Stories from Tuesday, December 27, 2005

ANNISTON - Thomas Joseph, "Tom" Scherer, 62, died at 5:01 a.m. Dec. 24, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born March 6, 1943, in Benton, to the late Cletus Charles and Celeste Amelia Enderle Scherer, he had lived in Anniston the past 28 years where he was employed with the Gemeinhardt Seed Company and had served as a past alderman and mayor. He was also a member of the St. Henry Catholic Church in Charleston, he was a U.S. Army Veteran...

SIKESTON - Jerry Franklin Rose, 67, died Dec. 24, 2005, at his home. Born May 30, 1938, in Sikeston, son of the late Paul B. and Virginia Anderson Rose, he was a veteran of the United States Navy, having served during the Korean War. Before retirement, he had worked as a truck driver for various truck lines...

SCOTT CITY - Mable Lee "Mick" Manne, 64, died at 7:52 p.m. Dec. 22, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born Feb. 7, 1941, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of the late Michael Wardell and Marjorie Rosalee Kinder Poole, she was a computer specialist for the United States Army...

MONTGOMERY, Texas - Tommy Lee Gleason Sr., 84, died Dec. 21, 2005, in Conroe, Texas. Born June 4, 1921, in Eskridge, Kan., he served in the U. S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Most of his life was dedicated to the telecommunications industry building KAWL radio station in York, Neb., and founding Galaxy Cablevision in Sikeston, Mo., in 1979...

DEXTER - Louis W. Backfisch, 91, died Dec. 24, 2005, at the Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter. Born March 10, 1914, in St. Louis to the late Dennis and Lisette Schubert Backfisch, he was a charter member of the Faith Lutheran Church in Dexter where he served on the original building committee for the church. A retired salesman for MFA, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II...

THAYER - Thomas Powell "Pete" Clark, 96, formerly of Portageville, died Dec. 22, 2005, at Shady Oaks Nursing Center in Thayer. Born Aug. 31, 1909, in Dyer County, Tenn., to the late Joe and Lula Sanders Clark, he was a retired cotton farmer and of the Christian faith...

BLODGETT - Tommy Evans, 74, died Dec. 26, 2005, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Ponder Funeral Home.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Nettie Mae Hillis, 89, died Dec. 25, 2005, at the St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Born Oct. 31, 1916, in Center Ridge, Ark., to the late Thomas L. and Oma Lewis Hillis, she had lived in Dexter, Mo., for many years until moving to Memphis a few years ago. She was a member of the Getwell Church of Christ in Memphis...

STAFFORD, Va. - Alma Peyton, 89, formerly of Charleston, died Dec. 24, 2005. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

ANGEL FIRE, N.M. - Vollygean Johnson Pepper, 73, formerly of Mississippi County, Mo., died Dec. 25, 2005, at the St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe. Born July 6, 1933, in Mississippi County, daughter of the late Narvel "Bob" and Bessie Elizabeth Estes Johnson, she attended school at Dorena, Anniston and East Prairie. An active member of the Moreno Valley Church of Christ, she was a homemaker, care giver and certified nurses aide...

SIKESTON -- Betty June McCall, 78, died at 10:55 a.m. Dec. 26, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born March 20, 1927, in Matthews, daughter of the late English Albert and Nora Nance Stobaugh, she was a housewife and homemaker, a member of the Old Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and was a licensed daycare provider for 20 years...

AVA, Ill. - Ina Gaynell "Sooky" Morrison, 86, died at 7 a.m. Dec. 26, 2005, at her home. Born Jan. 4, 1919, in Morehouse, Mo. the daughter of the late Alvin and Ora Amanda Comer Simmons, she was a homemaker. On Nov. 27, 1938, in Fornfelt, Mo., she married Myron O. Morrison, who survives of the home...

BLOOMFIELD -- The 49th Annual Bloomfield Tournament had its fair share of surprises in the first round on Monday. East Prairie, a No. 12 seed, advanced to the winner's bracket for the first time in recent memory with a 68-55 win against No. 5 Van Buren...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- There were few surprises in the opening round of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament at the Show-Me Center on Monday. All of the higher seeds held true until the final two games of the evening. No. 10 Meadow Heights pulled the first upset with an 82-71 win over No. 7 Scott City, then, in a mild upset, No. 9 Kelly bested No. 8 Scott County Central 77-66 in the nightcap...

BROSELEY - The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs basketball team captured the third place trophy in the Lady Royals Holiday Classic Tournament, with a hard- fought 52-46 victory over the pesky Naylor Lady Eagles in Broseley on Friday night. Sikeston started the contest with an 11-0 run in the first quarter. Naylor committed five turnovers in the quarter and seemed to have problems with the Lady Bulldogs pressure defense...

We have all heard this Christmas song and every time I hear it I want to scream. Now it isn't that I don't like Christmas because, in fact, I hate it; at least the season anyway. First there is Christmas shopping. To me, shopping rivals such chores as going to the dentist and cutting the grass with a pair of scissors...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Three local youth will trade the cold January days in Southeast Missouri for even colder days in Russia. Kayla Myers, 13, Breanna Myers, 15, and Anthony Myers, 16, of East Prairie, will go on a two-week mission trip to Russia, called "Mission Prayer Team."...

SIKESTON -- Children who attend the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center's (SAHEC) new child care center, which is nearing completion, will benefit from a new approach to child care center design. "We are working with a furniture supplier that works with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to design spaces that are appropriate for early childhood education," said Dr. ...

In response to Buck Smith's lengthy diatribe to the editor Dec. 19, 2005, in which he deceitfully camouflaged his political disagreements in a warped epistle: Mr. Smith, did you go to Washington? Are you a leader of the National Democrat Party? Have you been plotting with the New York Times and CBS News, MSNBC, CNN, et. ...

SIKESTON - Lee Beal is captain, Bill Greer co-captain and Betty Northington queen as announced by the 1945 football team. They were among 120 present at the football banquet held at the Dunn Hotel. --- CHAFFEE - Tuesday night at Chaffee, the Sikeston basketball team won their third pre-holiday game when they defeated Chaffee 26-14. Center Bill Arnold again led the Sikeston offense, scoring nine points...

SIKESTON - The Standard Democrat's trivia quiz edition involved teamwork for both winners. The trivia was comprised of 60 questions including sports, demographics and other information about Sikeston and Scott, New Madrid and Mississippi counties. For one winner, it was a learning experience. ...