Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002
GERTRUDE M. “SADIE” BELSER
Gertrude M. “Sadie” Belser, 78, of Lee’s Summit, passed away March 8, 2004, at her home.
Funeral services were 10 a.m. Thursday, March 11, at Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church; burial in Lee’s Summit Cemetery.
Friends called 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, at Langsford Funeral Home.
The family requests memorial contributions to Kansas City Hospice.
Sadie was born Dec. 26, 1925, in Lee’s Summit, to Howell H. and Mary E. Hoit.
She was a member of the ET chapter of PEO, a volunteer with Lee’s Summit Hospital, and was the librarian at Meadow Lane Elementary School.
Her special gift was making people laugh, and in later years she dutifully spoiled her granddaughters.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and four sisters.
Sadie is survived by her husband of 55 years, Thomas Robert Belser; daughter, Anne House and husband, Larry, Lee’s Summit; sons, Bob and wife, Myra, Laramie, Wyo., Tom, Boise, Idaho, and John and wife, Darci, Olathe, Kan.; granddaughters, Sydney, Evan and Caitlin; and brothers, Stanley Hoit, Dallas, Texas, and Harrison Hoit, Butler, Mo.
(Arrangements: Langsford Funeral Home, 115 S.W. Third, Lee’s Summit, 816-524-3700)
WILLIE V. GIBSON
Willie V. Gibson, 86, of Marshall, Mo., passed away Tuesday, March 9, 2004, at Truman Medical Center-Lakewood, Kansas City, Mo.
Funeral services are 11 a.m. Saturday, March 13, at Campbell-Lewis Chapel in Marshall; Rev. Rich Shugert and Rev. Albert Smith will officiate; burial in Sunset Gardens Cemetery in Marshall.
Friends may call 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Marshall Cumberland Presbyterian Church Building Fund.
She is survived by two daughters, Glenna Lusby, Marshall, and Daralene Carter and husband, Karl, Lone Jack, Mo.; three brothers, Durwood Rogers, Spring Hill, Fla., R.W. Rogers, Marshall, and Bobby Joe Rogers, Marshall; sister, Garadel Krone, North Kansas City, Mo.; three grandsons, Glen Lusby, Chicago, Ill., Kevin Carter and wife, Ottavia, Oak Grove, Mo., and Keith Carter and wife, Dana, Lone Jack; two great-grandsons, Kyle and Klay Carter, Lone Jack; two step-great-grandchildren, Tony Ott and wife, Tosha, Grain Valley, Mo., and Ryan Goodridge and wife, Brandy, Oak Grove; one step-great-great-grandson, Dayton Ott, Oak Grove; and several nieces and nephews.
(Arrangements: Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home, Marshall, Mo., 660-886-5700).
MATTIE EVA SHARP
Mattie Eva Sharp, 89, of Lee’s Summit, passed away Sunday, March 7, 2004, at Village Care Center.
Funeral services are at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 11, at Langsford Funeral Home; burial in Floral Hills East Cemetery.
Friends may call 9:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, prior to service, at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Kansas City Hospice.
Mattie was born May 23, 1914.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Clinton Sharp; and son, Douglas Sharp.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Bennie J. and Betty Sharp, Lee’s Summit; her brother, Bill Burney, Niles, Mich.; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
(Arrangements: Langsford Funeral Home, 115 S.W. Third, Lee’s Summit, 816-524-3700)
WALKER LAWRENCE BUTLER
Walker Lawrence Butler, 88, of Lee’s Summit, passed away Thursday, March 4, 2004, at Lee’s Summit Hospital.
Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at Langsford Funeral Home; burial in Lee’s Summit Cemetery.
He was born Oct. 16, 1915, on a farm near Dunksburg, Mo., north of Knob Noster.
He attended Brushy Hill, a one-room schoolhouse, from first to eighth grade.
As a teenager he worked as a farm hand in and around the Knob Noster area.
During the Depression era, he worked in a CCC camp (1738) in Tilford, S.D.
During World War II, he worked as a welding foreman in the Long Beach, Calif., shipyards building Liberty ships.
