Obituary -- Phillip Stephenson 1931-2014

Phillip V. Stephenson, 82, Grant City, MO, passed away January 3, 2014 at the Worth County Convalescent Center. He was born February 18, 1931 in Denver, Missouri to John D. and Dorotha (Grace) Stephenson.

He married the love of his life, Barbara Barnes on February 16, 1956. They had two children Monte and Marc.

Phil served in Germany with the United States Army during the Korean War. He was a member of the Grant City Baptist Church; a 33^rd degree Freemason in the Masonic Lodge; a member of the Ararat Shrine Provost Club and Honorary Warrior in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his infant twin sister Phyllis and his brothers Don and J.V. He is survived by his wife Barbara of the home; sons Marc of Grant City, MO; Monte (Janice) of Kansas City, MO; sister Bernice Barber of Sheridan, MO; brothers Harold (Virginia) of Grant City, MO and Dick (Myrna) of Albany, MO; two granddaughters Lauren and Clara Stephenson of Columbia, MO.

Phil was a bookbinder by profession for most of his working career. But he was a man of many hats. He loved the outdoors more than sitting around the house. He purchased the family farm (Missouri Century farm) after his mother died and spent many weekends there. He had a hard working spirit and a can do attitude. He sometimes worked more than one job and succeeded in building his own home while holding down two jobs.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, golfing with friends and family. He really liked going to Texas for the winter.

Funeral Services will be 2:00 P.M. Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City, MO. Interment will be in the Miller Cemetery, Denver, MO. Visitation from 1:00 P.M. to service time. Memorial contributions may be given to either Mission Possible or the Worth County Senior Center.

Grant City Legion to Update War Memorial in Spring

Seven members were present at the Grant City American Legion meeting Thursday, J.W. Harding, Wilbur Osborn, Jack Cottrell, Ralph Kobbe, Andy Cottrell, Jeremy Dale Baker, and Joe Marshall. Fundraising ideas for the Legion were discussed. The Legion decided to hold cookouts at some of Ralph Kobbe's auctions to help supplement membership funds. The group agreed to postpone the election of new officers until March, when they will seek to have more members present. The election of new officers will take place during the regular March Meeting, March 6th at 7:00 p.m. at the Grant City Hall.

The Legion decided to continue with the War Memorial update for the memorial on the east side of the Courtyard. The project will be completed in spring with volunteer labor. Ralph Kobbe said that he had gotten some names for the project; he said that he was still seeking names of people who lived in Worth County and who served in the military during conflicts. Persons with names can contact Ralph Kobbe at (660) 582-6820.

Obituary -- James Hanks 1944-2014

          James K. Hanks was born April 20, 1944 in Redding Iowa to Otis and Dorothy (Combs) Hanks.  He departed this life January 1, 2014.  Jim married Wanda Jean Weddle on December 26, 1967.  They have one son, Phillip J. Hanks.  

         Jim attended schools in Redding and Mt. Ayr, Iowa.  After a few years in Des Moines, Iowa, Jim and Jean returned to Grant City, Missouri in 1972, where they made their home.  Jim enjoyed the years working with the public.  No one was a stranger for long around Jim.  He especially enjoyed being outside and caring for his pets.  In his younger years Jim enjoyed camping, hunting and fishing.

       Jim enjoyed the time spent with family and friends.  As the children came along they quickly learned if all else failed ask Uncle Jim.  He could be found outside playing catch or taking them fishing even on the hottest Missouri summer days, and making snowmen in the cold.  When a girl was welcomed into the family he also attended “tea parties” and helped with the dolls.

      Jim was a member of the Grant City Baptist Church.  He retired after more than twenty years as a Grant City Fireman.  Jim was an ambulance driver, first responder and maintenance man for the Worth County Ambulance.  

     Survivors include his wife Jean, son Philip, brothers Robert (Kathy), Francis and Laurence, Sister-in-law Edith (Norvil) Miller, niece Christina Miller and husband Brian North, nephews Greg (Beverly) Miller, Tracy (Samantha) Weddle, and Troy (Sae Jin) Eigenheer;  great nieces and nephews, Aaron (McKenzie) Benson and Briella, Nathan Munyon, Dalton, Tristan and Jenna Miller, Adriana and Lucas Weddle, Michelle and Christopher Eigenheer, special friends and traveling buddies Gene and Beverly King, and a host of family and friends.

