Stories from Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Joe “Monk” Lynn Nelson, 69, of Pierce City, died Friday, Nov. 15, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Memorial services are pending and will be released upon completion. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett...

Willadean Mattingly, 94, of Lee’s Summit, formerly of Exeter, died Friday, Nov. 15. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Nov. 19, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial was at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter.

Vivian Lee Kinsel, 88, of Cassville, died Sunday, Nov. 17. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at Halstead Cemetery in Little Rock, Ark., under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Clyda Mae Bailey Gideon, 89, of Anderson, died Saturday, Nov. 16. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at McQueen Funeral Home in Wheaton. Burial will be at Macedonia Cemetery in Stella.

Frederick “Rick” Robert Eberhardt, 71, of Pierce City, died Saturday, Nov. 16, at Cox Medical Center South in Springfield. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, at First Congregational Church in Pierce City. Arrangements are under the direction of Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City...

Ardith Anne Barkhoff, 67, of Purdy, died Saturday, Nov. 16. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

James Edward (Jim) Eslick, Jr. passed away peacefully November 13, 2019, with family members, including his loving wife of 72 years Jane, at his side. Born April 28, 1925 in Springfield, Mo. Jim was the eldest of eight children. Jim and his paternal family moved to Monett, Mo., in the late 1930s and upon graduation from high school he enlisted in the U.S. ...

First Presbyterian Church of Monett was the host for a recent American Red Cross blood drive, which saw 45 donors giving the gift of life. Julius Abramovitz, a long-time donor, reached the 14-gallon milestone. Additional donors included: Helen Davis, Carol Brown, Donald Swanson, Kassandra Waltrip, David Beckett, Gerald Bounds, Robin Braun, Mary O. ...

Students of Mrs. Ruth Burnside performed in the Joplin Piano Teachers’ Association recital on Oct. 27 at the Corley Auditorium at Missouri Southern State University.

The Purdy FFA chapter hosted the 2019 Food for America program on Oct. 18. Purdy FFA chapter officers and members taught Purdy Elementary students in preschool through fourth grade about the origins of their food and how it is made.

On Nov. 1, the Army JROTC program’s Raider Team from the Scott Regional Technology Center competed at the All-Services Raider Nationals competition in Thomaston, Ga. The Raider Nationals event pitted Scott Tech against Raider teams from across the United States from Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps JROTC programs. The event consisted of a 5 kilometer race, rope bridge construction, and two separate obstacle courses...

Megan Thomas of Purdy was recently inducted into Harding University's chapter of Alpha Chi National Honor Society. Thomas, English major, was welcomed into the prestigious society along with 113 students during a ceremony on Nov. 3. Alpha Chi is a nationally acclaimed honor society designed to commend academic excellence in universities across the nation. ...

Staff from the CoxHealth Caremobile stopped at Monett Elementary School this week to screen children for sight and hearing skills.

Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held on Thursday for the new addition and parking lot at Crosslines, 510 E. Cleveland in Monett.

The Monett High School production of Adam Szymkowicz’s play “Kodachrome” offered opportunities to tailor the production to its town.

Monett Electric Department crews completed setting up all the displays for the Monett Chamber of Commerce’s Festival of Lights at South Park this week.

Monett-based Jack Henry and Associates (JHA) has announced it has begun signing customers to use the RTP network, a real-time payment system run by The Clearing House. By the end of October, JHA had signed 15 financial institutions to its JHA PayCenter, which will connect to the RTP Network...

Monett High School Student Council and National Honor Society will host the 46th annual Golden Age Dinner for district senior citizens at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21 in the high school commons. The free Thanksgiving meal with dessert will include entertainment, bingo and prizes...

The Ozark Festival Orchestra will continue its 40th season with its Christmas concert at 3 p.m. on Dec. 15, at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center. Music Director Todd Borgmann will lead the orchestra and a community chorus prepared by Jerry Ragsdale will prepare a series of Christmas-themed selections both familiar and unfamiliar to the audience...

Applications are now being accepted for three Honor Flight of the Ozarks trips, salutes to military veterans offering trips to see national monuments in Washington, D.C., in 2020. Honor Flight of the Ozarks has announced plans to make trips on May 13, Aug. ...

Monett-based Jack Henry and Associates (JHA) reported a big boost in the first quarter of its 2019-2020 fiscal year, with revenue calculated by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) rising by 12 percent for the period ending Sept. 30. GAAP results for the quarter increased to $438 million, a 12 percent improvement over the first quarter of fiscal 2019. ...

On the eve of the Monett school board deciding on whether or not to pursue a bond issue for new construction, facilities director Steve Garner presented his overview of building resources. Garner, assisted by the building administrators, noted their objectives included maintaining buildings and grounds “to create a safe and orderly environment” for students, staff and visitors. They also wanted their facilities and grounds to be “a source of pride for the community.”...

The Freistatt Village Board may do without an audit in the future, due to changes at The CPA Group in Monett, the firm that has conducted the audit for years. According to Kurt Kreuger, certified public accountant with The CPA Group, Freistatt is so small that a full blown audit, costing around $6,000, may not be necessary. ...

WinTech President Jack Williams offered an overview of his company’s operations, including a hint at ambitious expansion prospects in the next two decades, during a recent meeting of the Monett Kiwanis Club. Williams, a University of Arkansas graduate, came to Monett in 2006 from Conair, to head the engineering department at EFCO Corporation. ...

It was an uplifting year for the Pierce City volleyball team. The Lady Eagles not only crossed the 20-win total this season, they also had several players earn All-Conference and All-District awards. Picking up First Team Southwest All-Conference honors was Leslie Jones. Katie Tindell garnered Second Team honors, and Storie Linn was an Honorable Mention selection...

For the last few seasons, the Monett basketball coaches have been preaching a mantra of grit. They have strived to instill a defensive-first mindset. For the most part, Monett’s defense has kept the team in games, but the struggle has been putting enough points on the board to pick up victories...