Stories from Friday, December 26, 2003

EAST PRAIRIE - Lois Johnson, 88, died Dec. 25, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home.

KANSAS CITY - Marvin Jones, 82, formerly of Dexter, died Dec. 25, 2003, in the Garden Village at Kansas City. Arrangements are incomplete at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

DEXTER - Dona W. Thompson, 91, died Dec. 22, 2003, at her home. Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home. Services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Christ in Dexter with Don Bahr of Dexter and Dwight Bryant of Portageville, officiating...

BASTROP, Texas - Thelma Dossett, 84, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Dec. 19, 2003, at the Silver Pines Care Center in Bastrop. Visitation is from noon Saturday until service time at 2 p.m. at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston. The Rev. Lee Fansler, pastor of the Sikeston Community Church, will officiate...

DEXTER - Devan Ray Henry, son of Dewayne and Stacy Lutman Henry, died at birth Dec. 21, 2003, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Survivors in addition to his parents include: two stepsisters, Enyssa Henry and Zoie Henry of St. James; his maternal grandparents, Chris and Barbara Linder Lutman of Bloomfield; and paternal grandparents, Louie Henry of St. James and Mary Martin of Dexter...

SCOTT CITY - Charles Virgil Miller, 90, died at 9:45 a.m. Dec. 24, 2003, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Born Jan. 6, 1913, in Anna, Ill., son of the late Eugene and Anna Ingraham Miller, he was a towboat deckhand before retiring. He served with the U.S. Army in World War II and was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso and VFW Post 6407 in Scott City...

BERTRAND - Everett Cain, 76, died at 5:25 p.m. Dec. 25, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born May 15, 1927, in Osceola, Ark., he was the son of the late Clarence and Nanny Roberts Cain. He lived in Bertrand most of his life where he was employed in farming and construction until retiring...

SIKESTON - Norma Jean Smart, 57, formerly of New Madrid, died Dec. 23, 2003, at her home. Born Jan. 24, 1946, in Lepanto, Ark., daughter of the late Edwin and Minnie May Stephens, she was a housekeeper for 15 years for Sikeston Health Care. She was a member of Tanner Street Church of God...

SIKESTON - David Edward Boyer, 54, died at 5:25 p.m. Dec. 23, 2003, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Born Oct. 13, 1949, in Sikeston, son of Ralph E. and Martha Jane Lewis Boyer of Sikeston, he was a 1967 graduate of Sikeston High School. He graduated in 1972 from Culver-Stockton College at Canton and worked in commercial construction for many years with Boyer Construction Company of Sikeston. ...

DEXTER - Jesse Lee Neal, 84, died Dec. 23, 2003, at the VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Born June 21, 1919, in Bell City to the late William A. and Clara Lowery Neal, he had lived in Blytheville, Ark., and St. Louis but had spent most of his life in Dexter. ...

BENTON - Otto Solomon Diebold Jr., 78, died at 4:35 p.m. Dec. 23, 2003, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Born April 9, 1925, in Benton, son of the late Otto Solomon and Elizabeth Rose Bertrand Diebold, he was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He was a foreman for Florsheim Shoe Company before retiring and was a member of St. Denis Catholic Church in Benton...

DUDLEY - Gene Carpenter, 73, died Dec. 25, 2003, at his daughter's home in Oxford, Mich. Arrangements are incomplete at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - David B. Warren, 62, formerly of Essex and Frisco, Mo., died Dec. 21, 2003, at his home. Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter, where services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Rev. Fred Applegate of Fisk will officiate...

DEXTER - Altie Corlew, 91, died Dec. 25, 2003, at the Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Center in Dexter. Born Aug. 13, 1912, in Laff, Ark., daughter of the late William Thomas and Lura Kemmett Rose, she was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene. She was employed by Elder Manufacturing in Dexter before retiring...

BLOOMFIELD - A burial service for Maxie Alton Graviett, 82, of Sikeston, who died April 29, 2003, will be conducted at 10 a.m. Monday at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel of Oran is in charge of arrangements.

CHARLESTON - William D. Purnell, 87, died Dec. 24, 2003, at his home. Born Sept. 24, 1916, in Sunflower County, Miss., son of the late Matt Whitaker and Matilda Shelton Purnell, he attended public school in Sunflower and Moorehead, Miss. He received a Bachelor of Science from Alcorn State University at Lorman, Miss., a Master of Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia and continued his studies at the University of Hawaii at Honolulu, Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., and Colorado State University at Fort Collins. ...

Gary SIKESTON - Trina Blackmon and Reginald Gary are the parents of their second son, born at 5:05 p.m. Dec. 8, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Jacob Cartez Gary weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces. Blackmon, a student at Metro Business College, is the daughter of Wilma and Nathaniel Blackmon...

SIKESTON -- Shoppers weren't out in full force in Sikeston early today, but many of their employees predict it's just the calm before the storm hits mid-morning and into the afternoon. Etoy and Ceola Jackson of Charleston arrived at 7:30 a.m. at Lowe's in Sikeston today. ...

SIKESTON -- A St. Louis man wanted for identification theft was arrested by Sikeston Department of Public Safety officers Monday. According to reports, at 2:59 p.m. Monday, officers with DPS responded to a report of identity theft at U.S. Bank located at 104 East Center St...

BENTON - Scott County commissioners will "need a bit more clarification" on how federal seizure money can be used. Commissioners said during their regular meeting Tuesday that they hoped to see televisions for jail pods to be paid for with seizure money. Officials reported there is about $20,000 in the seizure fund left...

Someone called in a SpeakOut which was printed on Dec. 21 saying they had Indian artifacts for sale. I collect Indian artifacts and was interested in your comment. When I called the phone number in the paper, the person who answered said it must be a wrong number because he did not call SpeakOut. Please call SpeakOut with the correct number so I can call you...

SIKESTON - Mr. and Mrs. Ardie Burch have purchased the Herbert Daugherty property in the north end of town. FISK - In last night's action, Gideon burnt Matthews, Advance stomped Chaffee, Doniphan upset Lilbourn and the host Wildcats thumped Fisk. ---...

SIKESTON -- The Rev. Bill and Marti Koch have announced the engagement of their daughter, Kristin Gayle, to Kreg Joseph Moorhouse, son of Dale and Diane Moorhouse of Elgin, Ill. A 1991 graduate of Kickapoo High School in Springfield, the future bride graduated in 1995 from Truman State University. She is on staff with the Willow Creek Church in Barrington, Ill...