Donald W. Brecht
1925-1999
FALLS CITY, Neb. -- Donald W. Brecht, 73, Falls City, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 1999, at an Omaha, Neb., hospital.
Mr. Brecht began working for the Kennedy Vault Co. in Falls City in 1950 and became a partner in the business in 1952. He purchased Mr. Kennedy's interest when he died in 1973 and renamed it the Brecht Vault Co. Mr. Brecht sold the business to Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Kreifels in 1984. He also was employed by the Dorr Funeral Home since 1986.
He assisted his father on the farm after graduating from high school. Then after the service, he farmed south of Falls City for a year.
Born in Falls City on Aug. 17, 1925, he was reared southeast of Falls City. He was a graduate of the Falls City high school and served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946.
Mr. Brecht was a member of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, where he served on the council; Falls City County Club, of which he was a past president; Lions Club, of which he was a past president; Elks Lodge No. 963; American Legion Post No. 102, of which he was a past commander; Jaycees, of which he was a past president; and Steele Cemetery Board, all of Falls City; and United Commercial Travelers and Travelers Protection Association.
On Feb. 10, 1945, he married Evelyn Harkendorff in Norman, Okla. She died in 1969. Then on July 5, 1970, he married Evelyn I. Younker in Gretna, Neb. She survives of the home.
Mr. Brecht was preceded in death by his parents, William J. and Elsie A.; and an infant brother, William.
Additional survivors: five daughters, Cheryl L. Smith, Kansas City, Deborah Kottich, Odessa, Neb., Karen Kelley and Marsha Younker, both of Omaha, and Pamela Vice, Rulo, Neb.; two sons, Dennis Younker, Omaha, and Ted Younker, Falls City; a sister, Rosalie Gaddis, Phoenix; 21 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Service: 10:30 a.m. Friday, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Falls City. The body will be taken to the church at 9 a.m. Friday. Burial: Steele Cemetery, Falls City. Family visitation: 7 to 8 tonight at the Dorr Funeral Home, Falls City.
Blanche E. Campbell
1904-1999
GRANT CITY, Mo. -- Blanche Elizabeth (Motsinger) Campbell, 94, Grant City, died Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1999, at a health-care center in Grant City.
Born in Grant City on May 13, 1904, Mrs. Campbell was a longtime resident of Grant City.
She was a sales clerk at a department store and was a member of the Grant City Christian Church.
In 1924, she married Chancey C. Campbell. He died in 1965.
Mrs. Campbell also was preceded in death by her parents, Harve and May Motsinger; three brothers, William, Harry and Newell Motsinger; and two sisters, Gertrude Stabe and Louie Cadle.
Surviving: nieces and nephews.
Service: 2 p.m. Saturday, Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home, Grant City. Burial: Grant City Cemetery. Visitation: after 2 p.m. today at the funeral home, where the family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Randell E. Corey
1951-1999
NEW ORLEANS -- Randell E. Corey, 47, New Orleans, formerly of St. Joseph, died Monday, Jan. 18, 1999, at a hospital in New Orleans.
Mr. Corey was employed by the Wire Rope Corp. in St. Joseph from 1974 to 1981. Then he worked in hotel management, and restaurant and bar management. From 1969 to 1972, he served in the Army.
Born in St. Joseph on July 28, 1951, he lived most of his life in St. Joseph until moving to Kansas City, Dallas and New Orleans, where he resided for about 10 years.
He was a graduate of Lafayette High School, St. Joseph, where he was active in band and R.O.T.C. Mr. Corey was a former member of the Marvin McMurry United Methodist Church, St. Joseph, where he was active in a youth group. He also participated in Boy Scouts of America in St. Joseph.
Mr. Corey was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Glenys; and a brother, Darrill.
Surviving: a brother, Melvin, Savannah, Mo.
Memorial service: at a later date in New Orleans. The body has been cremated.
Ernest Geoffroy Jr.
1921-1999
RUSHVILLE, Mo. -- Ernest Geoffroy Jr., 77, Rushville, formerly of St. Joseph, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 1999, at the Atchison, Kan., hospital.
Mr. Geoffroy was a laborer for Swift and Co. in St. Joseph until retiring. During World War II, he served in the Army.
Born in Forest City, Mo., on Nov. 21, 1921, he lived in St. Joseph and for 35 years in Rushville.
Mr. Geoffroy was a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Atchison.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Clara; and a brother and a sister.
Surviving: a son, Ernest III, Rushville; a sister, Maxine L. Kendall, St. Joseph; and a grandchild.
Graveside service and burial: 10 a.m. Saturday, Forest City Cemetery. Family visitation: 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Meierhoffer Family Funeral Care, St. Joseph.
Frank H. Mackowiak Sr.
1933-1999
GILMAN CITY, Mo. -- Frank H. Mackowiak Sr., 65, Gilman City, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 1999, at his residence.
