Obituaries

Emily Ann Blanchard, age 73, of Lamar, passed away Friday, May 26, 2017, at Mercy Hospital in Joplin following a short illness.      Emily was born September 11, 1943, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Bill and Lottie Puckett.  On September 28, 1972, in Bentonville, Arkansas, she married Kenneth Blanchard and they have made their home in Barton County for many...

William Thomas “Tom” Maberry, age 91, of Lamar, Missouri died Friday, May 26, 2017 at his home.      Tom was born May 30, 1925 in Dade County, Missouri to Earl and Mona (Matthews) Maberry.  He attended Lockwood High School and served his country in the United States Army during World War II in the 34th Infantry in the Philippines and...

Jack William Foster, age 94, of rural Lamar, passed away Sunday, May 21, 2017 while visiting family in Fort Smith, Arkansas.      Jack was born September 6, 1922, in Dade County, Missouri, to John and Ramola (Leivan) Foster.  He entered the U.S. Army in 1942 and served in the European Theater during World War II.  Returning home in 1946, Jack...

Loren E. Morey, age 82, of rural Lamar, passed Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at his home after a short illness.      Loren was born November 29, 1934 in Lamar, Missouri to George A. and Edna (Millard) Morey.  He graduated Lamar High School and then served his country in the United States Army.  On December 11, 1960, he married Ellen Jo...

Warren Allen Grove, Jr., age 67, of Lamar, passed away Tuesday, May 16, 2017, at Freeman West Hospital in Joplin.      Warren was born April 5, 1950 in Colby, Kansas, to Warren Sr. and Elizabeth (Ward) Grove. Early in Warren’s life, his father died and he was raised by his step-father, Charles W. Ward.  After graduating from Fairmont High School,...

Larry Robert "Hymer" Cook, age 72, of rural Jasper, Missouri, passed away Saturday morning, May 13, 2017, at Mercy Hospital Carthage, following an apparent heart attack.      Larry was born October 29, 1944, in Pittsburg, Kansas, the second of the four sons of the late Walt and Reba (James) Cook.  He graduated from Jasper High School and served his country...

William “Bill” Robert O’Brien Sr., age 85, of Lamar, Missouri passed Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at Joplin Health & Rehab Center.      Bill was born January 2, 1932 in St. Joseph, Missouri to William Francis and Edna Mae (Potter) O’Brien.  In 1949, he graduated Central High School in St. Joseph.  He served his country in the United States Marine Corps...

Donald Dean Holland, age 72, of Lamar, passed away Monday, May 1, 2017, at Mercy Hospital in Joplin.       Don was born February 17, 1945, in Sheldon, Missouri, second of the two sons of Howard T. and Ruth (George) Holland.  After graduating from Bronaugh High School in 1962, he worked for a short time for Halmark in Kansas City before...

Nadine Stansberry, age 96, of Lamar, passed away Sunday, April 30, 2017, at Truman Healthcare Center.      Nadine was born September 1, 1920, in Kenoma, Missouri, one of the six children of Lester and Fern (Nall) Harris.  On August 24, 1940, at Lamar, she married Clark Stansberry and they made their home and raised their four children in Barton County. ...

Randall Eugene Stevens, age 57, of rural Lamar, Missouri passed unexpectedly, Sunday, April 30, 2017 at his home.      Randy was born April 18, 1960 in Modesto, California to Damon Everett Stevens and Martha Jane (Bronson) Stevens.  On October 3, 1977, he married Jane Ann Burns in Girard, Kansas and together they raised five children.  Randy worked in constructions, building...

Mary Jean Schiernbeck, age 88, of Lamar, passed away Monday evening, April 17, 2017, at Truman Healthcare, surrounded by the love of her family.      Mary was born June 18, 1928 in Odebolt, Iowa, one of the thirteen children of Bernard and Irma Jean (Dinges) Bengford.  On October 25, 1946, at Papillion, Nebraska, she married Hugo Schiernbeck and they had...

Lonnie Gene Wilson, age 74, of Lamar, Missouri, passed away Saturday, April 15, 2017, at Mercy Hospital in Joplin following a long illness.      Lonnie was born November 4, 1942, in Sheldon, Missouri, to William and Lillie (Dockery) Wilson.  He attended Valley Rural School, graduated from Lamar High School in 1960, and served in the Army National Guard until honorably...

Carolyn Jean Thompson, age 66, of Liberal, Missouri, passed Monday, April 10, 2017 at Truman Healthcare Center after a long illness.      Carolyn was born July 13, 1950 in Ft. Scott, Kansas to Wilbert Wayne Spurling and Ethel Marie (Bogart) Spurling. She had attended Liberal schools as was proud that she was able to earn her GED. On September 8,...

Linda Sue Gant Smith, age 70, of Lamar, Missouri passed Thursday, April 6, 2017 at Truman Healthcare Center, after a long illness.      Linda was born July 31, 1946 in Lockwood, Missouri to John Laytham Tindill and Ruby May (Gibson) Tindill.  After graduating High School, she furthered her education in nursing.  She married Charles Arthur Smith and he preceded her...

Louise “Becky” Nichols, age 90, of Liberal, Missouri passed Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at Via Christi Village, Pittsburg, Kansas.       Becky was born July 10, 1926 in Leavenworth, Kansas to Joseph E. Becker and Eunice Lilly (Dobbs) Becker.  She attended Leavenworth and McLouth Schools and was a high school graduate. On October 14, 1947, she married Richard C. Nichols in...

Max Todd, age 88, of Lamar, passed away Saturday April 1, 2017, at his home in Lamar, Mo.       Max was born in Perry, OK to Samuel O. and Emma (Hise) Todd on February 21, 1929. The family moved to Kenoma when he was eight years old and Max attended Kenoma schools, Glendale schools, and, finally, Lamar High School.      ...

Wiley Lucas Jr., age 83, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, passed Friday, March 31, 2017 at Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee.       Wiley was born May 29, 1933 in Saratoga, Mississippi to Wiley Leroy Lucas Sr. and Molly (Thompson) Lucas. After High School, he served his country in the United States Air Force from 1950 to 1967.  He was...

Harold Clinton “Clint” Butler, age 85, of Lamar, Mo. went to his heavenly home on Monday, March 27, at Mercy McCune-Brookes Hospital in Carthage, Mo. following an aortic aneurism.      Clint was born on October 4, 1931 in Fair Play, Mo. to the late Lester Butler and Ethel Jeffries Butler. They moved to Lamar in 1938 where he graduated from...

Henrietta Callen, age 98, formerly of Liberal, Missouri, passed away Sunday, March 26, 2017, at Good Shepherd Community Care in Lockwood.      Henrietta was born July 15, 1918 in Liberal, one of the four children of Taylor and Bertha (Comby) Palmer.  She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Sam Callen; two brothers, Gerald and Harl Palmer; and...

Lillie Johnson, age 86, of Lamar, passed away Tuesday, March 21, 2017, surrounded by the love of her family at St. Luke’s Nursing Center in Carthage.       Lillie was born October 27, 1930, in El Dorado Springs, Missouri, one of the thirteen children of Charles and Millie (Herring) Plain. In 1956, Lillie married Jewell McCall and he died in an...