Larell Moore
Larell DeHaven Moore of Olathe, Kan., died Saturday, April 27, 2002. He was 24.
Mr. Moore was born Jan. 25, 1978, to Kenneth Moore and Barbra Canton in Kansas City, Kan. He graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in Shawnee Mission, Kan. He attended Vatterott College.
Mr. Moore is survived by one son, Jayden Anton Moore of Olathe; his mother, Barbra Canton of Olathe; one brother, Marc Canton of Little Rock, Ark.; one sister, Cicily Moore of Olathe; his grandmother, Charlena Crowly of Kansas City; three aunts; six uncles; and several cousins. His grandmother Bertha Canton died earlier.
Visitation for Mr. Moore will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Warren Funeral Chapel, 12 E. Ash St. Services, conducted by the Rev. Louella Canton, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Warren Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow at Columbia Cemetery.
Jean H. Baskett
Jean H. Baskett of Fayette died Monday, April 29, 2002, at her home. She was 71.
Mrs. Baskett was born Dec. 14, 1930, to Benjamin Harrison and Fannie Dade Gibson in Old Franklin.
She attended school in New Franklin and Fayette and worked for more than 15 years at Central Methodist College.
She was married to John Henry Baskett Jr.
Mrs. Baskett was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Fayette, the United Methodist Women, the Willing Workers and the Stewardship. She was also a church usher.
Mrs. Baskett is survived by six daughters, Regina Powell and Ramona Bentley of Fayette; Sheila Baskett, Rita Fristoe and Suzanne Bagby of Columbia, and Helen Baskett of Memphis, Tenn.; two sons, Randall Baskett of Columbia and Henry Baskett of Boonville; two sisters, Ethel Shipley and Fannie Broadus of Fayette; 17 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Her husband, a daughter and a sister died earlier.
Services, conducted by the Rev. Mike Jackman, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 300 E. Davis in Fayette. Burial will be in Fayette City Cemetery. Friends may visit from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the H.T. May and Son Funeral Home, 304 Tolson St., in Fayette.
George William Walter
George William Walter was a farmer at heart, said his wife, Juanita Modlin Walter. He raised ponies, geese and raccoons. He loved flowers and cobalt-blue glassware. He loved to camp and would feed deer every day. He was a preacher, a husband, a father, a grandfather and a lover of all mankind, she said.
Mr. Walter of Columbia died Friday, April 26, 2002. He was 82.
Mr. Walter, known to family and friends as "Bill," was born Nov. 13, 1919, in Pittsboro, Ind., to Charles Herald and Myrtle Zona Ragsdale Walter. When he was young, he decided he wanted to become a minister.
As the third of 11 children, he worked to pay for his education and earned three degrees from Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary.
For 60 years, Mr. Walter preached. Even after his retirement, he found himself helping churches.
"His whole life was preaching," his wife said.
On Jan. 1, 1943, Mr. Walter married Juanita Modlin Hatfield after proposing 13 times.
"He was very persistent. He kinda wore me down," she said.
Married for 59 years, they raised six children and 19 foster children while acting as hosts to international exchange students from five countries.
The Walters served full-time in five congregations in Indiana and Missouri. Mr. Walter followed this with 10 years of work as a minister and 15 years as an interim minister in 19 churches in Maryland and across Missouri.
He enjoyed camping, fishing, and gardening, especially growing flowers and strawberries.
"He loved to see things grow," his wife said. "He appreciated the beauty of things, the beauty of God."
As a hobby, he raised farm animals as pets, including ponies, raccoons, cows and rabbits. He also collected glassware and plates, some 200 years old.
In the last three years of his life, Mr. Walter helped build his own house with a shelf for his glassware high on the wall where it could be seen all the time. He volunteered at Rock Bridge State Park, where he would walk on the trails and explain plants to people.
Services, conducted by the Rev. Rick Frost and the Rev. Kim Ryan, will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at Broadway Christian Church, 2601 W. Broadway.
Mr. Walter is survived by his wife; a son, John Walter of Leavenworth, Kan.; four daughters, Donna Walter and Laurel Walter, both of Columbia, Judith Walter of Washington, D.C., and Cathy Gillaspie of Eldon; two brothers, Roy Walter and Dwayne Walter, both of Danville, Ind.; three sisters, Geneva Emerson of Indianapolis, Isabelle Woodrun of Lizton, Ind., and Marilyn Gossett of Greenfield, Ind.; 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Four brothers, one sister, and two sons, David and Brian, died earlier.
Memorials may be sent to Broadway Christian Church, 2601 West Broadway, Columbia, MO 65201.
