiating. Burial will follow in the Walnut Cemetery. Friends may call after noon today at the Pierce-Carson-Wall Funeral Home, at Erie.
Madeline Virginia Hamacher
OPOLIS -- Madeline Virginia Hamacher, 65, of Opolis, died unexpectedly Sunday, Jan. 2, 2000, at her home.
She was born April 5, 1934, at Independence, Kan., to Warren Wendell and Roberta Bixby Scofield. She graduated in 1952 from Field McKinley Memorial High School at Coffeyville. She was a resident of Opolis since 1961, moving from Pittsburg.
She married Harry D. Hamacher on June 30, 1959, at Coffeyville. He preceded her in death on July 29, 1996.
She was a homemaker and worked part time at the Opolis Post Office. She served as acting postmaster of the Opolis Post Office for one year and retired in April of 1999.
She attended the Opolis Methodist Church.
Survivors include her mother, of Coffeyville; a brother, Jim Scofield, of Silverdale, Wash.; and two sisters, Bessie and Peggy Scofield, both of Coffeyville.
She also was preceded in death by her father.
Services will be 2 p.m. Thursday at the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, 522 S. Broadway, with Charles Mertz officiating. Burial will be in the Crocker Cemetery, at rural Pittsburg. Friends may call after 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Anne E. Redd
Anne E. Redd, 83, formerly of 103 W. Madison, died at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000, at the Presbyterian Manor at Parsons. She had been in declining health for several years.
She was born June 6, 1916, at Burton-Upon-Trent, England, to George and Eliza Ward Smith. She attended area schools and went through two years of college.
She married Lyle E. Redd on Nov. 30, 1945, at Snowden, England. He preceded her in death on Nov. 18, 1989. The couple moved to Pittsburg on Feb. 20, 1948.
She was a homemaker and worked at Wal-Mart as a retail associate. She was employed at the Pittsburg and Grove, Okla. stores for 20 years.
She was a member of the Business and Professional Women's Association and St. Peter's Episcopal Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Pat Nepote, of Erie; a brother, William Smith, of Burton-Upon-Trent; a sister, Kathleen Archer, of Burton-Upon-Trent; five grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
She also was preceded in death by a daughter, Vivian Mummert; and 10 brothers and sisters.
Services will be 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, 522 S. Broadway, with the Rev. Verl Strong officiating. Burial will follow in the Garden of Memories Cemetery. Friends may call after 11 a.m. today at the funeral home. Arrangements are under the direction of the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home.
Leonard C. Sale
JOPLIN, Mo. -- Leonard C. Sale, 82, of Joplin, Mo., died at 4:22 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000, at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, Mo., after a brief illness.
He was born June 27, 1917, at Lincoln, Neb. He moved to Pittsburg as an infant. He attended Pittsburg schools and Pittsburg State University, where he obtained a bachelors and masters degree in industrial arts.
He married Joan Lee Jester on May 29, 1952, at Joplin. She preceded him in death in 1983.
He taught at a junior college at Tonkawa, Okla., and moved to Joplin in 1950. He taught in the Joplin R-VIII school system and at Franklin Technical School. He retired in 1980.
He was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 335 and a member of the First United Methodist Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Charleen Dale, of Lee's Summit, Mo., and Susan E. Allen, of Garland, Texas; a sister, Nadine Shonk, of Joplin; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
He also was preceded in death by a daughter, Judith Ann Cockrell; and two sisters, Martha Scavezze and Mary Rogers.
Services will be 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Mason-Woodard Chapel, with the Rev. Ron Cansler officiating. Burial will be in the Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery, where Masonic rights will be performed. The family will receive friends from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Flora M. Stricklin
FRONTENAC -- Flora M. Stricklin, 70, of Frontenac, died Sunday, Jan. 2, 2000, at Mt. Carmel Medical Center. Arrangements are pending and will be announced by the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, 522 S. Broadway.
Joe Stephenson
Joe Stephenson, 79, of 702 W. Kansas, Pittsburg, died at 12:05 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1, 1999, in Kansas City, Mo.
