Vernon County Health Department confirms 2nd COVID-19 related death

The Vernon County Health Department is saddened to announce the second death of a Vernon County resident due to complications related to COVID-19. This resident did have underlying health conditions. Our hearts go out to the family in this very difficult time.

Hucksters day now underway

No rain, overcast skies and a high of 70 will be the perfect setting for the annual Huckster’s Day celebration on the Butler square. See you there!

2020 Missouri State High School Football Week 6 Scores:

2020 Missouri State High School Football Week 6 Scores:

Adrian 41, Crest Ridge 14
Appleton City 62, Osceola 28

Aurora 22, Hollister 14
Ava 22, Houston 8
Battle 37, Moberly 36
Belton 22, Raytown 6

Blair Oaks 69, Eldon 6
Bowling Green 30, North Callaway 23

Butler 46, Buffalo 20

Cass Midway 41, Lone Jack 0
Camdenton 38, Hillcrest 14
Carl Junction 41, Neosho 6
Carthage 42, Willard 7
Cassville 50, Monett 0
Central (Park Hills) 31, Ste Genevieve 26
Centralia 50, Cuba 12
Cole Camp 13, Tipton 12

Drexel 43, Archie 6 

East (KC) 30, Central (KC) 22
Excelsior Springs 45, Clinton 0
Fair Grove 36, Strafford 20
Fayette 32, Paris 0
Francis Howell 56, Holt 28
Glendale 50, Parkview 21
Grain Valley 35, Fort Osage 0
Grandview (Hillsboro) 14, Herculaneum 12
Hallsville 28, Marshall 26
Hannibal 47, Kirksville 14

Harrisonville 28, McDonald County 14

Helias 51, Capital City 6
Jackson 59, Fox 21
Knox County 40, Salisbury 12

Lamar 33, Mt. Vernon 0

Lawson 42, North Platte 14
Lee's Summit North 38, Blue Springs 35
Lee's Summit West 27, Rockhurst 24
Liberty (Mtn View) 22, Mountain Grove 21
Lighthouse Christian 42, Springfield Central 20
Lincoln College Prep 34, Pembroke Hill 14
Lockwood 47, Ash Grove 8
Marceline 58, St. Joseph Christian 14
Marionville 44, Pierce City 20
Malden 47, Crystal City 0
Mark Twain 36, Wright City 16
Marshfield 42, Reeds Springs 25
Mexico 49, Fulton 28
Mid Buchanan 63, Penney 67
Milan 43, Gallatin 20
Missouri Military 47, Louisiana 34

Monroe City 26, Brookfield 12
Montgomery County 42, Clopton 7
Nixa 35, Ozark 7

Oak Grove 29, Pleasant Hill 28

Oak Park 46, Central (St. Joseph) 24
Jefferson City 17, Hickman 14
Joplin 41, Republic 14

Pattonburg 86, Rich Hill 56
Palmyra 15, Clark County 14
Princeton 30, Maysville 14

Ray-Pec 28, Blue Springs South 9

Rockwood Summit 34, Ft. Zumwalt West 14
St. Pius X (Festus) 21, Doniphan 6
Salem 27, Willow Springs 12

Seneca 27, Nevada 26

Skyline 65, Clever 14
Sullivan 41, Hermann 7
Thayer 27, Cabool 0
Valle Catholic 47, Jefferson (Festus) 13
Waynesville 37, Bolivar 33
Webb City 35, Branson 7
West Plains 63, Lebanon 14

Windsor 55, Sherwood 6

Obituary- Leonard Paul Pope, Sr

Leonard Paul Pope, Sr, 94 of Nevada, passed away on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at the Moore-Few Care Center in Nevada. Leonard was born on January 4, 1926 in Beason, IL to Schuyler and Susie (Conway) Pope. On March 18, 1946 he was married to Bonnie Peterson and she preceded him in death on July 13, 2012.

