Obituary - Leslie "Francine" Riggs

Leslie Francine Riggs, 62 of Nevada, passed away on Saturday, December 30, 2023 at Nevada Regional Medical Center. Francine was born on April 22, 1961, in Nevada, MO to Alfred and Rosetta (Owens) Nichols. She married Gerald “Jerry” Riggs on April 21, 1989 in Nevada.

Francine was raised in Nevada and attended Nevada High School. She worked in food service at Cottey College and Nevada Middle School, at On My Own for several years, and the Nevada Habilitation Center for 14 years until retiring due to illness. Francine loved being with family and spending time with her grandchildren.

Francine is survived by her husband, Jerry, of the home; her children, John Murphy (Megan), Nevada, MO, and Shea Moore (Brandon), Centerton, AR; 7 grandchildren, Jeremiah, Madison, Jamin, Jaxson, Gabriel, Natalie, Camden; and her mother, Rosetta Nichols, Nevada, MO. She was preceded in death by her father, Alfred Lester Nichols; and her father- and mother-in law, Junior and Betty Riggs.

Memorial services for Francine Riggs will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, at Ferry Funeral Home in Nevada with Pastor Ray Adams officiating. Committal will follow at a later date in Newton Burial Park. Those who wish may contribute in Francine’s memory to the COPD Foundation in c/o Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada, MO.

Butler Wrestling Tournament Weekend is here!

The Butler High School girls wrestling tournament starts at 3:30PM tomorrow. 20 teams from Missouri and Kansas.

Then on Saturday the Butler High School boys tournament starts at 9AM.

Come out and cheer our wrestlers this weekend!

Obituary - Mary Alice Beckerdite

Mary Alice Vinson was born August 18, 1935, the daughter of Clarence & Ivy Vinson in East St. Louis, IL. She died on January 2, 2024. She was one of five children - four brothers and a sister. At the age of four, she and her three brothers were placed, in the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home in St. Louis, MO.

At the age of seven, she was adopted as an only child by William and Lena Welborn of Harrisonville, MO. Mary Alice received many blessings in her life and was thankful for the opportunity of being raised in a Christian home and for many years of piano lessons. She started playing hymns for Sunday School at age eleven and continued to play piano and organ in churches for years.

A mutual love of gospel music brought Mary Alice’s future husband, who sang, into her life at age sixteen. On July 5th, 1952, she was united in marriage to John E. Beckerdite of the Harrisonville/Archie community. They lived in Cass County, MO most of their married life except for eleven and a half years in Colorado.

They were blessed with four children, and Mary Alice is survived by Ron Beckerdite and wife, Marvina, of Neosho, MO, Rhonda Bennett and husband, Cliff of Harrisonville, MO, Brenda Ellis and husband, Michael, of Kansas City, MO and Don Beckerdite and wife, Joeva, of Raymore, MO. She was also blessed with 11 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and- five great-great grandchildren. Mary Alice was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, John E. Beckerdite. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Clarence and Garry Vinson, one sister, Thelma Vinson Matthes, and one half-brother, Earl Smith. One remaining brother, Eugene Vinson and one half-brother, Irvin Smith, survive her.

A member of Faith Baptist Church in Raymore, MO, Mary Alice acknowledged that music had always been an important part of her family’s life. She thanked God for the blessing and opportunity to testify of God’s love through playing the piano and organ. God Is So Good!

Cremation with inurnment at Freeman Cemetery, Freeman, Missouri at a later date. Service times will be posted once that information becomes available.

Memorial contributions may be made to One Community Hospice and send in care of Dickey Funeral Home, PO Box 432, Harrisonville, Missouri 64701.

Obituary - Beverly Jean Igo

Beverly Jean Igo, 70, of Clinton, Missouri passed away peacefully Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., with her family by her side. Bev was born December 16, 1953 in Kansas City, Mo., the daughter of Donald Martin Igo and Ella Mae (Bruce) Igo.