Arrangements and additional information will be announced by the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, 522 S. Broadway, Pittsburg.
James D. Scott
James D. Scott, 53, Pittsburg, died at 5:18 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1, 1999, at Mt. Carmel Medical Center.
Funeral services and burial will take place in Mountain Grove, Mo. Local arrangements are under the direction of Brenner Mortuary, 114 E. Fourth St., Pittsburg.
Ricky L. Nutt
Ricky L. Nutt, 41, of Fort Scott, formerly of Pittsburg and McCune, died at 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, 1998, at his residence.
He was born June 22, 195, at Pittsburg to Glenn and Roberta Bloomer Nutt.
Mr. Nutt was married July 19, 1997, at Erie to Irene E. Van Wyck. She survives of the home.
Mr. Nutt had lived in Fort Scott for the past two year and was employed as an inspector for V-Belt Manufacturing Company, Fort Scott.
Additional survivors include his mother, Roberta Angelo, Ft. Bragg, Calif.; his father, Glenn, and his wife, Dianne, McCune; two step-daughters, Tishia and Bailey Mundell, both of Nixa, Mo.; one brother, Edward Nutt, Mindenmines, Mo.; one sister, Sheila Nutt, Spokane, Wash.; one step-brother, Alan Timmons, Jacksonville, S.C.; one half-sister, Nita Wells, Maxwell, Calif., and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Kenny Nutt; his mother, Ann Nutt, who raised him, and his maternal and paternal grandparents.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, 1999, at the United Methodist Church, McCune, with the Rev. Daryl Gaddy officiating. Burial will be in the McCune Cemetery, McCune. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, at the United Methodist Church in McCune. Arrangements are under the direction of Allee-Reed Funeral Home, Camdenton, Mo.
Charles B. Matlock
Charles B. Matlock, 76, 925 E. 260th St., died at 6:25 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, 1998, at Mt. Carmel Medical Center. He was in ill health for the past 10 years and had been a patient for two weeks.
Mr. Matlock was born Nov. 15, 1922 in Springfield, Mo., to Benjamin F. and Grace L. (Scroggs) Matlock. He grew up and attended schools in the Springfield area and attended Southwest Missouri State University and a business college. Mr. Matlock was employed as an accountant and trainmaster for the Frisco Burlington Northern Railroad in Springfield for 35 years. He and his family came to Pittsburg in 1969 from Springfield. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Airforce from 1942-46. He was an active leader in the Boy Scouts, and an avid sportsman and golfer.
He was a charter member of the Jefferson Ave. Baptist Church in Springfield. Since moving to Pittsburg he had attended the First United Methodist Church.
He married Mary Elizabeth Moore on Dec. 25, 1941. She survives of the home. He is also survived by one son, Charles F. Matlock Jr., Cambridge, Mass.; a sister, Betty June Grantham, Independence, Mo., and one grandson. He was preceded in death by one brother, John David Matlock.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 4 at the Brenner Chapel with Rev. Theodore A. Inman of the First United Methodist Church officiating. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday at the Hopedale Cemetery, Springfield. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Brenner Chapel, where friends may call after 10 a.m. Sunday. Arrangements are under the direction of the Brenner Mortuary, 114 E. Fourth St., Pittsburg.
James L. Lear
James L. Lear, 65, of Sheldon, Mo., died Thursday, Dec. 31, 1998, at Nevada Regional Medical Center following a sudden illness.
He was born March 29, 1933, in Pratt to James L. Lear and Nettie Elizabeth Morgan Lear. On July 21, 1969, he married Donna Spangler in Idabel, Okla. She survives of the home.
Lear lived for 20 years in Louisiana, working as a heavy equipment operator before coming to Sheldon in 1983. For the past eight years, he had owned and operated Leased Overnight Trucking. He attended Sheldon Baptist Church.
