Gwendolyn L. Gilmer
1933-1999
Gwendolyn L. Gilmer, 66, St. Joseph, died Sunday, April 25, 1999, at a St. Joseph hospital following a brief illness.
Mrs. Gilmer was employed by the former Noma Lites in St. Joseph and the Dayco Rubber Co. in Springfield, Mo., for many years until retiring. After her retirement, she was involved in foster parenting for the Missouri Division of Family Services.
Born in St. Joseph on Feb. 4, 1933, she spent her youth in St. Joseph. She resided in Springfield for 20 years until returning to St. Joseph in 1996. She was a member of the Lutheran faith.
Mrs. Gilmer was preceded in death by her mother, Eletha M. Floyd Mares.
Surviving: her stepfather, Joe Mares of the home.
Graveside service and burial: 10 a.m. Thursday, Memorial Park Cemetery, St. Joseph. Family visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Meierhoffer Family Funeral Care, St. Joseph.
Robert W. Graves
1930-1999
Robert W. Graves, 68, St. Joseph, died Sunday, April 25, 1999, at a St. Joseph health-care center.
Mr. Graves had been employed in the cafeteria of Heartland Hospital West. During the Korean War, he served in the Air Force.
Born in St. Joseph on Sept. 30, 1930, he lived most of his life in St. Joseph. He was a graduate of the Rosendale, Mo., high school.
Mr. Graves was preceded in death by his first wife, Betty, in 1969; his parents, Walter and Minnie; and a grandchild.
Surviving: his second wife, Mildred E. of the home; a son, Jim Loveless, St. Joseph; two daughters, Patricia Hayward, Glendale, Ariz., and Joyce Schmidt, Potter, Neb.; two sisters, Betty Lewis, Elwood, Kan., and Donna Wells, Savannah, Mo.; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Graveside service and burial: 3 p.m. Wednesday, King Hill Cemetery, St. Joseph. Family visitaton: 1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, at the Clark-Sampson Funeral Home, St. Joseph.
John T. Keller II
1918-1999
John T. Keller II, 81, St. Joseph, died Monday, April 26, 1999, at a Savannah, Mo., health-care center following a lengthy illness.
Mr. Keller had been employed as the director of purchasing for the Hillyard Chemical Co. for 20 years until retiring in 1983.
During World War II, he served in the Army, and retired as a lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of the 135th Signal Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard, after 24 years of total service.
Born in Muskogee, Okla., on May 6, 1918, he had been a resident of St. Joseph since 1959. He was a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
Mr. Keller was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, where he had served on the finance committee; Diplomats Club of the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce; Junior Acheivement; Y-Fry Club; Purchasing Manager's Association and Retired Officer's Association, of which he was a past treasurer. He had been a volunteer for the United Way.
On Sept. 3, 1946, he married Dorothy E. Ingwersen. She survives of the home.
Mr. Keller was preceded in death by his parents, John and Gertrude; a brother, Merle E.; and a sister, Dorothy K. Ramage.
Additional survivors: two sons, J. Tom, Chicago, and R. Brad, St. Joseph; two daughters, L. Diane Wanserski, Columbia, Mo., and Debbie A. Mahoney, St. Joseph; nine grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Service: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Meierhoffer Family Funeral Care, St. Joseph. Entombment: Memorial Park Mausoleum, St. Joseph, with military rites by members of the 135th Signal Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard. Family visitation: 7 to 8:30 tonight, at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church or American Diabetes Association.
John W. Abarr
1945-1999
John W. "Bill" Abarr, 53, St. Joseph, died Wednesday, April 28, 1999, at a St. Joseph hospital following a lengthy illness of cancer.
Mr. Abarr had been employed by the General Motors Corp. for 28 years until retiring in 1997.
Born in Redding, Iowa, on June 10, 1945, he had resided there until moving to St. Joseph in 1954. He attended Lafayette High School in St. Joseph.
Mr. Abarr was a member of the Sparta United Methodist Church, Faucett, Mo.; Union Local No. 31, Kansas City, Kan.; Teamsters Union Local No. 41, Kansas City, Kan.; and Fire Brigade of General Motors.
