Obituary - Fern Durst

Funeral services for Fern T. Durst are pending at this time.

Fern T. Durst, age 92 of Butler, Missouri, died November 12, 2010, at OSF St. Anthony’s Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois. She was born November 27, 1917, to Cecil and Bess Taylor in Belton, Missouri.


Fern, one of two sisters, lived most of her early life in Rich Hill, Missouri where she graduated from high school in 1935. After high school Fern attended beauty school in Joplin Missouri, after which she returned to Rich Hill to work with her sister, Fay, in a home beauty shop. On September 28, 1940, in Parsons, Kansas, Fern was united in marriage to Aubrey D. Durst, Sr. To this union, a son and a daughter were born. In 1949 Fern moved to the farm with her husband, Aubrey where she resided until June of this year. She was a member of the Amsterdam Baptist Church for over 60 years, where she sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, worked in Women’s Missionary Union, taught children’s mission groups, and helped in serving many meals.


Fern was a wonderful wife and mother, a helper to friends and family, and a prayer warrior. Her desire was that all would know her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of this she spent many hours visiting families in the community to invite them to church services as well as picking up children in the community to take them to various church activities. Fern was a fabulous cook who was known in this area for her chocolate pies. She was an expert seamstress who could not only make beautiful clothing, but also did draperies and upholstering. Fern took joy in spending time with and doing for her husband, children and grandchildren. Then this year she had yet another special joy added in the birth of her only great-grandchild.


Fern was preceded in death by her husband, Aubrey D. Durst, Sr.; her father, Cecil Taylor; her mother, Bessie Taylor Pierce; her step-father, Harry Pierce; one sister, Fay Porter and husband, Kenneth; one brother-in-law, Marvin Durst and wife, Opal; and one nephew, Dick Porter. She is survived by one son, Aubrey “Dean” Durst, Jr. and wife, Julia of Caledonia, Illinois; one daughter, Pamela Sue Woods and husband, Steve of Amsterdam, Missouri; four grandchildren—Sandra Durst and Julianna Durst of Rockford, Illinois; Vance Woods and wife, Tammy of Waco, Texas; Sara Bramsen and husband Andy of South Bend, Indiana; one great-granddaughter, Aravis Joy Bramsen of South Bend, Indiana; two nieces, Eileen Vannatta and husband, John of Leawood, Kansas and children John Murry, Jeff (wife, Christina), Jason, and Jennifer Fisher (husband, J.C.) and Sandy Wolfe of Harrisonville, Missouri and sons Michael and Scott.

Local forecast - mild

Today

Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 50s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s. Southwest winds around 5 mph.

It's flue fire season...

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You just loaded your stove or fireplace with a few logs, sit back and get ready to enjoy the warmth. Suddenly, you hear a rushing sound, run outside to look up and discover your flue is on fire. Flames and sparks shoot out from the thick smoke and you know action must be taken immediately.


Actually, action should have been taken well before a fire was ever built- that would be a thorough chimney cleaning and inspection by a professional. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, about one third of all rural structure fires (of homes that heat with wood) are caused by improper maintenance or damaged/faulty equipment i.e., lack of cleaning and cracked flue tiles.

Some think that if they burn only seasoned dry wood, their chimney is a lot less likely to build creosote. Somewhat true, however all chimneys will eventually develop a buildup and it's only a matter of time before it may catch on fire. The photo at left shows a heavy build up making a fire possible at any time. The photo just below shows a chimney after a flue fire has taken place.
So what exactly is the best preventative medicine? Have your chimney cleaned at least once per year. Typical costs for this run anywhere from $50 to $100+ depending on several factors. Not only have it cleaned, but thoroughly inspected as well. An inspection will reveal potential problems from cracks, malfunctioning dampers, etc. 
Fires caused by problems with stove pipes are as common as chimney fires. Failure to use triple wall pipe, loose pipe connections and combustibles placed too close the wood stove very often are the cause of a devastating fire. 
So what do you do if you have a chimney fire? Immediately close the fireplace doors or stove damper, go outside and call 911. Using garden hose to put water down the chimney is not recommended. First, chances are, your hose may be frozen and won't work anyway. Second, the cold water will certainly crack the ceramic liner and cause more damage. Also, you may get showered with sparks and debris. Ultimately, you could fall off of the ladder or roof under slippery conditions.
Firefighters who arrive on the scene may use a variety of tactics to put out the chimney fire. First, "chimney sticks" may be placed in the firebox to choke the fire. They look like road flares and are usually quite effective. In fact, the sticks are inexpensive and you may want to purchase a few to have on hand just in case. Firefighters may also discharge a dry type fire extinguisher into the top of the chimney as well. In most cases, they will do everything possible to avoid using water and making a mess of your living room. Granted, if your roof or attic is on fire, they will do whatever is necessary to put the fire out.
IF you've had a flue fire and were lucky enough to not lose your home, do not build another fire until the chimney has been inspected and repaired. 
More good advice would be to avoid loading your stove just before leaving. Naturally, you don't want the fire to go out while you're gone- but instead of filling the fire box, only put in enough wood to last until you get back.
Lastly, make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order. It's not uncommon for those who burn wood to take the batteries out of an offending detector that goes off when you open the firebox door to load wood. If that's the case, try relocating the detector a little further from the stove instead of disabling it. 

Adrian womans cause of death determined

The cause of the death of an Adrian woman on August 8th has been determined, according to autopsy findings last week. During a medical call to a residence in Adrian, Jammy C. Arnold was found unconscious and it was thought that she had ingested a fatal amount of antifreeze. At the request of the Sheriff's Department and County Coroner Gary Schowengerdt, an autopsy was performed by the Jackson County Medical Examiner; no evidence of antifreeze poisoning was found. The cause of death has been ruled to be from complications of diabetes mellitus.
Based on findings of the autopsy, the case is officially closed according to Sheriff Chad Anderson.

Theft at Adrian Optimist building solved

A safe stolen from the Adrian Optimist building Nov. 4th has been recovered along with documents also taken in the theft. According to Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson, the Sugar Creek Mo. Police Department had recovered the items after taking multiple subjects into custody after a cable repair man was discovered under a house attempting to open the safe.
During the crime, the suspects also vandalized the the inside of the building and took cash from the Boy Scouts room.
Richard W. Smith of Kansas City is facing first degree burglary charges in the case. Charges are expected to be made against two other suspects being held in Sugar Creek in the near future. All three are expected to be charged with receiving stolen property in Sugar Creek.

Butler woman receives minor injuries in Cass County accident

Around 4:30 yesterday afternoon a 2005 Chevrolet driven by Bharatkumar Patel, 46, of Butler traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a guardrail on 71 Highway, just north of county road 195. A passenger in the the vehicle Puriben Patel, 80, also of Butler received minor injuries and was transported to Cass County Regional Hospital for treatment. The driver was uninjured: the vehicle was totaled and towed from the scene. Both occupants were wearing seat belts.

St. Joseph Christian wins in OT 30-22

Despite rain and extremely muddy conditions, the Eagles held the lead through the half with St. Joseph making a comeback late in the game, bringing the tally to a 22 tie at the end of regulation. The Lions, after taking first possession in overtime managed a TD and the conversion upping the board to 30-22. The Eagles possession ended with no additional points on the board.
The Lions now face Mound City in the championship game. 
Kudos the to the Eagles for a great season and making it to this point despite some very tough challenges the team has faced this season. 

Overtime for Eagles and Lions- tied at 22

St. Joseph Christian failed to score with 3.8 seconds left, leaving the game tied 22-22 in regulation.