After the war, he bought a house in the northeast part of Kansas City, Mo., where he and his wife, Ilene, raised four children, who each attended Northeast High School.
He later worked as a manager selling wallpaper and paint, at Cook Paint and Varnish Co. on 13th and Grand.
He rode the bus to work, which cost a nickel.
He continued his education through correspondence courses in the 1950s.
He and his children would also study together at the dining room table to further their educations.
He began another career with AIRCO Welding Supply, being promoted to district sales manager, traveling widely, successfully retiring in 1985, and returning to live in Lee’s Summit.
He also bought a place at the Lake of the Ozarks where he loved to fish by the hour.
He and Ilene loved to dance.
They remained active well into their eighties.
Walker had a good singing voice and played the harmonica and drums.
He was a whiz at completing each day’s New York Times crossword puzzle.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Ada Lawrence Applegate Butler; his father, William Scott Butler, Knob Noster; brothers, Kenneth Butler, Monserrat, Mo., and William Edgar Butler, Raytown; sister, Marguerite Turner, Warrensburg, Mo.; and son, Walker Eugene Butler.
Walker is survived by his wife of 67 years, Ilene Butler, of the home; sisters, Bernita Thomas, and Iola Weber and husband, Gene, Jericho Springs, Mo.; sister-in-law, Myra Butler, Springfield, Mo.; son, William Lee Butler and wife, Judy, Independence; his grandchildren, Matt Butler, Independence, Susan Stuver and husband, Drid, San Antonio, Texas, Phillip Rule Butler and wife, Barbara, David Butler, Alicia Dill and husband, Sean, Las Vegas, Nev., Jeff Thompson and wife, Gloria, Pickerington, Ohio, and Cathy Thompson, Lee’s Summit; daughter, Juanita Rose Thompson and husband, Roger, Lee’s Summit; and great-grandchildren, Matthew Butler, Cameron Butler, Jennifer Burec, Kayla Stuver, Conner and Shelby Dill, Natasha Butler and Katie Thompson.
Walker had a long and wonderful life.
The family would like to thank the kind and caring nurses and staff of the ICU and ER departments of Lee’s Summit Hospital, and also the Lee’s Summit Fire Department and EMTs who were always so fast and efficient in helping our father.
(Arrangements: Langsford Funeral Home, 115 S.W. Third, Lee’s Summit, 816-524-3700)
EDNA IRENE GREENWOOD
Edna Irene Greenwood, 99, of Lee’s Summit, passed away Thursday, March 4, 2004, at Jefferson Health Care Center.
Graveside services are at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 11, at Lee’s Summit Cemetery.
Friends may call 3 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, at Langsford Funeral Home.
Mrs. Greenwood lived in Lee’s Summit all of her life.
She was a member of First Baptist Church.
Edna worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. until her retirement in 1970.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Homer Greenwood.
Edna is survived by two nephews, Don Williams and Fred Spawn.
(Arrangements: Langsford Funeral Home, 115 S.W. Third, Lee’s Summit, 816-524-3700).
PATSY ANGELA NASTO
Patsy Angela Nasto, 73, of Lee’s Summit, passed away Monday, March 1, 2004, at Menorah Medical Center.
Mass services are at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 6, at Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church in Lee’s Summit.
Friends may call from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, at Langsford Funeral Home, with a rosary following at 8 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association or the National Kidney Foundation.
(Arrangements: Langsford Funeral Home, 115 S.W. Third St., Lee’s Summit, 816-524-3700)
GORDON FRANKLIN SIMS
Gordon Franklin Sims, DKCS, USN, RET.), 67, of Lee’s Summit, passed away Wednesday, March 3, 2004, at Village Care Center.
He had won a long and courageous battle with Lymphoma and Parkinson’s.
Graveside services were at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 4, at Longview Memorial Gardens.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 20, at Lee’s Summit United Methodist Church, with a visitation prior to the service from 10 to 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Lee’s Summit United Methodist Church, Second and Douglas Streets, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063, or to Kansas City Hospice, 9221 Ward Parkway, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64114.
Gordon was born Aug. 28, 1936, in Osage, West Virginia.