On April 2, 1966, he married Joan Riddle. They were later divorced.
Mr. Abarr was preceded in death by his parents, John and Luella; and a sister, Nancy Abarr.
Surviving: a daughter, Stacy L. Pinkerton, St. Joseph; two sons, Brian S., St. Joseph, and Daniel W., West Bountiful, Utah; three sisters, Connie McCrary, St. Joseph, Judy Jones, Stewartsville, Mo., and Marcia Ashby, Overland Park, Kan.; two brothers, Sam and Jack, both of St. Joseph; and three grandchildren.
Service: 3 p.m. Saturday, Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home, Grant City, Mo. Burial: Redding, Iowa, Cemetery. Family visitation: 7 to 8:30 tonight, at Meierhoffer Family Funeral Care, St. Joseph, and one hour before the service at the Grant City funeral home. Memorials to Sparta United Methodist Church, Faucett, or Camp Qualty, Stewartsville, Mo.
Retta M. Browning
1936-1999
PLATTE CITY, Mo. Retta M. Browning, 62, Platte City, died Tuesday, April 27, 1999, at the North Kansas City, Mo., hospital.
Born in Osceola, Mo., on Dec. 24, 1936, Mrs. Browning was a homemaker and a member of the Second Baptist Church in Platte City.
On Jan. 29, 1954, she married Walter E. Browning Sr. in Platte City. He died in 1994.
Surviving: three sons, Donnie Carrell, North Kansas City, Walter E. Browning Jr., Liberty, Mo., and Charles Browning of the home; four daughters, Denise Browning, Platte City, Brenda Townsend, Leavenworth, Kan., Jeanine Anes, Tobyhanna, Pa., and Dimitri Cromwell, Columbus, Ga.; three brothers, Hubert Carrell, Whiteville, N.C., Paul M. Carrell, Platte City, and Robert Carrell, Kansas City; two sisters, Betty Moore, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Mary Scott, Kansas City; 15 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
Service: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Second Baptist Church, Platte City. Burial: Platte City Cemetery. Family visitation: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, at the church. Arrangements: Rollins Funeral Home, Platte City. Memorials may be made to the Kidney Foundation or Seond Baptist Church, Platte City.
Jordyn R. Martin
Jordyn Ray Martin, newborn daughter of Betsy Champion and Cody Martin, St. Joseph, died Wednesday, April 28, 1999, at a Kansas City hospital.
Jordyn was born in Kansas City on April 28, 1999.
Private family graveside service and burial: today, Mount Auburn Cemetery, St. Joseph. There will be no visitation. Arrangements: Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel, St. Joseph. Memorials may be made to the Ronald McDonald House, 2501 Cherry St., Kansas City, MO 64108.
M.U. McCrary
1919-1999
HAMILTON, Mo. M.U. "Scoot" McCrary, 79, Hamilton, died Wednesday, April 28, 1999, at the Liberty, Mo., hospital.
Mr. McCrary had been employed as an agent for M.F.A. Shelter Insurance in Hamilton from 1950 until retiring in 1983.
Born in Hamilton on July 14, 1919, he had spent most of his life in Caldwell County, Mo.
Mr. McCrary was a member of the United Methodist Church; American Legion Post No. 285, of which he was active in the 40 and 8; Masonic Lodge No. 224, A.F. & A.M., all of Hamilton. He was a charter member of the Hamilton Lions Club, of which he was a past district governor.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, the former Lois Snyder, in 1976. In January of 1979, he married Marguerite Brooke. She survives of the home.
Mr. McCrary also was preceded in death by his parents, Guy and Osa A.
Additional survivors: a son, Steve, Webb City, Mo.; a daughter, Ann Anderson, Lake Viking, Mo.; two stepsons, Charles Gastineau, Hamilton, and Larry Gastineau, Chillicothe, Mo.; three stepdaughters, Sharon Geromini, Blue Springs, Mo., Mari Zullie, Chillicothe, and Carol Mills, Hamilton; and four grandchildren.
