Robert Wright Stebbins
Robert Wright Stebbins of Columbia died Monday, May 17, 1999 at his home. He was 58.
Mr. Stebbins was born in Toledo, Ohio, on December 25, 1940, to Harry and Hulda Tyndale Stebbins. He married Eugenie Targonski in 1964.
"My dad always told people, 'You'll like me or you won't, but you'll always remember me,'" said his daughter, Patricia Stebbins. "He was a jovial, fun, childlike person -- a real kid at heart who loved Disney and knew Disney World like the back of his hand. Life was a Magic Kingdom for him."
Mr. Stebbins was a member of the U.S. Army. He also managed apartments in Columbia that housed many foreign exchange students.
"He was like a dad to everyone there," Patricia Stebbins said. "He took care of them, showed them what they needed to know."
There will be no services.
Mr. Stebbins is survived by his wife, Eugenie Stebbins of Columbia; two daughters, Valentina V. Hastings of Beaver, Utah, and Patricia Stebbins of Palm Desert, Calif.; and one brother, John Jay Stebbins of Toledo, Ohio.
Maebell Unterschutz
Maebell Unterschutz of Montgomery City died Wednesday, May 19, 1999, at her home. She was 59.
Mrs. Unterschutz was born on Feb. 6, 1940, in Danville to Everett Russell and Margaret Weant Daniels. She graduated from Montgomery City High School.
On Nov. 3, 1963, she married Valentin Unterschutz.
Services will be at 2 p.m. today at the Schlanker Funeral Home in Montgomery City. Visitation will be at 1 p.m.
Mrs. Unterschutz is survived by her husband and one sister, Vera Bunch, both of Montgomery City; one daughter, Debbie Thompson of Columbia; and one granddaughter.
Mildred 'Tilly' West
Mildred "Tilly" West of Columbia died Monday, May 17, 1999, at South Hampton Place nursing home. She was 92.
Mrs. West was born on May 5, 1907, in Dodge City, Kan., to Harrison and Margaret K. Grantham. On June 4, 1950, she married Olin West.
Mrs. West was a member of Missouri United Methodist Church in Columbia. Earlier, she was employed as a beautician and real estate agent in Dodge City.
Services, conducted by the Rev. E. Kim Engleking, will be at 11 a.m. May 28 at Scroggins Memorial Mausoleum in Dodge City's Maple Grove Cemetery.
Mrs. West is survived by one daughter, Sandra Norton of Columbia; one brother, Dennis Hall of Colorado; three granddaughters; and six great-grandsons.
Her husband died earlier.
Memorials may be sent to Missouri United Methodist Church Music Fund, 204 S. Ninth St., Columbia, MO 65201.
Harris A. Wiggs
Harris A. Wiggs, formerly of Columbia, died Wednesday, May 12, 1999, at Valley Convalescent Center in El Centro, Calif. He was 80.
Mr. Wiggs was born Feb. 8, 1919, in Lonoak, Ark., to Luther M. and Della Parker Wiggs. He married LaVerne Evans in Linwood, Calif., in 1946.
Mr. Wiggs was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was employed as a University of Missouri groundskeeper for 31 years until his retirement in 199O.
Visitation for Mr. Wiggs will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W.
Services, conducted by Mr. Wiggs' son, the Rev. Evan Wiggs, will follow the visitation immediately.
Mr. Wiggs is survived by his wife, LaVerne Wiggs of Columbia; one son, Evan Wiggs of Vancouver, Wash.; one daughter, Donna N. DeClue of Sarasota, Fla.; one sister, Gladys Boone of Corning, Calif.; and four grandchildren.
His parents, one brother and three sisters died earlier.
Memorials may be sent to The Gideons International, P.O. Box 7108, Columbia, Mo., 65205.
Wayne L. Churchill
Wayne L. Churchill of Columbia died Monday, May 17, 1999, at Boone Hospital Center of post-polio syndrome. He was 55.