The Igo family moved to Herbster, Wisconsin in 1965 where she attended the South Shore School District. She enjoyed cooking and worked at several restaurants in the area. She was also the cook at the Oulu Elementary School for several years. Years later she purchased The Cottage Café in Port Wing, Wi, where she was quickly known for her hash brown topper! After selling the café, she retired and moved to Windsor, Mo., in 2018. Bev loved meeting people and visiting. She enjoyed working at the Bullseye in Calhoun, Mo., and being the Treasurer of the Calhoun Colt Show. Bev was selfless and always put others before herself. She was truly a giving and caring person, and always wanted to help out.

Bev enjoyed reading, cooking, baking and the Green Bay Packers. There was nothing more important to her than her family. She loved all of them and left a special memory in all of their hearts (mostly sarcastic)! Bev’s world revolved around her daughters and their families. Her six grandchildren were her pride and joy and she was looking forward to becoming a great-grandmother in April. Spending over 40 years together, Howie was her person. They enjoyed their time together and their Harley rides.

Bev is survived by her lifelong partner, Howie Raivala of the home; three daughters, Tricia Hegbloom (Troy), Pulaski, Wi., Nicole Chovan (Mark), Kenosha, Wi., and Jolene Meyer (Dennis), Windsor, Mo.; her six grandchildren, Todd, Tyler (Sarah), Haley (Dylan), Ashley, Addison and Chet; two sisters, Margie Lahti (Don), Iron River, Wi., and Cathy Gustafson (Steve), Port Wing, Wi.; one brother, Don Igo (Lisa), Iron River, Wi.; and nieces and nephews, Shelly, Donnie, Christa, Bobby, David, Michelle, Lori, Josh and Derek; and several great-nieces and great-nephews; and two aunts, Joyce Olson and Bea Igo; and many cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a nephew; grandparents; and several aunts and uncles.

The family will schedule a celebration of life in Port Wing, Wi., at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Bradley & Hadley Funeral Home, Clinton. Condolences may be left online at www.bradleyhadley.com.

Come eat with us at the Member Luncheon!

 

Obituary - Timothy Rex Bruce

Timothy Rex Bruce was born to Rex and Betty Bruce in Nevada, MO on November 12, 1977. He departed this world to his heavenly home on December 30, 2023. 

His favorite song was “I Can Only Imagine” and we can only imagine the joy beaming from his face as he entered heaven’s gates to see his Father’s face for the first time. Tim attended Sulphur Springs Baptist Church near El Dorado Springs, MO with his family as a child. 

He took the Lord to be his Savior while attending this church. Tim grew up on his family’s farm in Walker, MO, gaining a love for the outdoors and hunting. He attended Walker School, graduating with class of 1996. He actively participated in the Walker 4-H during his childhood and had a love for the club throughout his life, sharing this passion with his children. He was a huge supporter of the Vernon County Youth Fair.

Tim was blessed with two amazing children, Dalton Lane and Hadley Lynn. He considered them his greatest blessings and his pride and joy. He loved watching his children grow and being an active part of their lives. Being a dad was the highlight of his life. He never missed a game or an activity his kids were a part of. His joy was multiplied when his grandson, Bexon Lane, entered his world in 2017.

He was an avid hunter and sports fan. Some of his most treasured memories come from hunting with his son Dalton. During high school he played baseball and basketball for his high school team, the Walker Pirates. Tim loved to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and was a lifelong fan of KU Jayhawks. He was thrilled when his daughter Hadley decided to attend KU to pursue her college degree. Hadley and Tim had many special adventures on the KU campus watching games and meeting one of his idols, Bill Self, a bucket list check off.

Tim was great with his hands, creating many splendors of work through woodworking and tinkering on vehicles for friends and family. He could easily put together a project without a diagram, only using his visual skills.

Tim also had amazing cooking skills. He is best known for his smoked meats and chili that could set your mouth on fire. Not many dared to eat the chili, but Tim. He also loved to grow the hottest peppers around and create his own seasoning blends. Trust us, nobody else could eat that fire-hot blend either.