      He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Ilene, and infant brothers Deryl and   Kennith.

      Memorial Services were held Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City.  Inurnment will be at a later date. 

WC Partnership Library Treasurehouse -- Stephen King: "Doctor Sleep."

Available at the Worth County Partnership Library, located on the south side of the school. Open weekdays from 1:30-5:30 and when school is in session.
 
"Doctor Sleep" compares and contrasts the best of human nature with the worst. Dan Torrance is capable of both. He leaves a drug-addicted mother and her small son in the hands of her abusive older brother as he drifts from town to town looking for work. But he also has an uncanny ability to comfort dying people as they are about to pass to the next life -- hence his name, "Doctor Sleep."

Finally, Dan finds a home in small town New Hampshire, where he finds a steady job, support at the local Alcoholics Anonymous, and stability. But the story has just begun. "Doctor Sleep" is a story about the conflict as Dan battles himself. A sinister order, older than even Babylon, is driving around the US in their RV's and trailers. They seem like innocent American families driving around the Interstates and blending in with the country. All their papers seem to be in order and they are multimillionaires.

But things are not as they seem. This order is in actuality, a group that kidnaps and murders talented and gifted children. Now, they have their eyes on Abra, a young girl more talented than anyone in recent memory. Dan must come to terms with his past in a way that few people can, or he will not succeed in defeating this order.

The book is organized around the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous and its 12 steps. As characterized in "Doctor Sleep," six out of seven members walk out the door at some point and return to their drinking. It is the seventh person whose life is miraculously transformed which causes the organization to thrive. AA is about people helping people. The two men who take Dan Torrance under their wings and hire him, Billy Freeman and Casey Kingsley, remark that he needs them more than they need him. Yet it turns out that Casey needs Dan just as much as Dan needs Casey.

As sinister as the stories are that we read about the insidious spying and tentacles of the police state, Stephen King can always dream up something that is much more sinister that has nothing to do with Big Brother. Some of the moral turpitude that we come across in his book is not fit to describe in a family-friendly publication. But exploring the depths of human depravity and exploring the limits to which one can fall and still recover is essential for the plot of the book.

We all are born with both gifts, failings, and are blessed with people who see our potential even when they are complete strangers. The moral of the book is that in order to completely turn one's life around, one must face up to even the most awful things that one did, no matter how horrifying they were. To do otherwise could result in falling off the wagon and going back to the bottle. But it turns out that most of us have all been there at some point -- making bad choices, hitting rock bottom, and having to make changes in one's life.

Brianna Riley's Career Night Not Enough

Brianna Riley had the game of her life against the undefeated Mercer Cardinals, giving as good as she got against the physical Cardinal squad and getting 11 points. Unfortunately, it was not enough against the powerhouse team, which simply reloaded after graduating Sierra Michaelis and Courtney Owens from last year. The Cardinals rained nine 3-pointers against Northeast; it was just as though Sierra and Courtney had never left as Northeast struggled against their swarming press on the other end. The Bluejays did well to avoid the running clock and go the distance, falling 54-34 and dropping to 6-4.

But that is not enough for Coach Vance Proffitt, who promised changes for next week's games. The focus of the team will be on better communication, doing a better job of getting through screens, taking better care of the ball, and boxing out. But the Cardinals are difficult to guard, able to put four different shooters on the floor and able to win in many different ways.

Proffitt has been preaching throughout his tenure about not being scared to go up against the top teams in the area and Brianna started her night by grabbing an offensive board and stepping through two taller players for a putback at the end of the first as Northeast was very much a part of the game down 15-12. After falling behind early, Northeast was able to get back on their feet and Brianna was a steadying hand for them, taking good care of the ball against the pressure. Jill Spire scored off a shot in the high post and off a steal, the latter play prompting an angry timeout from Mercer coach Dan Owens, who accused his charges of playing in slow motion. Taryn Farnan took a charge on defense and hit Dallis Coffelt for a shot in the high post. Dallis blocked five shots for the night; Holly Redden, Claudia Wiederholt, Taryn Farnan, and Bailey Judd each had one.