Mr. Churchill was born Feb. 27, 1944, in Flint, Michigan, to Ralph W. and Ada Mae Engel Churchill. He married Cynthia Dale on December 14, 1991 in Marshall, Mo.
He was employed by MU. Mr. Churchill attended the Evangelical Free Church in Columbia.
"He was a good father and husband, a dedicated and committed Christian," said his wife, Cynthia. "I think he was an example to many people."
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W.
The Rev. Oliver Langmade will conduct services for Mr. Churchill at 2 p.m. on Friday at Evangelical Free Church, 600 Silvey St.
A graveside service, conducted by the Rev. James Moulder, will be held at Lawrence Memorial Park Cemetery in Lawrence, Kan. on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Mr. Churchill is survived by his father of Lawrence, Kan.; his mother of Wellsville, Kan.; his wife of Columbia; a son, Christopher Dale of Columbia; a brother, Keith L. Churchill of Wellsville, Kan.; and two sisters, Ralda Wylie of Lecompton, Kan. and Rachel Churchill of Lawrence, Kan.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Evangelical Free Church, 600 Silvey St., Columbia, Mo., 65203.
Ole Hunt, Jr.
Ole Hunt, Jr. of Columbia died Monday, May 17, 1999. He was 73.
Mr. Hunt was born on Jan. 31, 1926, in Boone County to Obe Lee Hunt Sr. and Liza Mae Zumwalt Hunt.
Mr. Hunt served with the U.S. Army for two years. Then he worked for more than 40 years at Alton's and Joe Machens Ford dealerships as a mechanic.
Visitation for Mr. Hunt was held on Wednesday. Services, conducted by the Rev. Wallace Johnson, were also held then.
Mr. Hunt is survived by two sisters, Margaret A. Wade of Columbia and Pauline Rippeto of Ashland; and several nieces and nephews.
His parents and five brothers died earlier.
Kit Lan Wong
Kit Lan Wong of Columbia died Wednesday, May 12, 1999. She was 51.
Mrs. Wong was born on Nov.19, 1947, in Hong Kong.
She earned a bachelor's degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and later earned her doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan. While at school, she met Tuck Chuen Wong and they married on June 17, 1972, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
A devoted mother of three, Mrs. Wong spent most of her time at West Junior High helping with a program that taught English as a second language. Her love for music also kept her busy as a volunteer at many local school music festivals.
Services, conducted by Rev. Raymond Massey, were held on Sunday at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Columbia.
Mrs. Wong is survived by her parents of Hong Kong: her husband, Tuck Chuen Wong of Columbia; her son, Peter Wong of Columbia and her two daughters, Ellen Wong of Washington D.C. and Denise Wong of Columbia.
Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society, In Memory of Kit lan Wong, 1 Broadway, Suite C-1, Columbia, MO. 65203.
Harry Earl Burge
Harry Earl Burge, former vice president of business affairs at Stephens College, died Monday, May 17, 1999, at his home. He was 82.
Mr. Burge was born July 2, 1916, in Centralia, Ill., to Harry Earl and Martha Belva Masterson Burge. He was married to Margaret Coffman on April 9, 1944, at the First Baptist Church in Columbia.
During World War II, Mr. Burge served as a flight instructor based at the old Columbia Municipal Airport. In 1945, Mr. Burge became the head of the aviation program at Stephens College. Following the closing of the flight department, he served as the college comptroller and vice president for business affairs until his retirement in 1980.
He was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church and was active in the United Way, the Columbia Municipal Airport Advisory Board and served on the Board of Directors of Blue Cross-Blue Shield for many years.
Mr. Burge was a golfer and enjoyed flying a private plane. He will be remembered for his love of people.
"It was one of the most important parts of his lifestyle," said his daughter, Beverly Spencer.
A memorial service for Mr. Burge will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at the First Baptist Church, on the corner of Broadway and Waugh Street. Any memorials may be sent to the church.
