Area Obituaries

KEVIN HUGH WALTERS     Kevin Hugh Walters, 50, of Prairie View, Texas and formerly of Wayland, died suddenly Tuesday, January 20, 2015 in Bedford, Texas.     Mr. Walters was born at the Ringgold County Hospital in Mt. Ayr, Iowa on March 20, 1964 to Keith O. and Jean M. Rusk Walters. He grew up in…

BEULAH C. HUTCHINSON     Beulah C. Hutchinson, daughter of Joe and Betty (Alsbury) Hill, was born October 11, 1935 at the family home just outside Allendale, Missouri in Worth County.     Beulah attended rural schools through the eighth grade and then graduated from Grant City High School in 1953 at the age of 16. The…

BETTYE COATES     Bettye Coates, 80, of Indianola, died Monday, January 5, 2015. Burial will be at Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr at a later date.  An Open House with Family and Friends to celebrate Bettye’s life was held in Indianola in Smith Chapel’s Dirlam Lounge at Simpson College on Saturday, January 10. Memorials…

HELEN C. TERRY     Helen C. Terry, of Mount Ayr, IA died on January 11, 2015, in Des Moines, IA, after a short battle with breast cancer. She was 85. Helen Ann Copenhaver, daughter of Robert George and Mary Loretta (Johnson) Copenhaver, was born in Freeport, IL on November 16, 1929.  She was very proud…

SHIRLEY RHEA MILLER     Shirley Rhea Miller passed away peacefully on January 9, 2015 at Journey Care in Woodstock, Illinois. She was born March 5, 1929 in Amarillo, Texas.     Shirley is survived by her brother and best friend, Elbert (Jay) Irving of Afton, Iowa; her three children Annette Verchota of McHenry, Illinois, Wendy (Don)…

HAZELEE SAXTON     Hazelee Saxton, 69 of  Mount Ayr, Iowa, died on January 9, 2015, at Clearview Nursing Home in Mount Ayr.     She was born January 6, 1946, in Shannon City, Iowa to Richard and Bernice O’Dell. She graduated from Grand Valley High School in 1964. She married Larry Saxton in 1965, having three…

VALIERE STEWART     Valiere Stewart, daughter of Floyd and Lela (Whitson) Creveling, was born June 11, 1918 on the family farm south of Ellston, Iowa. She lived most all of her life in this home, with the exception of a few years living within a two mile radius. Valiere graduated from Ellston High School in…

LENORA M. PRATTE     Lenora M. “Sally” (Bowen) Pratte, 88, St. Joseph, Missouri died Saturday, January 10, 2015 at a local healthcare facility.       She was born January 6, 1927 in Maloy, Iowa to James and Ruby (Smith) Bowen.     She was a bartender for many years most notably at the Pioneer Room and…

GARNITA EWART     Celebration of Life Services for Garnita Ewart, age 84, of Bedford, who died Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at Bedford Nursing & Rehab surrounded by her family was held Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at the Ritchie Funeral Home in Bedford. Visitation was Monday morning from 9:00 a.m. until service time…

MARY EILEEN LESAN     Mary Eileen (Yashack) Lesan was born March 24, 1920 in Mount Ayr, Iowa the daughter of Andrew Howard and Bessie May (Stuck) Yashack. Eileen was the oldest of four children. When Eileen was five years old the family moved to Lomax, Illinois for one year. Then they moved to Peoria, Illinois…

ROBERT EARL SHIELDS     On December 11, 2014, Robert “Bob” Earl Shields hauled his last load. Destination Heaven. His big heart finally gave out.  Bob was born January 18, 1936, to Cleo Earle and Georgia Elizabeth (Johnson) Shields on the farm west of Lamoni, Iowa.  He was the first born of three boys. Bob lost…

LARRY LEE GRACE     Larry Lee Grace, son of Lawrence Russell and Lois Marie (Hutchinson) Grace, was born at the Ringgold County Hospital in Mount Ayr on June 26, 1961. Larry grew up at Diagonal and graduated from Diagonal High School in 1979.     Larry worked road construction all of his life. He was a…