But after Brianna converted a 3-point play off a drive early in the second, Northeast did not score another point, giving up the last 12 of the half as they fell behind 32-15. Lindsay Wyatt and Bailey Owens did the main damage for Mercer, getting 23 points and 13 respectively, getting open through setting hard screens, not the blow-by screens that are frequent even at the college level. But Nicole Kost was the heart and soul of the Mercer squad; she collected around 10 steals for the Cardinals and helped fuel everything else that they did.

Proffitt switched from his usual 1-2-2 zone to a man to man; although Mercer kept hitting 3's, it slowed them down enough to stop the bleeding. However, Northeast had dug themselves into too big of a hole to get out of. Brianna Riley went to the basket and got a layup and Taryn Farnan ran the floor and beat the press to finally get Northeast untracked on the offensive end. Dallis scored off a cut to the basket and Jill Spire added a free throw for Northeast.

Bailey Judd earned herself some more playing time for the new year as she had two assists, a high post shot off a Farnan steal, and an offensive board that set up a Holly Redden 3-pointer. Bailey's other assist was to a cutting Kerrigan Adwell. Brianna got into double figures off a pair of free throws and posted up the taller Cardinal players inside for another bucket and Jill Spire scored off a steal.

Besides Brianna, Jill Spire had 6, Holly Redden had 5, Dallis Coffelt had 4, and Taryn Farnan, Bailey Judd, and Kerrigan Adwell had 2 each. Northeast struggled at the line, going 5 for 14 for the night.

With Shaun Burns out indefinitely, the chemistry of the boys team changed as they had to find another scoring option to go with Steve Schulte and Joel Scroggie. Garet Jackson stepped up and played his best game of the year for the boys, getting 15 points and draining shots with a defender all over him to keep Northeast in the game against a reloaded Mercer boys squad. Joel Scroggie, battling the flu, had 10 points. Steve, who was blanketed by the Cardinals after the first quarter, had 5.

Max Giesken returned for the boys and played a steady floor game while collecting four points. Andrew Freemeyer and Dalton Auffert had 2 each. The Mercer boys threatened to follow the lead of the girls and blow Northeast out of the gym. But after Northeast had dug themselves into a 27-13 hole at the half, they played strong defensively in the second half as Garet had the hot hand and started hitting his shots. Garet has been absolutely fearless in taking shots this year and his confidence paid off as Northeast was able to get to with nine at a couple of points in the second half. Unfortunately, it was not enough against the stingy Cardinal squad as the Bluejays came up short 49-38.

"We had a lot of good looks, but they didn't go in," said Coach Chaim Jenkins. "Mercer is a good young group that plays basketball the right way."

Tigers Swept Again at Jefferson

Worth County was swept again at the start of the new year, this time at the hands of Jefferson. The girls fell 49-22 in the opening game. They made some improvements from the North Andrew game. They held Jefferson to 49 points, their third lowest point total of the year. They were able to get to the line, having 16 attempts and making 10. But they were not able to put points on the board or keep it competitive, although they were able to kill the running clock after getting down by 30 after three.

Kaitlyn Davidson led the scoring for Worth County with 7 for the Tigers. Claire Andrews had 6, Sydney Thummel had 5, and Tess Andrews and Danielle Funk had 2 each.

The boys fell victim to the running clock, giving up 31 points in the opening quarter and never having a chance against the Eagles. They did better in the remaining three quarters after falling behind 31-9, but the damage was done. The Tigers didn't get to the free throw line enough, only having nine attempts; they gave up six Eagle three-pointers for the night. Brevyn Ross had 17 to lead the Tigers. Chris Alarcon and Truman Moore had 8 each, followed by Lane Craven with 6. Josh Warner had 2 and Jared Simmons 1.

Missouri Department of Economic Development to Visit Grant City

The Missouri Department of Economic Development and a team of local economic development experts will visit Grant City and five other Missouri communities to assess the drivers of the local economy and help develop a set of recommendations for growth, the Missouri Community Betterment Club announced. Other communities chosen were Albany, Clinton, Jamesport, Steelville, and Windsor.

Participants were selected at the Missouri Community Betterment conference in October. Acting DED director Mike Downing issued a competition to the cities in attendance; Grant City was one of five to email Downing on behalf of their city. Due to a tie, six communities will be offered visits.