Obituary - Brian Michael Spear

Brian Michael Spear, 27, of Freeman, MO, tragically passed away on Friday, August 16, 2024 at Cass Regional Medical Center in Harrisonville, MO. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Brian was born on June 10, 1997, the son of Michael and Patricia (Wilbanks) Spear. He was a man of few words, but found joy in the simple things in life - hunting, fishing, listening to music, and cherishing moments with his family and friends. Brian pursued a career in construction. His love for the outdoors and his passion for his work defined him, leaving an indelible mark on those who knew him. Though Brian may no longer be with us, his spirit and memories will live on in the hearts of those who loved him.

Brian was preceded in death by his father, Michael Spear; his maternal grandmother, Millie Cullum; and his paternal grandparents, David and Sheila (Buhrle) Spear. He is survived by his loving mother, Patricia Spear, and her significant other, Justin Logemann; his siblings: Brittney, Brianna, and Johnathon Spear; bonus siblings: Ruby and Heidi Logemann; his maternal great-grandmother, Mary Alice Wilbanks; his maternal grandfather, Jerry (Delores) Willbanks; and a host of other relatives and friends. Brian will forever hold a special place in their hearts. His absence will be deeply felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Quilt of Valor awarded in Butler this morning

 

A special ceremony was held at Rocking Chair Quilts in Butler this morning hosted by owner Marsha Youngblood and Linda Martien of the Quilts for Valor foundation.

The Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream, literally a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq. According to Catherine:

The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was: Quilts = Healing.

The model appeared simple: have a volunteer team who would donate their time and materials to make a quilt. One person would piece the top and the other would quilt it. I saw the name for this special quilt: it was Quilt of Valor, a QOV.

From the beginning, Catherine Roberts had definite ideas about standards of excellence for Quilts of Valor:

I knew a Quilt of Valor had to be a quality-made quilt, not a “charity quilt.” A Quilt of Valor had to be quilted, not tied, which meant hand or machine quilting. It would be “awarded,” not just passed out like magazines or videos, and would say unequivocally, “Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation.”

A group of about 20 attended the ceremony this morning eager to learn more about the program which was followed with a special patriotic themed quilt presentation to Veteran Don Crawford of Clinton, Mo who was visibly humbled by the experience.

From seeing the enthusiasm for the program today, Youngblood says she is "working to expand the QOV program here, in the Bates county area and would like to make presentations to local veterans as well." With that, she said our local chapter has been named Sew Honored and those interested in helping should contact her at the shop located at 21 N. Main street in Butler.

QOV has presented nearly 400,000 such quilts in their existence and more every day. More information can be found at https://www.qovf.org/  

Marsha Youngblood, owner of Rocking Chair Quilts, quilt recipient

Don Crawford and QOV spokesperson Linda Martien

Obituary - Emily Joyce Considine

Emily Joyce Considine passed away after a long battle with bone cancer just after her 73rd birthday, August 18, 2024, with her loving husband Michael by her side. She was born August 15, 1951 to Elmo and Arlene Stump in Kansas City, MO.

Emily is survived by her loving husband of 20 years, Michael (Mickey) Considine, her two sisters, Jane Gibson and Anita Giese, her two children, Garrett Blaco and Kira Timm, her granddaughter, Taylor Blaco, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Emily grew up in Belton, Missouri, the youngest of three daughters - the youngest one in curls as she liked to say. She and her sisters had an unbreakable bond, supporting each other throughout their lives.

After graduating from Belton High School in 1969, Emily and Clyde Blaco married and later had two children who were the center of Emily’s life. She was very proud of her children in everything they did. The invention of smartphones was a godsend to her as it provided visuals to show everyone she met how wonderful her children, and later her granddaughter, were.

When her children went to college, she took a risk, sold her home, and moved to Ireland. The risk was worth it though because it was there that she met her husband, Mickey, who has been the love of her life. After living in Ireland for many years, they decided to return to Missouri and settled down in the town of Weston with their dogs. They lived in Weston for fourteen years and made many friends among their neighbors and the community. Mickey supported and cared for Emily through several forms of cancer. She was a fighter, tough as wood pecker lips (as she liked to say), with the strength of her husband behind her.

Everyone who knew Emily was touched by her big heart, compassionate nature, and quick wit. She loved a good laugh, a long chat, and sharing in everyone’s triumphs or struggles. She will be deeply missed.

A celebration of her life will be held at Cullen Funeral Home, 612 W. Foxwood Drive, Raymore, Missouri 64083. A visitation will be held from 1 pm to 2 pm on Friday, August 23, 2024, followed by a memorial service and interment at the Raymore Cemetery in accordance with her wishes.

