Obituaries

Naomi Lucille Custer Maze, daughter of George Lebbeus Custer and Glenn Dora Miller Custer, was born September 6, 1916 at Grainola, OK.  She peacefully departed this life on November 5, 2011 while at Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott, KS at the age of 95 years.  For the past 66 years Naomi has resided on the family farm located in the...

James Ray "Sarge" Ryan, age 75, of Lamar, died Sunday, October 30, 2011 at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, OK.  James was born July 14, 1936 at Jefferson City, MO to Ray and Ellen (Cable) Ryan.  He served his country in the United States Army, retiring in 1975 after 20 years of service. He was also a truck driver and...

Margery Pauline Miller, age 89, of Lamar, died Friday October 28, 2011 after a short illness.        Margery was born February 23, 1922 at Lamar to James Alonzo "Lon" and Mary Catherine (Lawrence) Pritchett.  She attended country school at Hanes Grove. On December 24, 1941, she married Amos Miller at Lamar.  Margery was a homemaker and a caregiver. She...

William Owen (Bill) Taylor went home to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. He died of natural causes at his home in Lamar, Missouri. Bill loved his hometown of Brookfield where he was born on February 8, 1911. He graduated from Brookfield  High School where he lettered in every sport, became a football...

Bernice Foger, age 92 of Lamar, died Sunday October 24, 2011 at Truman Health Care Center.        Bernice was born June 27, 1919 at Smithfield, West Virginia to John and Mary (Showalter) Brewer.   On April 21, 1940 she married Glen Guy Markley at Pawnee, OK. He died February 12, 1976.  She then married Martin Leroy Foger on January 3,...

Amy Cass Ortega, age 45, of Joplin completed her battle with cancer and won the victory of eternal life on Wednesday, October 19, 2011.  She was surrounded by her family and loved ones.       Amy was born July 17, 1966 in Lamar, Missouri to Billy Bob and Nancy (Phipps) Cass.  Amy is survived by her loving husband James Ortega of...

Daniel Joseph Penney, age 61, of Liberal, passed away Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from a sudden illness.  Dan was born December 28, 1949 at Great Bend, KS.  He went to school and worked there until 1968, when he moved to Kansas City, MO.  In 1983 he met his wife, Louise and moved to the rural Liberal, MO area.  He loved...

Roy Herman Pierson, age 87, of Lamar, passed away Thursday, October 6, 2011 at his home.      Roy was born December 14, 1923 in Fair Play, Missouri to John Allen and Mary Jane (Phillips) Pierson.  He grew up hunting and fishing, and in later years supplied many a friend and neighbor with his catch.  In his youth he became an...

Roy Lee Thompson, age 93, of rural Lamar, passed away Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at his home.       Roy was born January 25, 1918, at Minneola, Kansas, the fifth of the six children of Leo and Mattie (Hunter) Thompson.  He graduated from Larned High School and worked on the family farm before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corp in 1939. ...

Vada Eilene Metcalf, 86, of Benton,  AR passed away September 15, 2011.  She was born March 24, 1925 in Jerico Springs, Missouri to the late Dale and Meleta Cross.  Eilene was a member of Temple Baptist Church in Benton.  She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Irvin Metcalf, brother, Leon Cross and sister, Norma Tucker.     Eilene...

Charles P. Boman, age 103, of Lamar, died Thursday September 15, 2011 at his home.       Charles was born April 2, 1908, near Maxville, Kansas, the second of the four sons of Shelva and Alta (Wheatley) Boman.  He grew up with a great curiosity about how things worked and was gifted with a natural ability to fix almost anything.  He...

Timothy Aaron Forst, age 24, of Carl Junction, passed away Sunday, August 28, 2011 due to an accident near Lamar.       Tim was born March 22, 1987 in Lamar, Missouri, the sixth of the six children of Leonard and Diana (Andersen) Forst.  He graduated from Lamar High School in 2005 and earned certification as a diesel mechanic at Wyoming Tech...

Hazel (Felty) Flanigan, 84 years, resident of Spring Hill, TN, formerly of rural Liberal, MO, passed away Thursday, August 25, 2011.        She was preceded in death by her husband of 43 years, William Wayne Flanigan; newborn daughter, Linda Kay Flanigan; parents Floyd C. and Pearl Felty, and her three brothers, Ralph, Clyde, and Dale Felty.    ...

Jewell L. Wells, age 100, of Lamar, passed away Thursday, August 25, 2011 at her home. Jewell was born April 12, 1911, at Iantha, Missouri, to Harvey and Edna (Burr) DeHart.  She graduated from Lamar High School with the class of 1929 and furthered her education at Pittsburg State College and Kansas City Business College. On May 4, 1931, at...

David Franklin Wortham, age 85, of Lamar, Missouri, passed away Monday, August 15, 2011 at Barton County Memorial Hospital.      David was born July 19, 1926 at Kansas City, Missouri, one of the three children of David F. and Oda (Boyd) Wortham.  He served in the Merchant Marines before beginning his career as a carpenter.  He had lived in California...

Wallace G. Norton, Sr., age 88 of rural Lamar, passed away Sunday, August 7, 2011 at Barton County Memorial Hospital.            Wallace was born October 5, 1922 at Nardin, Oklahoma, one of the seven children of Lloyd and Winona (Mullen) Norton.   In 1931, he moved with his family by train to the Iantha area and graduated from...

Allen Long Walters, age 89, of Lamar, passed away Saturday, July 30, 2011 at his home following a two-year illness.      Allen was born July 4, 1922 in Lamar, to Paul, Sr. and Cora (Long) Walters.  After graduating from Lamar High School in 1940 he furthered his education at the Winona, Indiana Professional School of Photography.  During World War II,...

James Elton Garver was born to Rols and Eva Mae Pruitt Presnell Garver, February 9, 1921 in Harlem, Kansas.  He departed to his Heavenly Home on July 26, 2011 at the age of 90 years, five months.  He was left at an early age of 11 when his mother passed away. His father raised him to manhood.  James or “Jim”...

Donna Jean Betz, age 81, of Lamar, passed away Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at Barton County Memorial Hospital.      Donna was born October 2, 1929 at Milford, Missouri, to Roy and Ayleen (Bratton) Thomas.  She attended Golden City High School before moving with her family to Nevada where she graduated with the Nevada class of 1947.  Donna had worked as...

Katharine Maurine Vonier, age 79, of Lamar, died Saturday, July 23, 2011 at Barton County Memorial Hospital.         Katharine was born near Carthage, MO April 9, 1932 to Elmer & Dorothy (Hiett) Vonier. She attended Chesterfield-Dover Consolidated School, north of Wauseon, OH and Milligan College, in Milligan TN.  She served in the US Air Force from May 1957 to...