Obituaries

David Paul Gordon Jr., age 79, of Lamar, Missouri, died Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at Barton County Memorial Hospital. David was born November 28, 1934 at Lamar, to David Paul Sr. and Isa (Logan) Gordon.  He entered the United States Army, serving in a tank division, infantry division and as an MP.  Returning home, David worked as a tool &...

Velda Jean Moore, age 83, of Lamar, MO died Thursday, February 13, 2014 at Freeman Hospital West, Joplin, MO.     Velda was born August 30, 1930 at Newport, MO to Frank Voorhees and Myrtle Mae (Francis) Voorhees. She graduated high school and attended nurse aide training.  She went to work at the original Barton County Memorial Hospital the second night...

Charles Emmett “Bub” Curless, age 83, of Lamar, passed away Friday, February 14, 2014 at his home.       Bub was born February 3, 1931 at Verdella, Missouri, the son of Happy and Mary (Bloom) Curless.  He graduated along with seven classmates from Liberal High School in the class of 1948 and began an interesting and varied career path that has...

Dollie Lou Higgins Green was born on July 8, 1931 to Claude and May Higgins in Polk County Mo. She passed away February 12, 2014 in Oklahoma City, OK. Dollie was the oldest of five daughters and worked alongside her father working the family farm. At age 6 she decided she wanted to be a teacher. Once she set her...

Daniel Eugene Goodrum, age 93, of Lamar, passed away Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at Truman Healthcare Center.       Dan was born February 1, 1921 near Garden City, Missouri, one of the three children of James and Elva (Hough) Goodrum.  He moved with his family to Lamar in 1937 and graduated from Lamar High School with the class of 1939.     ...

While at home on Friday, February 7, 2014, Benjamin Morgan Fitchpatrick passed through the gates of Heaven to meet his Lord and Savior.  Ben was born on January 17, 1940 to Earl Morgan and Lenna Helen (Quade) Fitchpatrick.  He was one of eight children raised on the Fitchpatrick farm where they milked cows and raised geese and chickens.  After graduating...

Linda Lou Daugherty, 73, formerly of Lamar, Missouri, passed away February 2, 2014, at McCune Brooks Hospital, Carthage, Missouri. Born October 29, 1940, in Lamar, Missouri, Linda was the daughter of A.C. (Clay) and Marcella Daugherty. Linda had lived the majority of her life in Lamar, Missouri, where she had been a member of Lamar United Methodist Church. Five years...

Carol Sue (Fox) Wilkinson, age 67, of Springfield, Missouri passed away Sunday, February 2, 2014 at her home. Carol was born, June 18, 1946 at Lamar, MO to Hervey A. Fox and Lois Jane (Scholl) Fox.  She graduated Lamar High School in 1964.  Carol had worked as a teacher’s aide at Stet, MO, and was a member of Eastern Star. ...

Paul Eugene “Gene” Fast, age 91, passed away suddenly in his home, Tuesday morning, January 28, 2014, while getting dressed to go to his daily morning breakfast at Denny’s.  He was born in Liberal, Missouri, April 8, 1922 to Paul Cruiser and Jane Alta (Gilmartin) Fast. Paul was drafted into the United States Army at the age of 21 in...

Carol D. Robertson, age 93, of Lamar, passed away Sunday evening, January 26, 2014 at Barton County Memorial Hospital.      Carol was born July 6, 1920 at Liberal, Missouri, one of the four children of Taylor and Bertha (Comby) Palmer.  After graduating from Liberal High School in 1938, she earned a teaching certificate from Springfield State Teachers College and taught...

CAPT Roy R Grayson, USN (Retired), U. S. Naval Academy class of ‘49, passed away in Lamar, Missouri on January 27, 2014 from pneumonia, at age 88.    Roy was born in N. Little Rock on December 30, 1925.   Preceding him in death are:  his wife of 46 years, Carolyn Howard, and his second wife of 10 years, Mary...

Ralphy Isaac Haddad, three month-old son of Charles Haddad and Melissa Kennon of Lamar, passed away Wednesday evening, January 22, 2014 at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.      Ralphy was born October 10, 2013 at Joplin, Missouri and was welcomed home by his brother and three sisters, Chyanne Nichole Dockery, Christin Rose Dockery, Robert Lee Christopher Thomas, and Nevaeh...

Leila Ann Metcalf, age 67, of Jasper, passed away Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at Mercy McCune Brooks Hospital in Carthage.      Leila was born September 7, 1946, at Wright County, Missouri, to Edgar and Mildred (Perkins) Greenlee.  She graduated from Jasper High School and, later spent many years working in the Jasper school system as well as serving on the...

Jerry Lee Freeman, age 73, of Lamar, passed away Monday evening at his home following a short illness.       Jerry was born October 11, 1940, at Greenfield, Missouri, sixth of the seven children of John and Thelma (Gipson) Freeman.  He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Glen, Robert, and Emerson Freeman; three sisters, Beulah Mae Michael, Linda...

Lillian Elizabeth Grace, age 81, of Lamar, MO died at her home, Sunday, January 19, 2014. Lillian was born August 30, 1932 at Rockaway, NY to George William White and Marjorie Alice (Campbell) White.  In December 1953, she married Donald L. Grace at Jamaica, NY and he preceded her in death.  She was a homemaker, a member of Lamar First...

Joyce Ann Willet-Hyche passed away Saturday, January 18, 2014 at her home with her family by her side.     Joyce Ann was born February 22, 1951 to Eugene Herbert Willet and Ruth Alaire (Moore) Willet in Lamar, MO.  She graduated Lamar High School class of 1969 and went on to work several jobs in her lifetime but her full time...

Billie Ray Parnell, age 67, of Lamar, died Friday, January 17, 2014 at Truman Healthcare Center. Billie Ray was born February 15, 1946 at Lamar to Billie Raymond Parnell and Norma Irene (Sullivan) Parnell.  He graduated Lockwood High School in 1964 and on March 25, 1966, he married Marilyn Lee Taylor at Lamar.  Together they raised two children. Billie Ray...

Samuel Castlebury, 58, of Sheldon, passed suddenly on January 6, 2014. The lifetime Vernon County resident is survived by his wife of 40 years, Sandy Castlebury, daughters Shelly Castlebury, Samantha Hammond and son-in-law Tyler Hammond of Burke Va., son Rocky and daughter-in-law Marissa Castlebury of Mt. Vernon MO; mother Ruby Castlebury-Wright of Sheldon; sisters Cindy Leonard and Sheila Laning of...

Melba May Ambler, age 89, of Lamar, passed away Sunday, January 5, 2014, at Barton County Memorial Hospital following a long illness.      Melba was born January 28, 1924 at Iantha, Missouri, the daughter of John and Vista (Washburn) Hess.  On December 2, 1940, at Bentonville, Arkansas, she married Tom Ambler and they had celebrated 57 years together before his...

Helen Margureite Foster, age 90, passed away January 1, 2014 at Deseret Health and Rehabilitation of Oswego, Kansas.  Mrs. Foster lived in Barton County most of her life, moving to Oregon in 2005 and later to Oswego to be near family.      Helen was born May 15, 1923 at Missouri Valley, Iowa, one of the two daughters of Clyde and...