April 2024

Lester Dean Graves, age 94, of Mt. Vernon, passed away at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, at his home. He was born June 13, 1929, in Fairfax, the son of Melvin Lester and Claudine (Winnehau) Graves.

Robert “Bob” Wendall Windes, 90, of Washburn passed on April 21 in Rogers, Ark. He was born on Nov. 11, 1933 in Monett. Funeral Services with military honors were held on Tuesday, April 30, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Dale Hoggatt and Ken West conducted the services. A private family burial was held at Washburn Prairie Cemetery in Washburn.

Gilbert “Pete” Theodore Benjamin Doss, 93, of Freistatt, MO, passed away on Sunday evening, April 28, 2024, at his home surrounded by his family. Born on July 6, 1930, in Freistatt, MO, Pete was the son of the late Martin andLeona(Joeckel)Doss.

Mary Katherine Mitchell, 94, of Fairview, passed away on April 27, at the McDonald County Living Center in Anderson. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m.

Diana Elaine Franklin Preston, 83 of Pierce City, MO, passed away at home Saturday morning, April 27th surrounded by family members, after a long-fought battle with renal failure. Diana was born on August 5th, 1940, in Muscatine, IA. She was the only child of Vernon Ray Franklin and Alice Helen (Atkinson) Franklin. She lived her early years in Muscatine, IA, then moved with her mother and stepfather George D. Kuehl to Alejandra, CA, at the age of 12. She graduated from La Puente High School with the class of 1958. Following her graduation, she attended college and worked for a short period of time before meeting her eternal companion, Frank Fay Preston. They were married on September 14th, 1959. Together, they had five children. Diana started a career with the IRS in Utah in 1966. She retired as a revenue officer in 1992. She joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1962 and remained a faithful member throughout the rest of her life. Diana and her husband moved from Fresno, CA to Pierce City, MO in 1981 where they remained throughout the rest of their lives. Diana enjoyed nature, birdwatching, cooking, canning, making her meals and many assortments of treats and breads from scratch. She was a wizard at managing her temporal responsibilities and kept her home life running smoothly while balancing her career, staying committed to her family. She loved crossword puzzles, solitaire, crocheting and was an avid reader, especially of mystery books. Diana was hardworking and frugal and loved the challenge of making her dollars stretch as she raised her family. She was a strong-willed, independent woman and worked well on her own. Despite her own struggles, she served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Oklahoma City LDS Temple, and served others by making flower arrangements, homemade bandages for humanitarian needs and teaching classes for her church. Diana’s survivors include her children, twins Carrie and husband Clark

Bessie “June” G. Shipman, age 90, passed away on April 21, at the Mt. Vernon Place Care Center in Mt. Vernon. She was born Oct. 1, 1933, in Elsey, at home. June was the daughter of Burl and Mary Alice (Morris) Gold.

Robert Lee “Bob” Yockey, age 86, of Cassville, passed away Monday, April 22, at Aurora Nursing Center in Aurora. A Celebration of Life will be held at 5 p.m.

Oleta Myrtle Catron, age 87, was born on August 14, 1936 in Exeter, and died on April 11, in Conroe, Texas. No services are scheduled at this time.