Stories from Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Darrell W. Nickell, 70, of Wheaton, died Sunday, Feb. 3. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at McQueen Funeral Home in Wheaton. Burial with military honors will be at Dice Cemetery in Fairview. Visitation will be held from 5-7:00 p.m. Wednesday at McQueen Funeral Home in Wheaton...

Rodney Bruce Fuller, 58, of Cassville, died Sunday, Feb. 3, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Memorial services are being held on Wednesday Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Chapel in Monett.

Miles Nelson Elliott, 71, of Mt. Vernon, passed away at Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, at the Mercy Hospital in Springfield. A funeral service, under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home, in Mt. Vernon, was held Monday, Feb. 4, at the Chesapeake Baptist Church with burial at the Campground Cemetery...

Lori Jean Claywell, 63, of Cassville, died Friday, Feb. 1. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Highland Park Cemetery in Kansas City, Kan.

Bobby J. “Bob” Cantwell, 77, of Cassville, died Thursday, Jan. 31. Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, at Corinth Baptist Church in Cassville, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial was at Washburn Prairie Cemetery in Washburn...

Harrell L. Brabant, 76, of Neosho, died Sunday, Feb. 3. Funeral services will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Russell Cemetery in Butterfield.

Madge Louise Bowman-Burch, 86, of Aurora, passed away Feb. 1, at the Cassville Health Care and Rehabilitation Center. A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora. Burial will follow at the Spring River Cemetery...

Edward (Eddie) Schiska, 70, of Pierce City, died Sunday, Feb. 3, at his home in Pierce City. Mr. Schiska was born in Monett, on Friday, Jan. 21, 1949, the son of Joseph (Joe) and Wilma (Fenske) Schiska. Mr. Schiska was married to Suzanne Hankins on Monday, June 5, 1971, at St. ...

Lois “June” Marbut, 86, of Monett went to be with her Lord in Heaven on Monday Dec. 24, 2018, while staying at Lacoba Homes in Monett. She was born in Verona on May 28, 1932, the daughter of the late Loren and Nora (Lawson) Crouch. She was united in marriage on June 18, 1949, in Berryville, Ark., to Fred Marbut...

Monta Rae Gilkerson Glaser, age 55, of Mt. Vernon, Missouri, was hit by a car and died on Friday, February 1, 2019. Her tragic and sudden death leaves a gaping hole in the lives of those who knew her. Monta Rae was a ray of sunshine. She brought joy and love to everyone. Her infectious laugh and fun-loving personality lit up every room. Her soul is now celebrating in heaven...

The Purdy volleyball team landed five players on the 2018 Volleyball Academic All-State team.

Verona’s Austin Valdez hit a free throw with 0.8 seconds left to lift the Wildcats to a 56-55 victory over New Covenant Academy on Friday. Valdez’s shot came after a foul on a layup attempt following a steal by the Wildcats with 4 seconds remaining...

Not even Hollywood could top the thrilling drama that unfolded Monday night as Monett welcomed Cassville to town for varsity girls basketball action and the Lady Cubs’ Senior Night. Trailing 48-46, Katie Schmidt grabbed a loose ball with four seconds remaining, raced to the left corner of the floor and launched a 20-foot jumper that found the bottom of the net as time expired to lift Monett to a 49-48 victory...

The Monett wrestling team finished the regular season strong with a title in the Oak Grove Panther Classic, pulling away from the field with 222.5 points. Smithville took second with 165. Individual Results 113: Ty McCully, (13-25), eighth 120: Karter Brink, (42-6), second...

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of working hard as Students of the Week for Jan. 14.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of working hard as Students of the Week for Jan. 21.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of working hard as Students of the Week for Jan. 28.

Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt recently honored students for receiving all A’s in the second quarter.

Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt honored students for second quarter for perfect attendance.

Trinity Lutheran School honored students for second quarter A/B grades.

Wheaton schools has named the Students of the Month.

