Stories from Wednesday, October 4, 2017

John Case, Jr., 38, of Cassville, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was born on April 19, 1979, in Cassville, son of John and Dorothy (Sanders) Case. He was a 1998 Cassville High School graduate. He attended Crowder College in both Cassville and Neosho, and later went on to receive his ASE Auto Mechanic license from State Technical College of Missouri. ...

Michael Ray Cox, 60, of Shell Knob, passed away on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. He was born on March 14, 1957, in Flint, Mich., son of Jimmie and Nadine (Hilburn) Cox. He joined the U.S. Army and subsequently became a truck driver. He was a member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Cassville...

Geraldine G. Houck, 84, of Cassville, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, at Cassville Health and Rehabilitation Center. She was born Oct. 18, 1932, in Cassville, the daughter of Chris and Alice (Carterman) Taylor. On March 25, 1975, in Reno, Nev., she was united in marriage to Darrell Houck, who preceded her in death. Also preceding her in death were her parents; one daughter, Patricia Hoven; one son, Tom Heidt and one granddaughter...

Derald L. Meyer, age 88, of Verona, Missouri, passed away peacefully with his family at his side on Saturday, September 30, 2017, at his home. He was born June 1, 1929, in Enid, Oklahoma, the son of Earl and Mildred (Packard) Meyer. Derald was a 1947 graduate of Marionville High School, in Marionville, Missouri. Derald retired after 42 years of service for the U.S. Postal Service and was a member of the Southside Baptist Church...

Vera Fayrene “Faye” Moore, 81, of Shell Knob, passed away Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017, at Oak Pointe of Monett in Monett. She was born April 20, 1936 in Kingston, Ark., the daughter of Johnny and Edna (Norris) Randall. On Feb. 14, 2001, in Miami, Okla., she was united n marriage to Billy Earl Moore, who survives...

Donna Lou Smith Spencer passed away on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017. She was born in Joplin, on July 27, 1933, the only child of Arthur P. Smith and Leta Davidson Smith of Pineville. She graduated from Bentonville High School in Bentonville, Ark., where she was homecoming queen and Rodeo Queen of the Ozarks...

The Cassville freshman football team moved to 7-0 on the season Monday with a 49-6 win on the road over Seneca. Cassville kicked off to start the game. Seneca put together a couple of first downs, but was then forced to punt at midfield. Cassville started its first possession on its own 30-yard line and the Wildcats clawed their way down the field. ...

Cassville’s junior varsity football squad squared off with the Seneca Indians Monday at Wildcat Stadium, and a solid defensive effort combined with a strong ground game resulted in a 28-12 victory for the Wildcats. Early in the 2nd quarter, Carson Jacobson got the ‘Cats on the board with a 15-yard touchdown run. Deven Bates scampered in for a two-point conversion to give Cassville an 8-0 lead...

Seneca at Monett Aurora at Cassville El Dorado Springs at Pierce City East Newton at McDonald Co. Mt. Vernon at Lamar Monett at McDonald Co., 18-21 Cassville at Seneca, 14-33 El Dorado Springs at East Newton, 0-46 Valle Catholic at Lamar, 7-55 Mt. Vernon at Aurora, 14-33...

Cassville High School anglers Gavin White and Riley Fletcher weighed in a five-bass limit of 11.83 pounds to finish second and receive $1,500 in scholarship money in the National Youth Fishing Association North Division Championship Sunday.

For the 13th consecutive year, Security Bank in Cassville donated jerseys to the Cassville Mighty Mites program.

By Marissa Tucker/Special to the Cassville Democrat Sunday, Oct. 1: 4-H Sunday If your church has a casual dress code, or if you’re up for wearing 4-H gear to your service, snap a picture of your group and send it to us on Facebook where the whole county can see who participated. Even if you’re not attending church services, wear your gear while you’re out and about and get excited for the week’s events...

Each year, Commerce Bank and Commerce Bancshares Foundation contributes to community organizations that positively impacts the lives of Barry Countians.

Regal associate Nisha Wise celebrated her retirement Aug. 21.

Barry County native Madison Horner, daughter of Jon and Darla Horner of Cassville, was named Miss Texas County 2018 at the Miss Texas County pageant held over the weekend in Houston. Over 250 attended the show, during which many new titles were awarded in several categories...

Mercy Cassville Hospital employees and administration recently finalized totals for the annual summer food drive, coming up with a total of 1,059 pounds of food that was able to be donated to the Cassville Community Food Pantry at United Methodist Church of Cassville, which helps provide local families with food...

On Tuesday, Sept. 19, the Exeter FFA Chapter attended the annual Area 11 Greenhand Conference at Crowder College in Neosho.

On Sept. 23, the Exeter Parents as Teachers Program held its monthly group connection meeting. This month, they featured "things that go." During the event, children were able to climb aboard and explore 20 different vehicles. Some of the vehicles included were the Exeter fire truck, a MoDOT truck, a Mercy ambulance and the Mercy LifeLine helicopter...