Mary Alice Ackers
Mary Alice Ackers of Columbia died Saturday, April 27, 2002, at her home. She was 46.
Mrs. Ackers was born July 1, 1955, in Farmington to Willis and Gertrude Gibson Jones. She was a beautician and a member of Parkade Baptist Church in Columbia.
Mrs. Ackers married Will Ackers on Jan. 1, 1987, in Kansas City.
Services, conducted by the Rev. Wally Baldwin, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Rock Prairie Cemetery in Halltown.
Mrs. Ackers is survived by her husband; one daughter, Amanda Jones of Columbia; one son, Miles Ackers of Colorado Springs, Colo.; her father and stepmother, Willis and Betty Jones of Columbia; one brother, Thomas Jones of Columbia; two sisters, Barbara Watanabe and Carolyn Adolph of St. Peters; three grandchildren; one niece; and one nephew.
Her mother died earlier.
John Andrews III
John Lewis Andrews III of Columbia died Monday, April 29, 2002, at University Hospital. He was 50.
Mr. Andrews was born Dec. 21, 1951, in Springfield, Mo., to John Lewis Jr. and Olga Boyko Andrews.
He married Suzanne Hood on Jan. 8, 1972, in Park Ridge, Ill. He worked as a gunsmith.
A private family service will be held.
Mr. Andrews is survived by his wife; his mother, Olga Andrews of Columbia; two daughters, Kimberly Andrews and Nichole Andrews of Columbia; and a brother, Steve Andrews of Conifer, Colo.
His father died earlier.
Memorials may be sent to Valley Hope Alcohol & Drug Treatment Center, 1415 Ashley Road, Boonville, MO 65233.
Bradley Farrar
Bradley Farrar of Columbia died Sunday, April 28, 2002, at his home. He was 45.
Mr. Farrar was born Aug. 8, 1956, in St. Clair County, Ill., to Marvin Edward and Marian Rosalie Morin Farrar.
Mr. Farrar was a draftsman. He married Patricia Nash on Aug. 20, 1977, in Salem, Mo.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Wilson Mortuary, 1000 Highway 32 in Salem.
Mr. Farrar is survived by his wife, Patricia Farrar of Columbia; his mother, Marian Rosalie Farrar of Minneapolis; two daughters, Jessica Farrar of Columbia and Krissy Farrar of Labadie; and two sisters, Brenda Kiefner and Susan Vigen, both of Minneapolis.
His father and one grandson died earlier.
Anna Lois Palmer
Anna Lois Palmer of Montgomery City died Saturday, April 27, 2002, at her home. She was 68.
Mrs. Palmer was born July 4, 1933, in Wellsville to John Sherman and Ruby Cannon Howell. She attended Wellsville High School. She married Henry A. Ulrich in 1951, and they later divorced. She married Charles F. Palmer on Aug. 24, 1968, at the Montgomery City Christian Church.
Mrs. Palmer sold Tupperware for more than 10 years, earning the nickname "Tupperware Lady." "She met a lot of people all over through that," Charles Palmer said. She also worked for a doctor in Wellsville and for the state of Missouri for five years. She was a member of the Montgomery City Christian Church.
Mrs. Palmer was a devoted mother and grandmother, Charles Palmer said. "She was real proud of her grandkids and her two great-grandkids," he said. She spent most of her life in the Montgomery City area.
"She was really outgoing," her daughter, Rebecca Ulrich Smith, said. "She knew a lot of people and they knew her."
Services,conducted by the Rev. Gary Bailey, will be held at 1 p.m. today at the Montgomery City Christian Church, 207 Danville Road, Montgomery City. Burial will be in the Montgomery City Cemetery. Visitation was held Monday.
Mrs. Palmer is survived by her husband; one daughter, Rebecca Ann Ulrich Smith of Hallsville; one son, Michael H. Ulrich of Summerfield, Ill.; a brother, Robert Howell; five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.
Her parents, three brothers and three sisters died earlier.
Memorials may be sent to the Montgomery City Christian Church, c/o Schlanker Funeral Home, 207 Danville Road, Montgomery City, MO 63361.
Eda Jane Pitney
Eda Jane Pitney of Fayette died Sunday, April 28, 2002. She was 94.
Mrs. Pitney was born to William Perry and Amanda Catherine Yazel on Feb. 12, 1908, in Muscotah, Kan. She married Elison J. Pitney on March 25, 1933.
Mrs. Pitney graduated from Central Missouri State College and went on to teach for 42 years. The majority of her career was spent in the Fayette school system.
