Stories from Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Elizabeth Elenor “Libby” Morrison, 92 of Seligman, passed away Monday, May 1, 2017, at home. She was born April 27, 1925, in Akron, Ohio. Preceding her in death were her parents and one sister. Visit www.fohnfuneralhome.com for online obituaries, guestbook and private condolences...

Leslie Morris Dodson, 74 of Cassville, formerly of Purdy, passed away on May 2 2017. He was born April 4, 1943, at Butterfield and was a lifelong resident of Barry County. He married Donna Jean (Roller) Dodson on Aug. 10 1962; she preceded him in death in 2015. Survivors include: two sons, Donnie Dodson and wife Monica of Purdy, and Tommy Dodson and his wife Mardi Lea of Cassville; seven grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren; one brother, Dick Dodson and his wife Birdie of Purdy...

Bonita G. Masterson, 62 of Eagle Rock, formerly of Stuttgart, Ark., passed away Wednesday, May 3, 2017, at her home. Memorial services will be held at a later date in Stuttgart, Ark. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Dorothy Beverley Middleton, 94, of Cassville, passed away Tuesday, May 2, 2017, at Cassville Health Care and Rehabilitation. She was born Aug. 23, 1922, in Flint, Mich., the daughter of John B. and Ada Louise (Champion) Flagg. On Jan. 11, 1942, in Corunna, Mich., she was united in marriage to Orrie L. “Bud” Middleton who preceded her in death. Also preceding her in death were her parents and one brother, John Flagg, Jr...

Robert C. Oetker, Sr., 80, of Mt. Vernon, passed away at his home on Saturday, April 29, 2017. He was born on Dec. 28, 1936, in Marionville, son of Rudy and Helen (Eden) Oetker. On Sept. 3, 1966, he was united in marriage to Carrie Brown in Marionville. ...

Eddie “Lynn” Smith, 82, of Cassville, passed away Thursday, May 4, 2017, at his home. He was born Sept. 16, 1934, in Cassville, the son of E.H. and Dorothy (Owings) Smith. On Oct. 23, 1959, he was united in marriage to Shirley Lorene Napier, who survives...

After experiencing back-to-back flooding in the county, there were some who were wondering if God had forgotten his statement in Noah’s days that the world would not be destroyed by another flood. Then there was the story told by Bob Gaddis, pastor of Shell Knob First Baptist Church, about calling one member of his congregation and asking him to look out the window “to see if the animals were lining up in pairs!”...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) invites Athletic Directors from across the state to honor a male and female athlete each year that exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship, is a positive role model and has outstanding behavior...

Over the weekend, the Cassville High School Fishing Team headed to Stockton Lake to fish the North and South divisions of the Teen Anglers Circuit.

Both Cassville and Purdy will be represented in their respective classes at the state golf tournament next week. On Monday, Dylan Garner punched his ticket to the state tourney with a 6-over-par 77 at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in Jefferson City. Garner was fourth individually...

Only one team in the Class 2, district 12 tournament will be able to claim the title of champion this season, and each team participating hopes that it will be them. For Southwest and Purdy, the tournament serves as a way to cap the season and hopefully propel them to a deep playoff run...

It is now or never for the Cassville baseball team as the Wildcats enter Class 4, District 12 play on Saturday. The tournament was originally set to be played at Seneca, but was moved when three feet of water submerged the Indians’ field in recent flooding...

For the second time in the last three seasons the Purdy softball team has advanced to the state quarterfinal round and will host the game at home. The Lady Eagles have told everyone who will listen that they are on a mission to punch through to the state final four, and they have backed the noise up with unbelievable effort on the field...

The Cassville track and field teams will head to the district meet on Saturday with the hopes of advancing several athletes to the sectional round at Carl Junction. Cassville had a solid showing at the Big 8 conference meet on Thursday and now looks to better its approach...

The academic accolades continue to roll in for Ole Miss student-athletes as volleyball player Aubrey Edie was chosen to represent the University of Mississippi in the 2016-17 class of Who's Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges. The student-athlete was honored with an induction ceremony recently at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts...

Cassville Middle School students from the Technical Student Association (TSA) recently competed at the Missouri S&T state competition, and were awarded 12 medals as a team.

On the weekend of April 29, Exeter School joined 125 of the top quiz bowl teams from small public high schools at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Ill., for the 2017 Small School National Championship Tournament to determine who was the best. Quiz bowl is a competitive, academic, interscholastic activity for teams of four students. It is the national version of the game that is often locally called Scholar Bowl. Quiz bowl teams use buzzers to answer questions about science, math, history, literature, mythology, geography, social science, current events, sports, and popular culture. The matches feature a blend of individual competition and team collaboration, since no individual player is likely to be an expert in all subject areas. ...

Several retiring Cassville educators were recognized April 27 at the Cassville Community Teachers Association Banquet.

Meet Maze, the Haven of the Ozarks pet of the week. Maze is a beautiful three-and one-half year-old Pit Bull and Lab mix.

A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests too much sitting and too little exercise may actually speed up biological aging by as much as eight years. In the study, a group of almost 1,500 women (average age 79) wore motion sensors for one week. At the end of the week, the individuals that spent both more time sitting, and less than 30 minutes a day in some form of physical activity had a higher association with the biological marker of shortened telomeres...

The Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce helped Ice King Shaved Ice celebrate its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 1.

Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) met for their last session on Friday, April 28, with a celebratory graduation luncheon.

Fermented foods have become very popular due to their purported health benefits. That leaves many to wonder whether this hot food trend has continued to grow due to the hype, or due to real evidence of health benefits. "In recent years, we have a much greater understanding of microbes that inhabit our gut, and their relation to health and disease," said Dr. Pam Duitsman, a nutrition specialist with University of Missouri Extension...

Fields Cemetery will host its cleanup day on May 20, and a board meeting at 10 a.m. on the same day. Anyone may attend to volunteer or give ideas. For more information, people may call 417-847-4823, 417-393-9662, 417-235-8167 or 417-489-7653. On May 22, the Corinth Cemetery Association will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the cemetery shelter. Attendees should bring lawn chairs. For more information, people may call 417-846-5250 or 417-847-3078...

Mercy Cassville employees gathered for a corporate prayer on Thursday in hospital lobby, to observe the National Day of Prayer.

Everything wasn’t coming up roses on the courthouse lawn on Thursday — but pinwheels, when the GFWC Sliver Leaf Benefit Club of Cassville (General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Missouri) sponsored Pinwheels for Prevention on May 4 to help raise funds, and awareness, for issues surrounding child abuse...

The new Dollar General 16 store opened at the corner of 11th and Main streets on May 2 at noon.

Dwayne Holmberg, of Golden, took the Show Stopper trophy at the 2017 annual Dogwood Car Show Saturday in Cassville, for his 1966 Chevy Chevelle.

With the school year coming to a close, area schools are hosting summer programs to give local youth the opportunity to have some much-deserved fun after working hard all year, learn new things, review important core math and reading skills and go on a field trip or two with their friends...

It’s been said that every day is someone’s birthday, and one day every single month at the Cassville Senior Center, Freedom Bank of Southern Missouri helps make birthdays special for area seniors. Each month throughout the year, bank employees take turns visiting the center to eat lunch with seniors having a birthday that month to help them celebrate. During their visit, they bring a birthday card for each senior, along with Cassville Cash, which can be used at area merchants...

A Pleasant Hill man is wanted for allegedly stealing a company vehicle and taking it to Cass County without the owner's permission. Sean Nichols, 31, of Pleasant Hill, is charged with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. According to a probable cause statement filed by Det. Robert Evenson, with the Barry County Sheriff's Office, on April 14, Nichols took a 2011 Chevrolet K2500 pickup truck, valued at $15,000 and belonging to ZOG Heating of Shell Knob...

In life, some days are extra special. It was that kind of day for Shawna Kraft and her children on May 1, when a groundbreaking ceremony took place in Cassville at 8th and Sky streets for a future home that, once built, and after a few hundred hours of sweat equity of her own and various volunteers, will be their own...

Two Exeter residents are facing child abuse charges for alleged treatment and unsanitary living conditions at a home where four children under the age of 8 were living. Dennis Wood, 25, and Carrissa Spicer, 24, both of Washburn, are each charged with four counts of abuse of a child...

Police in Purdy are continuing to investigate a series of break-ins to vehicles parked in the city that took place from late Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday morning. Police Chief Jackie Lowe said at least a dozen vehicles were entered, based on reports from Howell Drive, Commercial, Madison and Washington streets. Lowe said most if not all of the vehicles were unlocked...

Between the work day, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, to-do lists, social calendar, schoolwork, birthdays, entertainment, extracurricular events, scraped knees, doctor’s appointments, bills, story-reading, nightly eat-your-vegetables pleadings, sibling rivalry, teeth-brushing, story time, hugs and kisses, counseling sessions and all the details in between, mothers jump buildings in a single bound, working hard to give of themselves to raise good children and to make a house a home...

A Cassville man has been charged with two felonies after allegedly stealing a rifle from a home on Farm Road 2190, then attempting to use the stolen gun to extort money from the victim of the burglary. Robert Aaron Windes, aka Aaron Carr, 26, of Cassville, is charged with second-degree burglary and stealing a firearm...

Rebounding from a drop in March, sales tax receipts to Barry County cities and county governments rose in April, the third increase in the past four months, powered by a big boost from Monett. Monett began its new fiscal year with the largest April payment on record from its two sales taxes supporting the general fund. Totaling 1 percent, the taxes generated $189,490.26, up $55,362.71, wiping out the nearly $25,000 drop in March. The sum broke the old record from 2008 by more than $4,000...

The L.J. Jenkins Bull Riding Tour event was held in Cassville Saturday night at the Rotary Club Arena. More photos from the event may be found in a gallery at: http://www.cassville-democrat.com/gallery/30114.

A Monett man died Wednesday morning after a Tuesday night pursuit in Barry County ended with the man taking his own life. Det. Leonard Collins, with the Barry County Sheriff's Office, identified the man as Brian Wimberley, 40, of Monett, and said the family had been notified of his death.

Marvin D. Ennis, 81, of Cassville, passed away on Tuesday, May 9, 2017, at Cassville Health Care and Rehab. He was born on Oct, 24, 1935, son of Olan and Janie (Wilson) Ennis, in Washburn. He was a 1953 Cassville High School graduate. On April 9, 1955, he was united in marriage to Helen Mattingly; she preceded him in death in December 2010. He was a minister for the Assembly of God churches and was a member of the Bridgeway Assembly of God in Shell Knob...