Tim was a hard worker throughout his life. Before graduating, Tim worked on the Burch Farm helping to haul hay during the summers. Shortly after graduation he worked for Murphy Family Farms. Later, working at 3M, ADM labs and most recently Eagle Picher in Joplin. He considered his colleagues at Eagle Picher to be his second family.

Preceding Tim in death were his grandparents and his father, Rex Bruce.

Survivors include his mother, Betty Bruce; his son, Dalton (Caitlin) Bruce and grandson, Bexon Bruce; daughter, Hadley Bruce; sister, Tammy (Gavon) Hutchison and nephew, Landon Hutchison. He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and beloved friends.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at Ferry Funeral Home in Nevada with Scotty Pritchett officiating. The family will receive friends from 10-11:00 a.m. prior to the service. Those who wish may contribute in Tim's memory to the Vernon County Youth Fair in c/o Ferry Funeral Home.

Blackhawks Complete the Sweep against Butler in basketball

The Adrian Lady Blackhawks hosted the in-county rival Butler Lady Bears. The Bears come into the game sitting at 5-5 while the Blackhawks were 6-4 on the season.

After one half of play, the Bears trailed the Blackhawks 35-15. The Blackhawks controlled the boards with 22 first half rebounds (12 of which were offensive) compared to the Bears 13, which led to Adrian finding 10 points off of second chance opportunities and a commanding lead at the intermission.

During the second half Adrian continued to roll. By the final whistle, the Blackhawks had out-rebounded the Bears 44-28 which led to the Blackhawks taking a 55-30 victory over the Lady Bears.

Riley Essenpries led all scoring with 16 for Adrian, while pitching in 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a couple steals. The Bears were led by Kylee Dubray with 11 points and 9 rebounds to go along with 3 steals and 3 blocks on the night.

The Bears fall under .500 with a 5-6 record now, while the Lady Blackhawks improve to 7-4.

The Bears will be back in action at Drexel on the 11th, the Blackhawks are back at in on Friday the 5th at Prairie View.

On the men's side of things, the Bears come in 7-2 with their fist loss coming in the championship game at the Warsaw Tournament, and their second coming in the Butler Tournament. Adrian would look to hand the Bears their 3rd loss of the season.

The fist quarter, and even the entire first half, was a defensive showcase. The score was 9-8 in favor of the Bears after the first 8 minutes of play. The Blackhawks would start to find themselves offensively in the 2nd quarter and carry a 21 – 14 advantage into the locker room.

In the second half, the Blackhawks kept their momentum while the Bears never really could find a rhythm. The Bears shot 18 percentage from the floor on the night, never really finding a groove. In the end, the Blackhawks would complete the sweep of the Bears, with Adrian coming away with a 52-34 win.

Carter Trumbore led all scoring on the night with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in the loss, going a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe. Colin Kramer led the Blackhawks with 16 points, while Mason Rusow secured a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.

The Bears fall to 7-3 on the year, while the Blackhawks improve to 6-2.

See more Tailgate TV here https://linktr.ee/tailgate_tv

-Courtesy of Cody Morris 

Rich Hill Tigers basketball update

The Rich Hill Lady Tigers played host to North East Vernon County tonight. The Lady Tigers were able to claim a 51-34 W on their home court. 

Lanie Phelps led all scoring in the game, recording on 17pts on 5 made 3 pointers. Izzy Swope tallied 11 points on the night for the Lady Tigers. Angel Taylor-Burnside led NE Vernon County with 12 points.

For the men, the Tigers would face-off against Golden City. The Tigers are 9-2 on the season with both of their losses coming in overtime thrillers against Adrian and Butler at the Butler Tournament. 

Brayden Chandler got off to a hot start for Rich Hill, recording 16 points in the first half, finishing the night with 18. The Tigers ended up rolling to a 83-40 victory over Golden City.

Dylan Black led all scoring with 20 points, 16 of which came in the 3rd quarter. Golden City was led by Spencer Parril with 18 points.

See more Tailgate TV here https://linktr.ee/tailgate_tv

-Courtesy of Cody Morris