Leonard came to Vernon County by covered wagon at the age of 3. He attended the Badger School near Walker. At age 16 he went to Iowa to work as a farmhand. He served in the US Army for a year before returning to Vernon County in 1960 where he continued to farm and also began working for the City of Nevada Water Department retiring in 1988. Leonard was longtime member of the Nevada Saddle Club and he enjoyed attending the American Royal Parade annually. Leonard was an active supporter of the National Kidney Foundation participating in their Trail Ride Fundraising events.

Survivors include one daughter, Connie Newton of Nevada, two sons, Paul Pope of Moundville and Rodney Pope of Nevada, seven grandchildren, Amanda Davis (Tim), Randi Pope-Brockmiller (Allen Hiller), Sara Thompson, Casey Newton (Angie), Chris Newton (Gina), Jenny Swopes (Brad), Jill Kaemmerling (Jason), eleven great grandchildren, four great-great grandchildren, one sister, Mary Hughes and one Brother Louis Pope both of California.

In addition to his wife Bonnie, he was preceded in death by two infant daughters, Linda and Becky, three sisters, Dorotha Ramsey, Loraine Wolf, Martha Landon, two brothers, Elmer Pope and Lawrence Pope, a grandson, Jeff Newton, and a son-in-law, Sonny Newton.

Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday October 5, 2020 at Ferry Funeral Home in Nevada. Interment with Military Rites will follow in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Dederick, MO. The family will receive friends from 1-2:00 p.m. prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may contribute to the Mount Pleasant Cemetery Association c/o Ferry Funeral Home.

State Farm of Butler student athlete of the week Brandon Melton

We are so excited to announce this week’s State Farm Student Athlete of the week Brandon Melton. Brandon is a senior fullback and defensive end for the Butler Bears. Brandon led the way for the Bears last week against their win against Lincoln with 178 rushing yards on seven carries and finished the game with three touchdowns. Brandon was nominated by Butler’s athletic director Jake Duvall. 

He stated “Brandon is a hard worker that leads by example. He pushes himself constantly in the weight room and is always trying to make himself better as well as those around him.” When Brandon was asked to describe an elite athlete in his own words he stated “it’s someone who works hard and is determined to succeed.” He said “a leader wants to do well for his team and pushes others to work hard and never give up. 

You can always turn a situation around.” Brandon plans to go into construction management following graduation. Brandon was a pleasure to meet and we wish him and the Butler Bears the best of luck as they take on a strong Buffalo team tonight. Butler is currently 5-0 on the season! - Courtesy of Kellie Davidson Butler State Farm Agent 

Henry County Health Center confirms 8 new positive cases of COVID -19

The Henry County Health Center (HCHC) has received confirmation of ten more positive cases of COVID-19. Eight who reside in the town of Clinton, and two who reside in Deepwater. All close contacts to confirmed cases. This brings the total number of confirmed positive cases in Henry County to 243 .

All contact tracing has commenced and all parties that have had close contact are being notified. HCHC continues to encourage residents to practice social distancing, washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or more, and to remain home if you are sick.

The CDC continues to recommend that individuals to wear a face covering when you are in public, and are unable to social distance, to assist in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Butler City Hall Closed beginning October 5, 2020 until further notice due to COVID-19.

Obituary - Bill Marr

Bill B. Marr, of rural Amoret, MO., passed away from extreme old age and complications of Covid19 on October 1st, 2020. He was 98 years old, a businessman, farmer, husband, father, and self-proclaimed “best nine-fingered guitarist in Bates County.” Graveside services will be held 2:30 pm Tuesday, October 6, 2020 in Oak Hill Cemetery, Butler, Missouri.  There will be no visitation.  Friends are welcome to attend, face masks are encouraged and social distancing should be observed.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.  Messages of condolence may be left at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com.

 

Bill was born to James B. and Dorothy Marr on July 11th, 1922. He was raised the son of a farmer, and spent his youth helping his parents work their 600 acres in the rural Merwin community. Tending to crops, as well as every imaginable form of livestock, Bill on occasion spoke of coming of age during the Great Depression. To help the family weather the hard times, he chopped wood for neighboring families, an enterprise that he felt left him with impressive physical strength for the remainder of his life. He was proud of the fact that, though his family had lost almost everything by the time the Depression ended, they managed to hold onto their land.