The family would like to thank the staff at Aspire Senior Living in Platte City, Missouri as well as Harbor Hospice of North Kansas City for their compassionate care during Emily’s stay. They’d also like to thank all of their family and friends for their support and prayers.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that any donations be made to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) or Harbor Hospice (www.harborhospice.com)

Obituary - Michael David Spear

Michael David Spear, 47, of Freeman, MO, passed away on Friday, August 16, 2024 in Freeman, MO. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Michael was born on March 26, 1977, in Wichita, KS, the son of David and Sheila (Buhrle) Spear. A dedicated construction worker, Michael's labor was a testament to his work ethic and determination, taking on various construction jobs throughout his life and learning various skills. 

Michael was a man of simple pleasures, finding solace in fishing, cherishing moments with his beloved family and his loyal companion, Blue, the bearded dragon.

Michael was preceded in death by his parents; grandson, Ryder Aaron; and his son, Brian Spear, shortly after his passing. He is survived by his children: Brittney, Brianna, and Johnathon Spear; his sister, Veronika Spear; brothers: Danny Spear and Shawn Brakey; his two cherished granddaughters, Alice Irene and Matilda Mae; and his longtime girlfriend, Misty Stufflebean.

Flip through this week's printed News-Shopper!

 

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Bates County Memorial Hospital welcomes new visiting audiology services to patients

Bates County Memorial Hospital (BCMH) is pleased to introduce Minnie Baldridge, AuD CCC-A and Kathryn Grote, MS, now providing audiology services to patients through Bates County Memorial Hospital’s Rehabilitation Services.

 
Minnie has her doctorate degree in Audiology and has over 20 years of experience seeing patients around the Kansas City & surrounding area. Minnie has worked in many Audiology settings to enhance her knowledge in hearing aid technology, diagnostic evaluations and diagnosis of hearing loss. Minnie serves veterans by performing C&P evaluations. Minnie offers a kind and personalized approach to her patient visits. Her goal is to increase access to hearing health care to all people in need of support.

Kathryn Grote is an Audiologist with a passion for helping people by improving their hearing. She is a former leading Regional Representative for two global hearing aid manufacturers and has assisted patients across the Midwest. She realized the need for local care within her community and therefore, founded KC Hearing Center. 

With 20 years of experience in Audiology, Kathy has developed a deep understanding of hearing aid technology and the impacts of untreated hearing loss. She believes that better hearing allows others to enjoy every moment and build memories with loved ones.

 
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Angie Fyffe, AuD, who has provided audiology services to our community for the past six years. Her dedication and expertise have greatly benefited our patients and our community. Angie sold her audiology business located in Belton (Wright Audiology) to KC Hearing Center earlier this summer. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

With this transition, we are very thankful that KC Hearing Center’s owner Kathy Grote made the decision to continue providing audiology services to our community through our hospital.

 
Audiology appointments at BCMH are available on Wednesdays. To learn more about audiology services, visit https://bcmhospital.com/find-a-provider/audiology/, or call 660-200-7000, ext. 7186.

From the desk of Bates County Coroner Greg Mullinax

On Sunday afternoon (8/18/24) just after noon I responded to an apartment in the 500 block of East Cherry Street in Rich Hill.

Family members were unable to reach a 63 year-old lone occupant of the apartment who reportedly had not been feeling well in previous days.

A wellbeing check was requested and the gentleman was found deceased in his home. There is no indication of foul play and although investigation will proceed, it is believed natural at this time.

I am grateful to the personnel of Rich Hill Fire for their professional assistance.

Most respectfully,
Greg D. Mullinax
Bates County Coroner

Arson charges filed in Nevada Church fire

On 08/17/2024 officers with the Nevada Police Department were dispatched to the area of Austin and Cedar for a report of a man that had called 911 stating that people were trying to kill him.

Dispatch advised that the phone call was disconnected and that the number pinged to the area of Austin and Cedar. Later dispatch advised that they had called back the number that the male had called from and it went to voicemail for the First Christian Church (204 S. Washington Street).

Officers responded to the area of the First Christian Church and located what appeared to be two separate fires inside the building. One fire was on the south side of the building and the second fire appeared to be on the north side of the building.''

Officers then located a male who was later identified as Keith Caylor walking on the sidewalk on the north side of the building. Officers made contact with Caylor and saw that he was bleeding from his hands and his shirt was covered in blood and what appeared to be soot from a fire.

Caylor was detained, and under Miranda he told officers that someone was trying to kill him so he broke into the church to use a phone. Caylor also made the comment "they were trying to burn me alive"

Officers walked around the burning building and checked every door to the building. All doors were found to be locked. When officers initially arrived on scene there was a broken window on the west side of the building near the entry/exit doors that did not have fire near it. It is suspected that this window is where Caylor entered the building and cut his hands.

The fire was a very large fire that fully engulfed the First Christian Church which is located in a residential area with houses in close proximity to it.

Nevada Fire Department fought to extinguish the First Christian Church for approximately four hours. Once the fire was extinguish it was determined that the building was a total loss.

The Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives responded and investigated the cause of the fire. Their investigation deemed that the fire was an incendiary fire (arson).

Caylor was transported to the hospital by Nevada Police where he was eventually air lifted to another hospital due to serious injuries to his throat and lungs caused by smoke inhalation.