Monday, July 13, 2026

Obituary - Linda J. (Wyatt) Clay

Linda J. (Wyatt) Clay, age 72, of Clinton, Missouri. passed away, Friday, July 10th, 2026 at her home. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, July 15th, 2026 at 2:00 PM at the Vansant-Mills Funeral Home, Clinton, Missouri, Family will receive friends from 1:00 PM to time of service at the chapel. Burial will follow in the Hopewell Cemetery, Montrose, Missouri. Family suggests memorial contributions to C.A.R.E. and may be left in care of the funeral home.


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Obituary - Anna Bain


Anna Evelyn (Casey) Bain, 85, passed from this life July 12, 2026 at Appleton City Manor Nursing Home in Appleton City, Missouri.

Anna was born March 1, 1941 in Rockville, Missouri, the daughter of Verlyn N. and Ruth E. (Myers) Casey. She attended elementary school in Rockville and later at Hudson School, graduating from Appleton City High School in 1958. Anna met Donald G. Bain not long after graduation and they were married June 13, 1959 at her home near Rockville. They were blessed with three daughters and one son.

Anna was a busy homemaker and wife for many years. She also took in laundry and ironing for elderly neighbors. When the children were older, she began working for the Appleton City nursing home doing laundry, and later she worked at Mott Meat Co. in Rockville, doing laundry and cleaning there until they closed their doors. Anna also helped out at the Heiman’s gas station in Rockville for several years.

Anna served several years as president of the Rockville School PTA. She was active in helping at the school while her children were growing up. She and Donald loved to go dancing together. She liked country music and they often went to Monegaw on weekends in the years there was a live band. When Don was worn out, she’d grab one of her girlfriends and keep on going! They also liked to go to Branson a couple times a week to dance or just listen to the music. Anna also liked to roller-skate and often went to skate at the city hall building in Rockville. She was a hardworking and also a fun loving lady who will be greatly missed.

Preceding Anna in death were her parents, her daughter Jennifer Bain and grandson Casey Bain. Survivors include her husband Donald G. Bain; three children: Gail (Blane) Green, Christeal (Buddy) McClure and Gerard (Tammy) Bain; her grandchildren: Damon (Katy) Green, Stephanie (Ryan) Hough, Gregory McClure, Jeremy McClure, Chance (Jessica) Bain, Nathan (Kendra) Ephland, Jessica Althouse, Sarah Hood, Karly (Seth) Alexander; 23 great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Phyllis Downer and Kemmy (Keith) Cook.



The family suggests memorial donations to a Family Love Fund, and may be left at the funeral home.

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Obituary - Sally Bogart


Sally Ann May "Bodie" Bogart, 79, Sheldon, MO, passed away on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at Nevada Regional Medical Center following a lengthy illness.  She was born in Drumright, OK on October 29, 1946, to Joseph E. S. and Alma Lottie (Hart) Phillips.   She married Ralph E. Bogart on August 21, 1966, and he survives of the home.

     Sally was raised in Sheldon and graduated from Bronaugh High School Class of 1964.   She received her LPN Certificate from Nevada Vocational Tech School and worked at Nevada Habilitation Center for over 20 years until her retirement.  She was a member of the Sheldon Baptist Church. Sally loved being with her family and loved her grandchildren. 

      In addition to her husband Ralph, survivors include one son, Bo Bogart, Sheldon; ten

grandchildren, Matt Bogart, Mason Bogart, Avery Bogart, Shon Bogart, Aiden Bogart, Bohdi Bogart, Kynlee Bogart, Jolie Bogart, Leah Martin (Caleb) and Madyson Bogart; three great-grandchildren, Bentley Bogart, Barrett Martin and Corvin Martin; two sisters, Carol Sue Sneed, FL, and Eva  Robb Park (Dr. Inn T. Park), Nevada; two nieces, Susan Grajales (Juan), FL and Gerri  Douglas (Shane), Sheldon; and three nephews, Gary Piper (Ben Thomas), Lebo, KS, Rick Piper (Melinda), Sheldon, and Tom Piper (Angie), Springfield, MO.  She was preceded in death by her parents; Shon Bogart, son; Reba Piper, sister; and Eric Sneed, nephew.

      Graveside committal services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday July 18, 2026, at the Sheldon Cemetery, Sheldon.

      In lieu of flowers donations can be made in her name to the Sheldon Baptist Church in care of Ferry Funeral Home.



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Obituary - Johnny Wayne Preston


Johnny Wayne Preston, 85, of Nevada, passed away on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at the Missouri Veteran’s Home in Mt. Vernon, MO.   Johnny was born on June 8, 1941, in El Dorado Springs, MO, to Luther and Earnestine (Tharp) Preston.  He married Brenda Joy Hogan on September 2, 1961.  Joy preceded him in death in August, 2020.

    Johnny was raised in Nevada, MO and Mulvane, KS.  He graduated from Nevada High School Class of 1959.  After graduation, he spent a few years serving his country in the U. S. Army, stationed in Germany.  Johnny was employed by the City of Nevada as a street superintendent for 37 ½ years until his retirement.  He worked with his son, Darren, in their backhoe business, Preston Backhoe.