Service: 2 p.m. Monday, United Methodist Church, Hamilton. Burial: Highland Cemetery, Hamilton. Family visitation: 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, at the Bram Funeral Home, Hamilton. Memorials may be made to the Lions Club International Foundation in care of the funeral home.
Linda D. Webb
Linda D. Webb, 48, St. Joseph, died Thursday, April 29, 1999, at a St. Joseph hospital.
Born in Tipton, Mo., on July 6, 1950, Miss Webb had lived in St. Joseph for 30 years.
She attended the Highway to Heaven Church in St. Joseph.
Miss Webb was preceded in death by two brothers and three sisters.
Surviving: her foster parents, Gary and Alice Kunzler, St. Joseph; a foster brother, George Dumm, Springfield, Mo.; two foster sisters, Donna Helton and Deana Young, both of St. Joseph; and a nephew, James Allen, St. Joseph, reared in the home.
Memorial service: 5 p.m. Saturday, Highway to Heaven Church, St. Joseph. The body has been cremated. Inurnment: at a later date. Arrangements: Rupp Funeral Home, St. Joseph.
Raymond A. Fuller
1905-1999
CAMERON, Mo. -- Raymond Aaron Fuller, 93, Cameron, formerly of Gallatin and Kidder, Mo., died Sunday, April 18, 1999, at a health-care center in Cameron.
Mr. Fuller was a farmer for most of his life in Daviess County, Mo., until retiring in 1987. In his younger years, he worked for the Burlington-Northern Railroad, and Montgomery Ward and Co. in Kansas City.
Born near Gallatin on May 11, 1905, he was reared in Daviess County and attended school in Kidder. He graduated from the Kidder Institute with a two-year degree.
Mr. Fuller was a member of the First Christian Church, Gallatin; and a former member of the Kidder Christian Church. He served on the Daviess County board for the Farmers Home Administration and was a former board member of the Wooderson School near Kidder. He was the recipient of the Farmers' Activity Award for his role in advanced farming practices and conservation. During World War II, he received numerous awards for selling the most savings bonds.
On June 23, 1928, he married Bessie M. Bowers in Olathe, Kan. She died in 1996.
Mr. Fuller also was preceded in death by his parents, Alna and Mary; four brothers, Earl, Paul, Russell and Harold; and two sisters, Faye Harter and Beulah Schleicher.
Surviving: two sons, Charles, Gallatin, and William, Cameron; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two step great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild.
Service: 2 p.m. Wednesday, Bram Funeral Home, Gallatin. Burial: Hillcrest Cemetery, Gallatin. Visitation: after 9 a.m. today and Wednesday at the funeral home, where the family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight. Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church Building Fund, Gallatin, MO 64640.
Wilbur G. Funk Jr.
1939-1999
BELTON, Mo. -- Wilbur Gerald "Jerry" Funk Jr., 60, Belton, formerly of Halls, Mo., died Sunday, April 18, 1999, at his home after a brief illness of brain cancer.
Mr. Funk was a millwright at Allied Signal in Kansas City.
Born in Halls, Mo., on April 18, 1939, he served in the Navy from 1956 to 1966.
Surviving: his wife, Faye of the home; a son, Rocky J., Illinois; a daughter, Naida Hefner, Illinois; four brothers, Bobby, Gary, Calvin and Stanley; four sisters, Connie Scholl. Donna Dray, Janet Kimberling and Pamela Funk; and two grandchildren.
There will be a private family burial. Memorials may be made to the American Brain Tumor Association, 2720 River Road, Des Plaines, IL 60018.
Hazel L. Henley
1929-1999
MERCER, Mo. -- Hazel Loree (Hamilton) Henley, 69, died Sunday, April 18, 1999, at a Corydon, Iowa, hospital.
Mrs. Henley was born April 27, 1929, near Princeton, Mo. She lived in Mercer County all her life and graduated from Ravanna (Mo.) High School.
She attended Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville for two years. She taught school for six years in Mercer County rural schools and also was an Avon Cosmetics representative for seven years.
Mrs. Henley was a member of Mercer Assembly of God Church, where she taught Sunday school and helped with the vacation bible school.