Mrs. Pitney was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Fayette, where she taught Sunday school. She and her husband spent time serving in their community and church. She supervised the kitchen at Mt. Zion Baptist Association Camp, assisted in delivering meals to the older residents and often volunteered.
Her family said she was loved by all and will be greatly missed.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Carr-Yager Funeral Home, 204 N. Linn St. in Fayette. Family visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday followed by services, conducted by the Revs. Ralph Lee and Dale Larison, at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Fayette City Cemetery in Fayette.
Mrs. Pitney is survived by many nieces and nephews.
Her husband; three sisters, Mabel Rush, Ida Hammons and Eva Wollard; and three brothers, Orbie Yazel, Vernon Yazel and Billy Yazel died earlier.
Memorials may be sent to First Baptist Church, 101 W. Davis, Fayette, MO 65248, or to the Fayette Senior Citizens Center, 102 Hwy. 5, Fayette, MO 65248.
Betty Jean Raney
Betty Jean Heath Raney of Ashland died Saturday, April 20, 2002. She was 78.
Mrs. Raney was born on June 29, 1923, in Harrison, Ark., to Jerome Arthur and Edna Smiley Heath. Mrs. Raney graduated from Harrison High School in 1941.
She married Oliver C. Raney on March 17, 1944. The couple moved to Pine Bluff, Ark., in 1951. Mrs. Raney enjoyed playing bridge, reading and knitting. She was an active member of First Baptist Church in Pine Bluff.
Services and visitation were held April 24 in Pine Bluff.
Mrs. Ramey is survived by her sons, Charles R. "Randy" Raney of Harrison, Ark., and Russell A. "Russ" Raney of Salem, Ore.; daughters, Leah Beth Simon of Columbia and Lisa Raney of Eugene, Ore.; a twin brother, Bob Heath of Alma, Ark.; and seven grandchildren.
Her husband, a son, Richard H. Raney, two brothers and three sisters died earlier.
Memorials can be sent to First Baptist Church Building Fund, 6501 Hazel, Pine Bluff, AR 71603.
Gerard Lee Aholt
Gerard "Jerry" Lee Aholt of Glasgow died Saturday, April 27, 2002, at University Hospital. He was 57.
Mr. Aholt was born in Kansas City on Sept. 26, 1944. Twenty years later he married Evelyn Monnig at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Glasgow. They were married for 37 years.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Satolli Council No. 1752, the Rise Up and Rejoice Choir and the Diocesan Teen Encounter Christ.
After retiring from the U.S. Postal Service in 1992, Mr. Aholt was self-employed as a carpenter.
He spent nearly all of his free time with his family, said his sister, Marylyn Monnig. "He was a gentle, loving, caring man," Monnig said. "His family was his life."
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Friemont-Freese Funeral Home, 112 Market St. in Fayette. The rosary will be said at 8 p.m.
Services, conducted by Father Phil Kane, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 301 Fourth St. in Glasgow. Burial at Washington Cemetery in Glasgow will follow.
Mr. Aholt is survived by his wife, Evelyn Aholt; two daughters, Denise Haskamp and Rhonda Senor both of Glasgow; two sons, Dennis Aholt of Rocheport and Warren Aholt of Glasgow; four sisters, Martha Ann Speckhals of St. Peters, Marylyn Monnig of Gilliam, Carolyn Boss of Salisbury and Therese Widmer of Columbia; two brothers, Wayne Aholt of Enid, Okla., and Keith Aholt of Arlington, Texas; and seven grandchildren.
Donations may be sent to St. Mary's Church, 301 Fourth St., Glasgow, Mo. 65254.
Truman Clay Highbarger
Truman Clay Highbarger of Columbia died Friday, April 26, 2002, at his home after battling liver and bone cancer. He was 33.
"He was very much at peace with everything," said his father Carroll Highbarger.
Mr. Highbarger was born July 6, 1968, in Marshall to Carroll and Antoinette Heaper Highbarger. On May 11, 1996, he married Jennifer Adelstein in Columbia, who survives him.
Mr. Highbarger graduated from Hickman High School in 1987.
He was an artist who specialized in jewelry, woodwork, metal work and Indian lore. He and his friends built the house that his family lives in on their farm.
"He loved that farm and the outdoors," his father said.
Mr. Highbarger enjoyed arrowhead hunting, morel hunting, music, movies, fishing, shopping and spending time with his family and friends.
A visitation and celebration of Mr. Highbarger's life will be from 10:30 a.m. to noon today at the Highbarger/Adelstein farm, 6301 W. Route K. Private services will be held later.
