Obituary - Betty Fink

Betty Fink, 79 of Amsterdam, Missouri passed away Thursday, September 10, 2026 surround by family at Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri. A visitation will be held from 10:00 am to 11:00 am Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at Mullinax Funeral Home, Butler (660-679-0009). Funeral services will follow at 11:00 am Tuesday, also at the funeral home. Burial will take place in Crescent Hill Cemetery, Adrian, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made to Crescent Hill Cemetery. Messages of condolence may be left for the family at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com.


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Operation Sock-It-To-Me campaign officially underway

Bates County Memorial Hospital (BCMH) Auxiliary volunteers are once again launching their annual Operation Sock-It-To-Me campaign to help local students stay warm this winter. The 2026 campaign has kicked off and will continue through October 31.

Community members are invited to join in by donating new socks for children and teens, ages 5–18. Collection boxes will be available in the BCMH lobby as well as at Family Care Clinics in Adrian, Butler and Rich Hill. Donations can be dropped off on weekdays through October 31. To make sorting easier, please leave socks in their original packaging.

Every pair collected will be shared with Bates County schools before the winter holidays. School staff will make sure the socks reach students in grades K–12 who need them most.

The BCMH Auxiliary is grateful for the community’s continued generosity in supporting this project each year. Together, we can make a simple gift go a long way in keeping kids warm and cared for this winter.

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Obituary - Donna Dowty

Donna Rosalie Dowty, beloved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and faithful servant of God, passed away on September 4, 2026 at LifeCare Hospice in Wooster, Ohio, following an extended decline.

Donna was born on June 9, 1947, in Independence, Kansas, to Alfred Beard and Sybil (Manning) Beard. She grew up in Fredonia, Kansas, as the oldest of four children. She survived by her three younger brothers, Thomas Beard, Delbert (Margie) Beard, and Dwight (Linda) Beard.

On April 19, 1975, Donna married Vernon C. Dowty, beginning a marriage and family that would be at the center of her life for more than four decades. Together they raised their three children in Butler, Missouri: William Dowty of Belton, Missouri; Scott (Julie) Dowty of Mankato, Minnesota; and Renae (Santiago) Lizarraga of Orrville, Ohio.

Donna's family was the greatest joy of her life. She especially treasured her grandchildren—Gabriel, Nathan, JR, Mario, Tyler, Logan, Raegan, Danica, and Mason. She loved holding them as babies, watching them play as children, and listening to them sing and play instruments as teenagers. She enjoyed cooking for her family, reading her Bible, and loved thrifting, proudly earning her unofficial title of "Thrift Shop Queen."

Donna's faith in God was an important part of who she was. Beyond all the things she enjoyed and the people she loved, she desired to serve God faithfully. Her life was marked by a love for her family, a love for God's Word, and a desire to care for those around her.

After Vernon passed away in 2017, Donna moved to Orrville, Ohio, where she lived with her daughter, Renae, who cared for her during the final years of her life.

Donna was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Vernon C. Dowty, and her parents, Alfred and Sybil Beard.

She leaves behind a family who will miss her dearly but find comfort in knowing the difficult road she walked has finally come to an end. She crossed the finish line. Her family remembers her not simply for the difficulties of the final years, but for the woman she was throughout her life -a woman who found simple joys in family, faith, and a really good thrift-store find.

Funeral services were held September 11, 2026 at Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel (660-679-6555) in Butler, Missouri with burial in Ft. Scott National Cemetery, Ft. Scott, Kansas. Contributions to LifeCare Hospice, Wooster, Ohio. Online condolences www.schowengerdtchapel.com.

Contributions may be made to LifeCare Hospice in Wooster, Ohio, in Donna's memory.

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Obituary - Barbara Jo Burnworth

Barbara Jo Burnworth, 75, of Garden City, Missouri, passed away peacefully on September 9, 2026. She was born on November 7, 1950, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Charles and Barbara Quinlin. On June 28, 1969, she married Larry Dale Burnworth, and together they built a family and shared 57 years of marriage.