On June 29, 1950, she married E.J. Henley in Princeton. He survives of the home.
Mrs. Henley was preceded in death by a son, Roger D.; her parents, Henry and Gladys Hamilton; and a grandchild.
Additional survivors: a son, Gregory A., Moberly, Mo.; two sisters, Helen McReynolds, Mercer, and Emma Moore, Princeton; and two grandchildren.
Service: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Assembly of God Church, Mercer. Burial: Princeton Cemetery. Family visitation: 7 to 8 tonight, Greenlee-Middleton Funeral Home, Princeton, where friends may call after 8 a.m. today. The family suggests memorials to the American Diabetes Association or the Mercer Assembly of God Church and may be sent to the funeral home at P.O. Box 316, Princeton, MO 64673.
Hazel E. Miller
1916-1999
APTOS, Calif. -- Hazel Elizabeth Miller, 83, Aptos, formerly of St. Joseph, died Friday, April 16, 1999, at her residence.
Born in Stanberry, Mo., on Jan. 14, 1916, Mrs. Miller lived there until age 19, and then she moved to St. Joseph. In 1939, she moved to Inglewood, Calif., and lived in San Luis Obispo and Hawthorne, Calif., before becoming a resident of San Mateo, Calif., in 1962, where she resided for 35 years. She resided with her son, Dr., Kenneth R., in Aptos for 11/2 years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth C.; her parents, Roy E. and Amanda A. Miller; four sisters, Ona Miller, Evelyn Stewart, Opal Case and Eva Drydale; and a brother, Bernard Miller.
Additional survivors: two brothers, Jesse M. Miller, San Mateo, and Gale E. Miller, Kansas City; and a grandchild.
Memorial service: 1 p.m. Sunday, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), San Mateo. Family visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the O'Connell Chapel, San Mateo. Memorials may be made to the Hospice Caring Project.
Mabel G. Nickerson
1910-1999
LAREDO, Mo. -- Mabel Genevieve Nickerson, 88, Laredo, died Friday, April 16, 1999, at a North Kansas City health-care center.
Miss Nickerson was born Nov. 15, 1910, in Laredo. She was a member of White Avenue Methodist Church in Kansas City.
She graduated from Burrough's Business College and worked at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and then Western Auto.
Miss Nickerson was preceded in death by two sisters, Martha F. Murry and Esther L. Bowman.
Surviving: a sister, Virginia J. Fritz, Kansas City, Kan.
Service: 10:30 a.m. today, Joseph A. Butler & Son Funeral Home, Kansas City, Kan. Burial: Princeton (Mo.) Cemetery. Visitation: friends may call from 10 to 10:30 a.m. today at the funeral home. The family suggests memorials to White Avenue Methodist Church, 6002 Anderson, Kansas City, MO 64123.
Ralph E. Ottmann
1916-1999
OMAHA, Neb. -- Ralph Emerson Ottmann, 82, Omaha, formerly of Rock Port, Mo., died Wednesday, April 21, 1999, at his home.
Mr. Ottmann had been a master mechanic for heavy equipment at the Pentzine Co. in Omaha until retiring in 1980.
Born in Tarkio, Mo., on April 22, 1916, he moved to a farm near Rock Port as a young man and to Omaha in 1953.
He attended the Opp Country School, near Rock Port. Mr. Ottmann was a former member of the Linden Christian Church, near Rock Port; and a member of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at Omaha, where he was a former deacon. He also was a member of the Eagles Lodge in Omaha.
On Sept. 3, 1950, he married Beryl Shelton in Hamburg, Iowa. She died in 1982. Then on Dec. 1, 1984, he married Norma M. Nelson in Omaha. She survives of the home.
Mr. Ottmann also was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Sarah; a brother, Joseph; and two sisters, Gertrude and Dorothy.
Additional survivor: a brother, Donald, Hamburg.
Service: 11 a.m. Saturday, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Omaha. Graveside service and burial: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Home Cemetery, Tarkio. Family visitation: 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, at the church. Arrangements: Minter Funeral Chapel, Rock Port. Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Omaha.