He is survived by his wife; a son, Fisher Truman James Highbarger of Columbia; a daughter, Jacy Lynn Highbarger of Columbia; his father, Carroll Highbarger, and his stepmother, Betty Crawford of Columbia; his mother, Toni Cottrell and stepfather, Bill Cottrell, of Washington, Ill.; and a sister, Lynne Highbarger of Columbia.
Memorials may be sent to the Jacy and Fisher Highbarger Education Fund, Boone County National Bank, 720 E. Broadway, Columbia, Mo. 65201.
Nathaniel E. Cross
Nathaniel E. Cross died Tuesday, April 23, 2002, at Audrain Medical Center in Mexico, Mo., of liver failure. He was 47.
For the past five years he lived in Mexico, where he worked at Burger King. Although he lived in Missouri for most of his life, friends and family remembered him as a traveler who was always on the go.
Mr. Cross was stationed in Germany during his time in the Navy, which helped cement his interest in traveling, said his sister Goldie Lawson. Mr. Cross would often surprise his family with a phone call from some distant place.
"He was very adventurous," said his brother Lorenzo Lawson. "He traveled everywhere and people just loved him. He made friends very easily."
Along with travel, Mr. Cross counted sports, card games and dominoes among his hobbies. His family remembered how he would try to lighten situations and assist anyone in need.
Lorenzo Lawson said his brother would always say something witty to cheer him up. Goldie Lawson recalled Mr. Cross as a prankster when doing his chores as a child.
"He used to pick flowers that he did not like and show them to his mother," she said. "He would say, 'Look, Mom, I pulled those weeds out.'"
Mr. Cross was born Nov. 25, 1954, in Columbia to William Hickman and Goldie Cross. He attended Hickman High School.
His family will remember him as a "caring, friendly, outgoing and warm person," Goldie Lawson said.
For Lorenzo Lawson, the loss was more than family. He said Mr. Cross was one of his closest friends.
"I could always count on him no matter what," Lorenzo Lawson said. "We were there for one another. I will always remember and cherish that."
Services, conducted by the Rev. T.L. Garner, were held Friday at Second Baptist Church in Mexico. Visitation was held Saturday at Second Baptist Church in Columbia, and the Rev. Lorenzo Lawson conducted services for his brother. Burial followed at Simpson Chapel Cemetery.
Mr. Cross is survived by his fiancee', Robin Cason of Mexico; three sons, Corey Clark of St. Louis, DeMarco Ricard of Sedalia and Tyler Clark of Fulton; one daughter, LeNeice Bradshaw of Mexico; three stepdaughters, Joanne Tampkins of Arlington, Texas, and Ebony Cason and India Cason, both of Mexico; five brothers, William Hickman of the state of California, and Bobby Lawson, Charles Cross, Harold Cross, Lorenzo Lawson and Lewis Lawson, all of Columbia; three sisters; Ann Bohanon of Peoria, Ill., Goldie Lawson of Columbia and Lisa Cross of Garland, Texas; three grandchildren; four aunts; and several nieces and nephews.
His parents, one sister and one brother died earlier.
Katherine I. Watkins
Katherine Isabel Watkins of St. Louis died Friday, April 26, 2002, at her home of respiratory failure. She was 6.
Katherine was born in St. Louis to Jack R. Watkins Jr. and Genny Gray Watkins on June 12, 1995.
She was a baptized member of the First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis and was a first-grade student at Highcroft Elementary School in Chesterfield.
Katherine's grandfather Tom Gray remembered her as a "fun-loving, eager-to-please, laughing young lady."
"She wasn't physically able to do a whole lot, but she loved to do any active thing," Gray said. "She enjoyed getting baths more than anything else." She also liked bouncing balls and looking at books.
Gray said her father nicknamed Katherine "Bug" because she was small but energetic.
"She was just a dear, sweet thing. Wonderful to have for the time we had her," Gray said.
She is survived by her parents; her paternal grandparents, Jackie R. Watkins Sr. and Esther Wallen Watkins of Sikeston; her maternal grandparents, Tom and Susan Stalcup Gray of Columbia; her uncle, Nick Watkins of Nashville, Tenn.; her aunts, Courtney Gray Gaunt of Columbia and Holly Watkins Strassner of O'Fallon; and five cousins.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon Monday at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W. Services will be Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church in St. Louis. A reception will follow at the church. Burial will be in Columbia Cemetery.
Memorials may be sent to the Watkins family, c/o Boone National Savings and Loan Association, 901 E. Broadway, Columbia, Mo. 65201. The memorial fund in Katherine's name will be used to help various children's programs.