Born in Chicago on Feb. 20, 1933, Mr. Mackowiak was a self-employed truck driver. He lived in the Chicago area until moving to Gilman City four years ago.
He attended Chicago schools and was a member of the Catholic Church.
On June 7, 1968, he married Arlene Halvorsen. She survives of the home.
Mr. Mackowiak was preceded in death by his father, Joseph; and two brothers, Edward and Joseph.
Additional survivors: three daughters, Dawn Bonakowski and Frances Runyan, both of Chicago, and Debra Halter, Plainfield, Ill.; four sons, Wayne, Gilman City, Michael, Kansas City, and Ronald and Frank Jr., both of Chicago; his mother, Kathleen Mackowiak, Alsip, Ill.; two sisters, Maryann Mackey, Alsip, and Kathleen Cain, Tinley Park, Ill.; and 14 grandchildren.
The body has been cremated. There will be no visitation or service. Arrangements were by the Slater Funeral Home in Trenton, Mo.
James A. Mitchell
1947-1999
GRANDVIEW, Mo. -- James Allen Mitchell, 51, Grandview, died Monday, Jan. 18, 1999, at a hospital in Kansas City.
Mr. Mitchell was a self-employed car dealer for 17 years. He also served in the Army during the Vietnam War.
Born in Kansas City on July 8, 1947, he spent all of his life in Kansas City.
Surviving: his wife, Therese of the home; two daughters, Melissa Williams and Tina Lawhead, both of Blue Springs, Mo.; a stepdaughter, Nathalie Avise, Grandview; his mother, Mary F. Mitchell, Edgerton, Mo.; and a grandchild.
Graveside service and burial: 2 p.m. today, Teays Chapel Cemetery, Henry County, Mo. Arrangements: Consalus Funeral Home, Clinton, Mo.
Raymond F. Mitchell
1918-1999
FAIRFAX, Mo. -- Raymond F. Mitchell, 80, Fairfax, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 1999, at the Fairfax hospital.
Mr. Mitchell was a superintendent and coach for the Nishnabotna, Mo., high school in 1941. He also was principal and teacher of mathematics and history, as well as coach of basketball and track at the Bellevue Rural High School, north of Mound City, Mo., from 1952 to 1961. He also farmed in Fairfax until retiring in 1987.
Born in the Irish Grove community, west of Fairfax, on Nov. 8, 1918, he was reared there. He also lived on a farm north of Fairfax from 1945 until moving into Fairfax in 1961.
He was a graduate of the Irish Grove Rural High School and Tarkio College at Tarkio, Mo., with a bachelor of science degree in education. While at the college, he played on the N.A.I.A. national championship basketball team in 1940 and was inducted into the Tarkio College Athletic Hall of Fame.
During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps. Mr. Mitchell was a member of the Christian Church, where he was a former member of the board and a former Sunday school teacher; Optimist Club; Masonic Lodge No. 483 and American Legion Post No. 284, all of Fairfax.
On Dec. 22, 1943, he married Corinne Whitford in San Antonio, Texas. She survives of the home.
Mr. Mitchell was preceded in death by his parents, Dennis G. and Frances; a brother, Merrill; and two sisters, Violette Harrington and Hilda Hester.
Additional survivors: two sons, Stephan R., Topeka, Kan., and Dr. Mark W., Aurora, Mo.; a daughter, Dr. Diane McKee, Cape Girardeau, Mo.; a brother, Glen E., Mexico, Mo.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Service: 10 a.m. Friday, Christian Church, Fairfax. Burial: Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Fairfax. Family visitation: 7 to 8 tonight at the Schooler Funeral Home, Fairfax. Memorials may be made to the Fairfax Christian Church.
Bernice M. Potts
1912-1999
CHILLICOTHE, Mo. -- Bernice M. (Donovan) Potts, 86, Chillicothe, died Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1999, at a health-care center in Chillicothe.
Mrs. Potts worked at the Mart Drug in Chillicothe for many years.
Born in Chula, Mo., on April 14, 1912, she was a longtime resident of the Chillicothe area. She was a member of St. Columban's Catholic Church in Chillicothe.
Mrs. Potts was preceded in death by her parents, Ira and Grace Donovan; her foster parents, Frank and Kate Lawler; three brothers, George B., Timothy and Joseph F. Donovan; and four sisters, Lula M., Mary C., Alma Yacomo and Helen L. Berg.
Surviving: six nieces and nephews.
Mass of Christian Burial: 1 p.m. Friday, St. Columban's Catholic Church, Chillicothe. Visitation: 2 to 9 p.m. today and 8 to 11 a.m. Friday at the Lindley Funeral Home, Chillicothe; and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the church, where the family will receive friends from noon to 1 p.m. Friday. Parish rosary: 7 tonight at funeral home.
