Stories from Saturday, December 5, 2020

Orville Junior Youngblood, age 72, of Stotts City, died at 11:32 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020, at his home. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon.

Linda Dorlene Swinney, 82, of Mt. Vernon, died at 10:33 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, at Mercy Hospital in Joplin. Funeral services were held Dec. 2 at Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Burial was at John’s Chapel Cemetery in Ash Grove. Arrangements were under the direction of Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Virginia Ann Olds, age 79, of Mt. Vernon, Missouri, passed away at 8:18 a.m. on Friday, November 27, 2020, at the Lawrence County Manor, in Mt. Vernon. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

John Meridith House Jr., 60, of Lockwood, died at 9:10 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26, at Willard Care Center in Willard. A celebration of John’s life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Barbara Francis Hardin, 76, of Aurora, died Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020, at the Mercy Hospital in Aurora. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora.

William (Bill) Ray Early, 79, of Mount Vernon, died Nov. 26, at his home. Memorial services were held at Dec. 1, at Covenant Baptist Church. Burial will take place at a later date at the Missouri Veteran’s Cemetery in Springfield. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Doris Ann Case, 80, of Pierce City, died Thursday, December 3, at the Aurora Nursing Center in Aurora. Services are pending at this time. Arrangements are under the personal care and direction of Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett.

Mary June Bristow Rodgers was born November 26, 1940, to Charlie and Maggie Bristow in Mount Vernon, Missouri. She married Charles L. Rodgers in 1965, in Greenfield, MO. This union brought them 5 daughters, and eventually five grandsons, three granddaughters, four great-grandsons and four great-granddaughters...

Jack D. Howerton, 88, Carthage, Missouri, passed away Tuesday afternoon, December 1, 2020, at St. Luke’s Nursing Center, Carthage. Jack was born January 30, 1932, in Monett, Missouri, to Earl and Alma I. (Spain) Howerton. He was a 1949 graduate of Monett High School where he played football, basketball, and ran track. ...

Charles A. Glaser, 65, of Senath, formerly of Monett, died Nov. 20 at Senath Health Care in Senath. Graveside services, with military honors, will be held at 10 a.m. on Dec. 7, at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Springfield. Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 6 at Greenlawn East Funeral Home in Springfield...

Katherine “Kathy” Sue (Knott) Creed, 75, Sarcoxie, departed this earth November 29, 2020. Kathy was born on October 2, 1945 to James Benjamin Knott and Viva (Dyer) Knott. She was a 1962 graduate of Sarcoxie High School and had a long career in banking, helping many people and making numerous friends until her retirement in 2008...

When I was a young’n, maybe 9 or 10, one of my mother’s best friends had a single daughter, and one December, she announced a change in her Christmas gifting protocols. That year, she declared that because Jesus only received three gifts on the first Christmas, her daughter would likewise receive only three gifts. ...

The best of the Southwest Conference football players had their names released on the annual All-Conference roster. Among the long list of players were a dozen that proudly wore the Kelly Green and White in Cody Hyde, Tristan Cruz, Kalem Parrigon, Chanse Ford, Payton VanNote, Zane Clayton, Kyle Renkoski, Kyler Fenske, Clayten O’Hara, Frankie Ibarra, Levi Cooper and Will Allen...

Last season was one for the ages for Pierce City basketball. The Eagles won 23 games and an unforgettable four-overtime thriller over Mt. Vernon. This year, the Eagles will have a new coach in Zac Hill, who has been an assistant at Pierce City since 2016-17...

CRIMINAL • AA Bel, take and/or possess over limit of trout, misd. A, fined $10. • Desire Lucille Cooley, violation of order of protection for adult, misd. A, 90 days Lawrence County Jail. • Adam R. Crouch, fish without a permit, misd. A, fined $100...

A fundraising effort is underway to complete a mini-theatre at the Monett Historic Museum, reminiscent of the original Gillioz. Area residents may sponsor one or more seats for a minimum donation of $500 each. The donor’s name will be placed on a placard on the back of the seat. For information on donating or adopting, contact Georgeanna Wormington at twormington@mo-net.com or for NAP information by phone at 417-235-5256...

Winter brings about its own special beauty, especially at sunset. The vivid backdrop of colors silhouetting St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pierce City on Tuesday evening is a harbinger of sunsets to come.

A very merry Christmas celebration is planned in Verona this weekend. Event organizers have a full schedule of entertainment and activities to keep residents and visitors busy from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Cannon Park. The Verona CIVIC Group is organizing the event and will be hosting a number of vendors to help attendees finish up — or start — their annual Christmas shopping. ...

Face masks, social distancing and self-isolation has not stopped the explosive spread of COVID-19 across the nation, and the Ozarks have not been spared. Monett-Lawrence County Office of Emergency Management Director Bonnie Witt-Schulte is advising community members to hope for the best and plan for the worst when it comes to COVID...

Uncertain financial times and how to prepare for the future was a topic of discussion recently as Verona city leaders approved placing a use tax ordinance on the April municipal election ballot. The Verona City Council entertained a total of three discussions regarding the city’s financial future, all with the goal of ensuring there was enough financial security to keep the city’s full-time employees working full-time...

A beloved piece of Monett history went home this week thanks to a small group of local historians and history buffs. “The Gillioz stone” — a decorative piece of architecture that adorned the historic Gillioz Theater on Broadway until it’s demolition in 1987 — has lived in obscurity for the past 40 years. ...