After graduating from Mannington High School in West Virginia, Gordon proudly served his country for 20 years.
In 1974, Gordon and his family moved to the Kansas City area, where Gordon was employed by the Department of Defense, and served as branch head of the Marine Corps Separation Branch.
He continued to work for the Defense Department until illness forced him into retirement.
Gordon’s love was his church, where he spent many hours mowing the church yard or shoveling the snow.
He will always be remembered by his devotion to serving others, which was his hallmark.
He will be missed by all whose lives he touched.
“Some friends come into our lives and quickly go, others stay for a while and leave footprints in our hearts that last forever.”
The family wishes to express deep appreciation to the staffs of John Knox Care Center and Kansas City Hospice, and also for the many visits from special friends.
“Papa, you made a difference in this world. Now you are in eternity where we will meet again.”
Gordon was preceded in death by his father and mother, Philander Franklin and Goldie Mae Sims.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Dona; daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth “Beth” and David Bertke, and granddaughter, Danielle, who always brought a gleam to Grandpa’s eyes; one sister, LaVirta; and brothers, Jack, Phillip and Harold, West Virginia, and Jerry and wife, Sandy, Oklahoma.
(Arrangements: Langsford Funeral Home, 115 S.W. Third St., Lee’s Summit, 816-524-3700)
RICHARD “RICK” ZEHR
Richard “Rick” Zehr, 63, of Lincoln, Neb., passed away March 2, 2004, in Lincoln.
Funeral services are at 11 a.m. Friday, March 5, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 8550 Pioneers Blvd., Lincoln.
Memorials may be given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lincoln Chapter, Ste. 426, 215 Centennial Mall, Lincoln, Neb., 68508; the Dialysis Center of Lincoln, 7910 “O” St., Lincoln, Neb., 68510; or the Nebraska Stroke Foundation, PO Box 6704, Lincoln, Neb. 68506.
He was born Sept. 16, 1940, in Aurora, Neb., to Clair and Alyda (Toof) Zehr.
He was a retired manager of quality control and quality assurance for Pfizer in Lincoln.
Rick was a member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church; Lincoln Amateur Radio Club; and American Radio Relay League.
Rick was a long standing member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), where he was Registrar Accreditation Board certified in the titles of quality auditor, lead auditor and quality manager.
He was also a member of the Animal Health Institute (AHI), where he served on numerous committees including head of many task forces and committees.
He served two years as chairman of the entire Veterinary Biological section of the AHI.
Additionally, he represented Pfizer Lincoln in the Quality Compliance Harmonization Committee for the USDA.
He hosted numerous regulatory agency tours and audits of the scientific laboratories at Pfizer Lincoln, and was key in coordinating the licensing of this site for production of product for the European Union.
Rick was preceded in death by his parents.
Survivors include his wife, Connie; sons and daughters-in-law, Doug and Donita Zehr, Lee’s Summit, and Todd and Cathy Zehr, Karl and Angie Vogel, and Jack and Karen Vogel, all of Lincoln; grandchildren, Chris Zehr, Italy, Megan and Traci Zehr, both of Lee’s Summit, and Fred, Nolan and Drew Vogel, all of Lincoln; sister and brother-in-law, Bev and Jim Salmon, Evansville, Ind.; and stepmother, Evelyn Zehr, Aurora.
(Arrangements: Metcalf Funeral Home, 245 N. 27th St., Lincoln, Neb.)
EDNA L. ACKER
Edna L. Acker, 92, Windsor, Mo., died Feb. 25, 2004, at Windsor Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.
Funeral services were at 2 p.m., Feb. 27, at Hadley Funeral Home, Windsor; burial in Laurel Oak Cemetery, also in Windsor.
(Arrangements: Hadley Funeral Home, 660-647-2125)
MARGARET M. EMERY
Margaret M. Emery, 77, Lee’s Summit, died Feb. 27, 2004.
Services were at 1 p.m., March 2, at Atkinson Chapel, Harrisonville; burial in Floral Hills East Memorial Gardens.
Contributions to American Heart or the American Lung Association.
(Arrangements: Atkinson Chapel, 380-3268)