Monett Middle School eighth grader Kadence Carnes has had a photography of hers accepted for display at the Missouri capitol.

Purdy recently held its “Purdy’s Got Talent” district talent show.

The Monett 911 Advisory Board will meet at 10 a.m. on Feb. 7 at the Monett Justice Center. Night to Shine, a prom experience for special needs teens, will be hosted by the Lifebridge Church from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8 at the Mt. Vernon Arts and Recreation Center, (the MARC), 822 W. Mt. Vernon blvd. To register, people may call 417-466-7595...

Nearly 150 people gathered at the Monett City Park Casino on Monday for the Senior Center’s Valentine’s dance.

A Fayetteville, Ark., man died on Friday after a wreck at 4 p.m. on Highway 86, about four miles west of Carr Lane. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Steven Fare, 59, of Golden, was driving a 2015 Ford F-350 westbound when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck head on a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer, being driven by John Rash, 58, of Fayetteville, Ark...

Two people were injured Saturday in a wreck at 12:30 p.m. on Farm Road 1090 at Highway 39, about 8/10ths of a mile south of Butterfield. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Jessica Velasquez, 19, of Butterfield, was driving a 2014 Nissan Altima northbound and began to make a right turn onto Farm Road 1090 when a 2017 Toyota Highlander, being driven by Erma Peel, 79, of Rogers, Ark., struck the Nissan while attempting to pass on the right shoulder...

Daddy-daughter dances offer a great opportunity for parents and children to connect with each other, and Wheaton Elementary School is throwing its first ever daddy-daughter dance on Friday, from 7-8:30 p.m. Trish Wilson, Wheaton Elementary School principal, said the Parent Teacher Community Organization (PTCO) is the group sponsoring the dance...

Homecoming at Purdy High School on Friday resulted in senior Isbell Ibarra receiving the queen’s crown during festivities prior to the varsity game against Crane.

The Barry-Lawerence Regional Library System consolidated from the two-county library system in 1973, and was the first district in the state of Missouri to do so. Gina Milburn, director of library systems at Barry-Lawerence Regional Library, said being a consolidated library district simply means that all the libraries in Barry and Lawrence counties came together to offer the public a larger selection, and easier access...

The Wheaton school district and Access Family Care Clinic are considering the possibility of opening a clinic on the Wheaton school campus. Lance Massey, Wheaton superintendent, said the conversation to this point has been one of him asking the board if they think the idea of a clinic on campus is something they would like to entertain...

The Wheaton school district and local law enforcement came together to make sure student safety is ensured by hosting an “Intruder on Campus” drill and updating security cameras being used by the school district. Lance Massey, Wheaton superintendent, said cameras have been installed in the school for more than 14 years...

Purdy school board members are working out how to open the district’s new storm shelter and performing arts facility for public use. Superintendent Steven Chancellor reported receiving the first request for use of the building, coming from area emergency managers interested in hosting a regional meeting. ...

The Purdy City Council appears primed to make the most of the bad news that the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library is closing the Purdy branch by moving the city office. Mayor Bo Prock reported council members are “considering” moving the city hall into the library portion of the community center. At the same time, the police department and public works offices would move across the street from the present city hall into the former fire department building...

New leadership has come to the Monett Area YMCA this week with a change in the executive director. Kathryn Custer, chief executive officer for the Ozarks Regional YMCA, announced changes last week. Custer, who has been with the Y for more than 15 years, acknowledged the Y is in a time of “organizational change,” which included her move from chief operating officer to chief executive officer on Oct. 1, following the retirement of CEO Steve Gimenez...

Two teenage girls, full of life and hope and bubbling with humor, find themselves together in a hospital, and though they are weighed down by illness, their spirits show uncanny resilience as they step cautiously into a future of unknowns. That’s the background of the Monett Artists’ Guild’s next play, “John Lennon and Me,” coming up this weekend at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center. Kaitlyn Schumacher is the director...