Shirley J. Rodgers
1928-1999
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Shirley Jean (Johnson) Routh Rodgers, 71, Huntsville, formerly of St. Joseph, died of Lou Gehrig's Disease on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 1999, at a hospital in Huntsville.
Born in St. Joseph on Jan. 4, 1928, Mrs. Rodgers graduated from Benton High School in St. Joseph. She moved from St. Joseph to Memphis, Tenn.; Decateur, Ala.; and then Huntsville, where she resided for about 30 years.
She was a homemaker and a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Huntsville.
Mrs. Rodgers was preceded in death by her first husband, Harold S. Routh, in 1978; her parents, Jesse W. and Martha M. Johnson; and a sister, Edith Rinehart.
She was divorced from her second husband, Richard Rodgers.
Surviving: two daughters, Roxanne Anderson and Valerie Sharp, both of Huntsville; three sisters, Fern Kelley, Huntsville, Ola M. Steeby, Savannah, Mo., and Eva M. Burke, St. Joseph; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
The funeral service was held Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the Valhalla Funeral Home, Huntsville. Burial was in the Valhalla Memory Gardens, Huntsville.
Marie Rush
1907-1999
HOPKINS, Mo. -- Marie (Lockhart) Rush, 91, Hopkins, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 1999, at the Maryville, Mo., hospital.
Born in Ravenwood, Mo., on Oct. 29, 1907, Mrs. Rush lived in Hopkins for 45 years.
A homemaker, she graduated from the Ravenwood high school and was a member of the Gaynor, Mo., Methodist Church.
On Nov. 1, 1928, she married Cleo W. Rush in Maryville. He died in 1972.
Mrs. Rush also was preceded in death by a son, Ted; her parents, Hiram and Ella Lockhart; a brother, Everette Lockhart; two sisters, Ruby Judd and Maxine O'Banion; and three grandchildren.
Surviving: three sons, Richard, Guernsey, Wyo., Robert, Allendale, Mo., and Billy J., Torington, Wyo.; four daughters, Ruth Ogier, Elfrida, Ariz., Mary K. Brown, Lusk, Wyo., and Marilyn McKay and Martha Rush, both of Sheridan, Mo.; 20 grandchildren; 49 great-grandchildren; and numerous great-great-grandchildren.
Service: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home, Grant City, Mo. Burial: Long Branch Cemetery, Gaynor. Visitation: after 8 a.m. today at the funeral home, where the family will receive friends from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Mildred M. Smith
1912-1999
BETHANY, Mo. -- Mildred M. (Nally) Smith, 87, Bethany, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 1999, at her residence.
Born in the Blue Ridge community, near Bethany, on Jan. 10, 1912, Mrs. Smith was a homemaker and violin and piano instructor.
She was a member of the Blue Ridge Christian Union Church, Bethany, where she was a Sunday school teacher.
On July 26, 1930, she married Marion A. Smith. He died in 1994.
Mrs. Smith also was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Norma J.; her parents, Alvin and Mary L. Nally; and a sister, Gladys Wethered.
Surviving: three daughters, Donna Carter, Gilman City, Mo., Sherry Perrin, Kansas City, Kan., and Mary L. Chance, Basehor, Kan.; a son, Lawrence, Mount Pleasant, Texas; 10 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
Service: 2 p.m. Friday, Blue Ridge Christian Union Church, Bethany. Burial: Fairview Cemetery, Bethany. Visitation: after 2 p.m. today at the Roberson Funeral Home, Bethany, where the family will receive friends from 7 to 8 tonight. Memorials may be made to the Blue Ridge Christian Union Church, in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box 46, Bethany, Mo., 64424.
Elwood G. Colwell
1916-1999
Elwood Gerald Colwell, 82, St. Joseph, died Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1999, at a St. Joseph hospital.
Mr. Colwell had been employed as a carpenter for the Glaze Construction Co. for 15 years and for Lawhon Construction Co. for 15 years until retiring in 1981. During World War II, he served in the Navy.
Born in Maitland, Mo., on June 10, 1916, he had been a resident of St. Joseph since 1946.
He was a member of the Pony Express American Legion Post No. 359, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1668, Fleet Reserve No. 379 and Carpenter's Union Local No. 110.
On May 11, 1946, he married June L. Judd in Troy, Kan. She survives of the home.
Mr. Colwell was preceded in death by his parents, Charles R. and Mae E.; and a sister, Thera M. Colwell.
Surviving: two sons, Gerald E. and Joseph E., both of St. Joseph; a daughter, Norma J. Morey, Sioux City, Iowa; a sister, Wilma Wayman, Ong, Neb.; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Service: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Gladden-Stamey Funeral Home, St. Joseph. Burial: Memorial Park Cemetery, St. Joseph, with military rites by members of the Air National Guard from Rosecrans Memorial Airport. Visitation: after 9 a.m. today, at the funeral home, where the family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 tonight.