Survivors in addition to his wife include six sons, Terry Lear, of Tioga, La., Tony Lear, of Lake Charles, La., Ted Lear, of Edna, Jerry Saling Lear, of Centerview, Mo., Casey Saling Lear, of Pittsburg, and Troy Lear, of Sheldon; five daughters, Cindy Hudson, of Amsterdam, Mo., Tanya Williams, of West Lake, La., Teresa Spencer, of Sheldon, Tina Koehn, of Rich Hill, Mo., and Donna D. Welch, of Knoxville, Tenn.; four brothers, Tom Lear, of Pratt, Mike Lear, of Edna, Wayne Morgan, of Van Alstyne, Texas, Jack Lear, of Shreveport, La.; two sisters, Trudy Deaton, of Texarkana, Ark., and Judy Edwards, of Evansville, Ind.; 26 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother and two daughters.
Funeral services will be 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, at Beeny-Ferry Funeral Home, Sheldon. Rev. Jim McCoy will officiate. Internment will follow at the Sheldon Cemetery, Sheldon. Friends may call today and Sunday after noon at Beeny-Ferry Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.
Bessie Dutton
Bessie Dutton, 91, of Scammon, formerly of Joplin, Mo., died at 4:18 p.m. Friday, Jan. 1, 1999, at the Beverly Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburg.
Arrangements and additional information will be announced by the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, 104 W. Main, Weir.
Steven Denby
Steven Denby, 39, of Girard, died Thursday night, Dec. 31, 1998, from injuries received in an automobile accident.
Additional obituary and service information will be released by the Brenner Mortuary. Arrangements are under the direction of the Brenner Mortuary, 114 E. Fourth St., Pittsburg.
Eva Roberta Pittman Bunney
Eva Roberta Pittman Bunney, 75, Louisburg, formerly of Chicopee, died Friday, Jan. 1, 1999, at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.
Arrangements and additional information will be announced by the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, 522 S. Broadway, Pittsburg.
Bill Frank Bowen
JOPLIN, Mo. -- Bill Frank Bowen, 88, of Joplin, Mo., died Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, after a brief illness.
He was born July 21, 1912, at Weir, the youngest of seven children, to Frank and Lillian Herrick Bowen. They preceded him in death.
He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in education from Kansas State Teachers College.
He taught high school English. He also served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
He married Joan Harrison Jones of Joplin in 1949. She preceded him in death.
They moved to New York, where he was a photographer and portrait artist.
In the early 1970s, the Bowens and their three sons returned to Joplin.
Mr. Bowen's portraits and landscapes hang in area homes and institutions.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church, Joplin.
Survivors include three sons, Robert B. Bowen of Joplin, Douglas M. Bowen of Overland Park, and Stephen W. Bowen of Kansas City, Kan.; a step-daughter, Christy Halliwell of Warsaw, Mo.; and five grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two brothers and four sisters.
Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church. Family will receive friends at the church following the services. Private intermenty will be in the Hosey Hill Cemetery, Weir, at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Parker Mortuary, Joplin.
John Miller Cox
ARCADIA -- John Miller Cox, 78, of Arcadia, died Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, at Mercy Hospital, Fort Scott, after a short illness.
He was born July 9, 1922, at Mulberry, to Henry Harrison and Mary Caroline Kepple Cox. He attended area schools.
He married Ethel Prettyman on Dec. 9, 1940, at Lamar, Mo. She preceded him in death Dec. 24, 1998.
He married Dorothy Chase. She survives of the home.
Mr. Cox was self-employed in the metal salvage and hay hauling business. He retired in 1985.
He was a member of the Crossroads Full Gospel Church of Woodland, Calif., where he wa an elder/deacon.
Additional survivors include two sons, Jack D. Cox of Sacramento, Calif., and Calvin E. Cox of Albany, Ore.; three daughters, Rebecca Galbraith of Woodland, Betty Armus of Esparto, Calif., and Reba D. Setnik of McCloud, Okla.; a sister, Juanita Perceli of Fort Angelos, Wash.; 27 grandchildren; 52 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, John Miller Cox Jr.; a daughter, Mary Ann Kee; two brothers; and four sisters.
Memorial services will be Saturday, Jan. 6, 2001, at Woodland. Local arrangements are under the direction of the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, 522 S. Broadway.