    Johnny enjoyed square dancing as part of the Bushwhacker Squares.  He loved outdoor activities--hunting, fishing, trapping, and black powder shooting as a member of the MO Osage Territory Muzzle Loaders Gun Club and Black Powder Shooters.  He was a lifetime member of BPOE #564.

    Johnny is survived by his son, Dennis M. Preston, Raytown, MO; daughter-in-law, Atonka Smith (Brian), Nevada, MO; grandchildren, Katryna Lowery (A.J.), Roseville, MI, and Wyatt Preston, Lebanon, MO; great-granddaughter, Josephine Joy Lowery, Roseville, MI; and sister, Karen Story (Gene), Nevada, MO.   He was preceded in death by his wife, Joy; his parents;  a son, Darren Preston; and a sister, Alvis Locke Olive.

  Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at Ferry Funeral Home, with Roger Beach officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in the Newton Burial Park.  The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00p.m. on Monday, July 13, at Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada.



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Bates County Fair cornhole champs




Cornhole winners at the Bates County Fair this year were: 12 and Up Category – (above) Wyatt Jobe and Chaz Davis and in the 12 and Under Category – (top)

Kash Hettinger and Tate Hawkins. Bates County Farm Bureau Board President, Brad Arnold, presented the winners with gift certificates for their achievement.

Our thanks to the Bates County Farm Bureau for sponsoring this annual event.

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One dead following accident west of Butler overnight

According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, a 35 year old female from San Luis, AZ succumbed to injuries sustained when the vehicle she was a passenger in left the roadway and struck a tree on 52 highway near county road 3502 around 1:40 this morning.

The driver, a 37 year old male, also from San Luis, sustained minor injuries and received treatment at Bates County Memorial Hospital.

The accident remains under investigation at this time. The MSHP was assisted at the scene by the Butler fire department and the Bates County Sheriff's Office. 


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Whoooooo are you?


Ginger Zellmer of rural Butler has not once, but twice had a special visitor that stopped for a look-see around her deck in recent days. The owl seemed totally at home even as her grandson moved closer to take the picture.


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What's Up by LeRoy Cook


If It Bleeds, It Always Leads

Last week’s storms came and went without undue hazards to stored aircraft, but they did discourage cross-country travel. As the big 0shkosh, Wisconsin airshow starts up next week, we can expect an influx of travelers stopping through. It’s be just in time for the winding up of the airspace confusion surrounding the World Cup Soccer matches, which will relieve pilots’ minds about all the Temporary Flight Restrictions.
The only transient visitors noted this week were a Cessna 340 twin and a Piper Archer. Local aircraft taking wing were the BCS AirTractor agplane and the club Cessna Skyhawk.
As usual, last week’s worldwide aviation news was only reported if it was something bad. Accordingly, we heard ad nauseam about the demented flight instructor in Argintina who opened the door of a Cessna 150 at several thousand feet and jumped out, leaving his inexperienced trainee to go back and land with shaken nerves. Personally, I don’t know how he could get the door open far enough against the 100-mph slipstream to squeeze himself out. 
And then there was the Ryan Air 737 that was departing Greece for Germany when a cabin window lost all three of its panes at 16,000 feet. The resulting sudden depressurization reportedly sucked the closest passenger halfway out the small opening before his wife thought better of it and hauled him back in. The while affair was precipitated by an engine’s uncontained compressor fan blade disintegrating, throwing debris against the window. All the more reason to keep your seat belt fastened when sitting in an airliner seat.
In less-sensational news, Chinese-owned Cirrus Aircraft announced that it will be building the previously-announced TRAC10 trainer plane in Duluth, with deliveries next year. It will have the hot-rod Rotax 916 160-hp (takeoff only) engine and all the usual Cirrus amenities; glass cockpit, parachute, three seats for include an observer in back. All for a base price of only $500,000.
Another new airplane  unveiled last week is the coming CubCrafters Carbon Cub ULT, a Piper Cub lookalike for the well-heeled. This one will be powered by a TurboTech TP-R90 turboprop engine. Price and horsepower are yet to be announced, probably expected at AirVenture next week. In an age of half-million dollar Super Cub clones, it’ll probably be above that.
Boeing’s Australian-built MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone fighter flew alongside USAF F-15 and F-35 manned fighters in an Operation Valiant Shield joint exercise last week. Looking like a small squattened F-22, the Ghost Bat is to fly as wingman for conventional aircraft.
Last week’s question was why the old Beech Model 17 was called the “Staggerwing?” As Rodney Rod responded, the big cabin biplane had the lower wing ahead of the upper wing, to improve visibility. Actually, most all biplanes are staggerwings; Beech’s 17 was unique in having negative stagger, rather than the usual positive stagger. For this coming week, who was the designer of Israel’s first fighter planes, in 1948? You can send your answers to kochhaus1@gmail.com.



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