Barbara Jo was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend. She is survived by her husband, Larry Dale Burnworth; her brother, Steve Quinlin, and his wife, Betty Hernandez; her three sons, Tony Burnworth and his wife, Michele, Steve Burnworth and his wife, Tammy, and Ryan Burnworth and his girlfriend, Amy Gile.

She was a proud grandmother to Jakob Burnworth and his wife, Vanessa; Shelby Burnworth and her fiancé, Brett Balman; Brody Burnworth; and Bailey Burnworth. Her greatest joys continued with her two great-grandchildren, Cameron and Colton, children of Jakob and Vanessa.

Barbara Jo spent her working years in a variety of roles. She worked as a lunch lady in her younger years before retiring from House of Lloyd. In the 2000s, many came to know her affectionately as the “Peach Lady,” a nickname that became part of the legacy she left with those who knew her.

Barbara Jo found joy in the simple things in life. She loved baking, shopping, creating beautiful floral arrangements, and tending to her flower gardens. She had a special love for her grandchildren and treasured the time she spent with her family.

And, of course, there was coffee. Barbara Jo didn’t just love coffee—she really loved coffee. A cup of coffee was never far away, and anyone who knew her knew just how important it was to her. It was one of the little things that made Barbara Jo uniquely Barbara Jo.

Barbara Jo will be remembered for her love of family, her creativity, her generous heart, her beautiful flowers, her sweet treats, and, naturally, her endless cups of coffee. Her memory will live on in the family she loved so dearly and in all those who were fortunate enough to know her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Barbara Quinlin.

Barbara Jo leaves behind a lifetime of memories and a family who will miss her deeply, while carrying her love and memory with them always.

Cremation with Celebration of Life Service to be scheduled at a later date.

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Teal season now open

Teal season starts today and runs through Sept. 20. Before you head out, check the 2026 Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest for daily bag limits, permit and stamp requirements, and hunting area-specific regulations.

Good luck and be safe out there!

More info here https://mdc.mo.gov/about-us/about-regulations/migratory-bird-waterfowl-hunting-digest


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Week 3 local football scores

Osceola  0

Archie 72

Crest Ridge 21

Butler 45

Drexel 52

Liberal 12

Appleton City 34

Rich Hill 0

Adrian 18

Holden 26

Odessa 7

Harrisonville 10

Midway 56

Jasper 0

Cole Camp 15

Sherwood 18

Monett 26

Nevada 32

Center 35

Clinton 12

El Dorado Springs 50

Pleasant Hope 0

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BCMH holds Patriot Day observance

Patriot Day Observance: Bates County Memorial Hospital hosted its annual flag-lowering ceremony on September 11, 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Employees, members of the BCMH EMS team, local firefighters, law enforcement officers and representatives of other area agencies gathered for the observance. Retired U.S. Army First Sergeant and combat engineer Mark Durbin, who served with the 203rd Engineer Battalion and deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, was the guest speaker. Retired Army First Sergeant and BCMH paramedic Jason Stroud, who served for 30 years including three tours in Iraq as a combat medical specialist, led the ceremony. Following the ceremony, BCMH and Koehn's Bakery hosted breakfast for area first responders as a gesture of appreciation for their service to the community.


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Hugh Jenkins honored for 39 years of service to Bates County

L-R: Robert Russel, Johnson County Prosecutor and President of The Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys; Hugh Jenkins, Bates County Prosecutor; Tim Garrison, Executive Director, Missouri Office of Prosecution Services.

On September 3, 2026 at the annual meeting of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Bates County Prosecuting Attorney Hugh C. Jenkins was recognized for his 39 years of service as Prosecutor and has officially earned the title of the longest serving elected Prosecutor in the state of Missouri.

The meeting was held September 1-3 at Margaritaville in Lake Ozark, MO. Jenkins was recognized with a plaque and was given a mantle clock as a memento for his years of service.

Jenkins will finish his term on December 31, 2026 after 39 years as elected prosecutor and 1 year as an assistant. Following the finish of his term, Jenkins will assist upcoming prosecutor Cody Johnson in a limited role as an assistant.

Congratulations!

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