 

Bill attended high school in Adrian, Missouri, and despite his short stature, was regarded county-wide as a star basketball player. At the age of 17 he enrolled in the University of Missouri, Columbia, and graduated with a degree in agriculture. He turned down other educational options, and had in fact won a music scholarship to what would later be Missouri State University, based upon, as he would later put it, his “melodious tenor voice.”

 

Upon graduation, and in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Bill enlisted in the United States Navy. He attended Officer Candidate School at Columbia University in New York City, and was eventually awarded the rank of Lieutenant, JG.  While he rarely spoke of these years – as is true with many of his generation – he saw action in some of the most brutal locales of the Pacific Theater. He revealed late in life that he was present for the bloody invasion of Iwo Jima, and on at least two occasions the ships on which he sailed were under threat from Kamikaze pilots. The war years had a profound effect on Bill, and he once mentioned that he had lost many friends and comrades to battle, drownings, and shark attacks. He was en route to the proposed US invasion of Japan – aboard a small destroyer - when nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was in Tokyo Harbor when the Japanese surrendered on September 2nd, 1945. 

 

To give perspective to generations past and present, Bill was still but 23 years old.

 

Though he wished to make a career out of naval service, Bill’s parents pleaded with him to return home and help them with the farm. Loyal to their wishes, he resigned his commission and came back to Bates County. Assisting his father on the family farm (and losing the aforementioned finger in a grain auger accident, which lead him to be a nine-fingered guitarist) Bill soon met Ruth Jensen in Butler. The two were married on November 18th, 1951, and purchased 360 acres in rural Amoret that same year. The couple initially lived in Adrian, and moved to their farm in 1953.

 

For a time, in addition to farming, Bill worked selling real estate for the United Farm Agency, and insurance for MFA. In 1953 he bought into an existing insurance business, known as The Adrian Agency, and eventually purchased it outright. Bill operated that business very successfully for 20 years, selling it in 1972.

 

Though he considered himself a farmer at heart, Bill was resolute in the concept of undertaking a diverse business life. Though he loved growing crops, he opined on more than one occasion that farming was a risky proposition at best. He attributed his father’s early death in part to the rigors of farming, and concluded that “there are easier ways to make money than killing yourself.”

 

And so, sometimes with partners and sometimes solo, he engaged in numerous business ventures. He was one of the principals in Triangle Investments of Adrian, which at various times built and sold homes and subdivisions, as well as owning a restaurant, lumber yard, cable TV franchise, car dealerships, and numerous real estate investments. Community minded in a quiet way, Bill was instrumental in the construction of Adrian’s first senior-citizen complex. He also, usually anonymously, provided financial aid to many individuals and organizations that required assistance.

 

Retiring at age 50, Bill soon learned that he was not well suited for retirement. In the late 1970s he opened Bill Marr Motors on the family farm, his office being a converted grainery in an old barn. Between that time and 2009, he sold used cars and trucks, moving more titles through the county tax offices than most local dealerships of the times. When he was nearing 80 years of age, Bill taught himself computer skills in order to adapt to technology and continue the stock-market investing that he had engaged in for years. Until his late 80s, he could often be found seated behind the computer screen, analyzing potential investments and making online trades.

 

Bill leaves behind his wife, Ruth, and two sons, Alan and Ron. He will be remembered as a happy man who, though sometimes impatient, always had time to shoot a game of snooker, play basketball or ping pong with his boys, or have a good laugh. He loved games of all sorts, had a ready smile, and in the face of life’s challenges always managed to keep his sense of humor.

 

At the end of any family gathering, large or small, Bill would inevitably exclaim, “I’m sure glad we could all be here to whoop ‘er up.”

 

Same here, Daddy . . . Same here.