The Henderson-Davis Family Reunion will be held at Macedonia Free Will Baptist Church, near Purdy on Saturday at 11 a.m. Invited are the extended family of the Wesley Samuel Henderson/Vera Gertrude Henderson Davis/George Ewin Davis family to attend, as well as immediate family members. Attendees should bring a potluck lunch, as well as old pictures of the family. Any friends are invited, too...

One way to celebrate fall and cooler weather is a warm bowl of chili, and Cassville has that market cornered with its traditional Chili and Salsa Cook-Off, which will take place on the Cassville square on Oct. 28. The fun starts at 8 a.m. and offers something for everyone, from an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast to chili and salsa tasting, craft booths, shopping, live music, a chili dog eating contest, a Fun Run/Walk, and the highlight of the festival — the cooking competition — with judging to take place at noon. ...

Members of the Cassville Democrat's staff went pink for breast cancer awareness on Monday.

Purdy Special Road District commissioners faced property owners in September who wanted more roadwork done, though funds offer little opportunity for additional projects. Three individuals came before commissioners to talk abut Farm Road 2090, west of Farm Road 1065, where potholes had grown to an unmanageable level...

In revising the budget for 2017-2018, the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library board approved wage increases to help even hourly employees continue with the system. Director Gina Milburn, in looking at the possibility of the minimum wage in Missouri rising to a "living" wage of $10 an hour, suggested proactively increasing the pay for the library clerk position incrementally over the next five years. Clerks presently earn the state minimum of $7.70 per hour...

If homecooked meals like beef stroganoff with mashed potatoes and gravy, lasagna, Alfredo, a roll and a desert sound good for lunch, and one that is just as fast as fast food, Bonnie Resz, new head cook and manager of the soda fountain at Whitley Pharmacy, has the meals waiting...

Keeping up with changes in state laws, the Purdy school board approved and discussed policy changes recommended by the Missouri Consultants for Education (MCE), prompting discussions on several topics infrequently considered by board members. Superintendent Stephen Chancellor said looking at policies several months after the legislature concludes its session gives the district an opportunity to see how other districts respond to changes imposed by the Missouri General Assembly...

The Missouri Press Association honored Bob Mitchell, former owner and editor of the Cassville Democrat, on Friday by inducting him into the association’s Hall of Fame in ceremonies held at the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield. Mitchell was part of an induction class that included Ken Meuser of The Monett Times, the late Arthur Aull of the Lamar Democrat and Vicki Russell from the Columbia Daily Tribune...

Connie Meeks has had cancer so many times she has lost count. She has been told to go home and get her affairs in order. She had a hysterectomy that uncovered ovarian cancer, which is usually fatal. She had breast cancer diagnosed at age 26. She’s now 50...

Phyllis Long remembers receiving the news of having breast cancer as coming during “a dark time.” “My husband, Dale, died in 1975, and my kids, except for my youngest, Danny, were grown and off,” she said. “Then, I found a lump under my arm in 1980, and my doctor said it was just from my deodorant. I didn’t think anything much of it. I changed deodorants, but it kept getting bigger. It didn’t hurt, but I knew it was there.”...

Cassville resident Trina Thomas was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer Dec. 22, 2016, but it didn’t keep her down. She faced it head-on, and she beat it. Last October, she was due for her annual mammogram, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. “I was busy and didn’t want to do it,” she said. ...

Breast care and health has changed quite a bit over the past 30 years, and Gail Pierce, staff tech in the Radiology Department at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, has been around to see it. Pierce said the hospital does about 1,200 mammograms per year for local residents, and about 10 percent of those end up having to go in for further research...

Most associate breast cancer with only affecting women, but a local man who lives near Seligman said people should not be so quick to assume men are immune. Veteran David Worshal, 73, a Tennessee native who lives near Seligman, said most men take their health and bodies for granted, and for him, it was no different...

With all of its goals still in front of them, the Cassville softball team rides into the district tournament with momentum and confidence on Thursday. “I think [developmentally] we are where we need to be...

Sometimes by looking at numbers alone, the truth can be misleading. Take the Cassville soccer team for instance. The Wildcats are 4-13-1 on the season and on pace to lose more games this season than last. However, if you step back and look at the bigger picture, this Cassville squad is much improved over the team that played for the school last season...

Following a 33-14 loss on the road in Seneca Friday, the Cassville football team is keyed in on an important buzzword this week — consistency. Coach Lance Parnell said he was disappointed in Friday’s loss, especially in the slow start and rough finish...

High school football coaches are quick to point out that they are working with talent that is 15 to 18 years old. As such, there are some times that you run into teams that are better or schemes that may be difficult to pick up, and they need time to grow...

Women have contributed heavily to the making of Cassville. Most of this was in later years, after the City of Seven Valleys had received a healthy push into the 20th Century. Taking a narrow survey — which quite possibly resulted in some names being overlooked — this column will post some names that might be familiar for today’s generation...