Mr. Burge is survived by his wife; two daughters, Barbara Chancellor and Beverly Spencer, both of Columbia; three granddaughters and one great-granddaughter.
A daughter, Susan Elaine, died earlier.
Howard Harrison
Retired 1st Sgt. Howard Andrew Harrison Sr. of Columbia died Saturday, May 15, 1999, at University Hospital of a heart attack. He was 46.
Mr. Harrison was born Aug. 28, 1952, in Baltimore, to Howard and Helen Marie Harrison. He married Jane Morris on Sept. 28, 1979, in Columbia.
Mr. Harrison retired from the U.S. Army in 1991 after 21 years of service. During his tenure, he was involved in recruitment and served in Germany and Alaska.
For the past four years, Mr. Harrison was employed by the U.S. Postal Service in Ashland as a clerk and ran an appliance repair business from his home.
"He was always happy, spirited and fun to joke with," said Garry Nichols, a co-worker of Mr. Harrison. "He was an excellent worker."
Mr. Harrison was a member of the Abigail Baptist Church in Vernon, Fla. He was also a member of the Masons and the American Legion.
He was an avid outdoorsman and fisherman. In his spare time, he liked to hunt for turkey and deer in the river bottoms.
"He loved to hunt and fish and spend time with his family," said his daughter, Jamie Melton.
Services for Mr. Harrison will be conducted by the Rev. Bob Stokes at 2 p.m. today at Memorial Funeral Home Chapel, 1217 Business Loop 70 W.. A military graveside service will be held at Mount Nebo Cemetery in Columbia.
He is survived by his wife, Jane Harrison of Columbia; one son, Howard Harrison Jr. of Lawrence, Kan.; two daughters, Jamie Melton of Lake Ozark, and Samantha Harrison of Columbia; his mother, Helen Marie Register Milar of Florida; a brother, Harry Marshall of Georgia; a sister, Patricia Bush of Kissimmee, Fla.; one granddaughter and numerous nieces and nephews.
His father, a brother and a sister died earlier.
Memorials may be sent to the Trust Fund for Samantha Harrison, c/o Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W., Columbia, Mo. 65202.
Barbara Anne Meyers
Barbara Anne Meyers of Columbia died Sunday, May 16, 1999, at University Hospitals and Clinics from complications of cancer. She was 45.
Mrs. Meyers was born on January 26, 1954, on Staten Island, N.Y. to Richard and Marilyn Olsen McHale. She moved to Columbia in 1990 and was an active member in the Valley View Community Church.
For the past several years, Mrs. Meyers assisted her husband, Tim Meyers, with various secretarial duties in his real estate profession and work in the ministry. She was also mother and educator to the family's home-schooled children.
Despite her lengthy battle with cancer, which included trips to Alaska, Colorado, and Mexico for treatment, her friends and family said she lived a rich and full life.
"She loved to go hiking and be with friends," said her daughter, Emilie Brooke Meyers. "She's had the hardest life but turned it into one of miraculous beauty. Her goal was to make something of every moment."
Services conducted by the Revs. Joe Tosini, Ken Young, and Len Meyers will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, at Valley View Community Church in Columbia, 2900 Barberry Ave. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia, 1217 Business Loop 70 W.
She is survived by by her mother, Marilyn McHale, of the California Bay Area; step-parents, Bill and Peg Berhardi, of Long Island, N.Y.; her husband, Tim Meyers, of Columbia; two sons, Timothy Joel Meyers and Ethan Meyers, both of Columbia; one daughter, Emilie Brooke Meyers, of Columbia; one brother, Richard McHale, of Fremont, Calif.; and one sister, Mari-Lynn Hause, of Columbia.
Her father died earlier. Her daughter, Olivia Grace Meyers, died earlier this month, on May 8, 1999.
Memorials for Mrs. Meyers may be sent to the Rainbow House, 2302 N. Oakland Gravel Rd., Columbia, Mo. 65202.
