Brenda Murphy 1953-2025

Brenda Gale Murphy, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 30th, 2025, at her home in Graham, Missouri. Born on Saturday, October 17th, 1953, in Bethany, Missouri, Brenda lived a life full of love, laughter, and dedication to her family and community.

Brenda was the cherished wife of Gary Murphy, with whom she shared a beautiful marriage since 1971, when they wed in Guilford, MO. Together, they built a loving family and a life filled with cherished memories. Brenda is survived by her devoted husband, Gary, and their children: Jeremy Allen (Jennifer) Murphy and Drew Michael Murphy, both of Maitland, MO, and Patricia (Luis Manuel) Garcia of Graham, MO. She was a proud grandmother to her grandchildren, affectionately known as Buggy and Bubba, and a loving aunt to her nephew, Nathan.

Brenda is also survived by her half-brothers, Rick Buholt and Vernon Parman, and her half-sisters, Jerry Kinman and Ruth Mercer. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl Bernard Parman and Patsy Nadine Buholt, her stepfather, Howard "Burl" Buholt, her daughter-in-law, Brenda Murphy, her half-brother, Mike Scott, and her half-sister, Jane Parman.

Brenda's life was marked by her dedication to her work and her community. She spent 25 years working at Golden Living, along with other work as a school janitor, house cleaner, and at Eveready. Her work ethic and commitment were admired by all who knew her.

Brenda had a zest for life and a love for simple pleasures. She enjoyed camping, fishing, and bowling, a hobby she pursued for many years. She cherished spending time with her grandchildren and was known for her love of garage sales, shopping at Dollar Tree, and her fondness for tacos.

A visitation will be held at Bram Funeral Home in Maryville, MO, on Monday, January 5th, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 am in the same chapel. The burial will take place after the funeral service at Prairie Home Cemetery in Graham, MO. Arrangements are provided by Bram Funeral Home.

Pallbearers honoring Brenda's memory include John Pistole, Crystal "Cookie" McMullen, Tristan "Bubba" Murphy, Taylor "Buggy" Murphy, Drew Murphy, and Jeremy Murphy. Honorary pallbearers are Nathan Howard Devers and Margaret Nelson.

Brenda's warmth, kindness, and love will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Her legacy of love and dedication to her family and community will continue to inspire those she leaves behind.

 

1915 Gravity Fire Destroyed Two Businesses

The January 28th, 1915 Bedford Times-Republican had this account of a fire in Gravity

The Gravity hotel and the Gabler implement store were burned about 6 o'clock Monday morning, the loss reaching to several thousand dollars. Both buildings were insured.

Mr. Lister, who owned and conducted the hotel, arose about 5 o'clock and fixed the furnace, retiring again.  In about an hour the house was found to be filled with smoke, and the fire had progressed to such an extent that nothing was saved.  The implement warehouse was next to the hotel and the fire quickly spread to it. 

New Market, Lenox and Gravity have all lost their hotels by fire within the last few years, and have been greatly handicapped thereby.  Lenox is now organizing a company for the purpose of rebuilding on the site of the one that burned. 

 

Rickey "Sleepy" Buholt 1958-2026

Rickey “Sleepy” Dean Buholt, 67, of Ravenwood, Missouri passed on Friday, January 2, 2026, at his home.

Rickey was born on June 26, 1958, in Elmo, Missouri to G. Howard and Patsy N. (Steele) Buholt. He was a 1976 graduate of Northeast Nodaway High School. He enjoyed the outdoors fishing, hunting and trapping. But most of all, he loved coaching and watching his daughters and grandchildren at their sporting events, especially softball.

Rickey married Rose M. McGary on June 1, 1985, in Conception Junction, Missouri. She survives of the home. He is also survived by their two daughters, Amber Buholt and Lauren Buholt; three grandchildren, Bella, Cora, and Korden Johnson plus his bonus grandchildren, Kayla, Shai, Damian Dailey, his grand dog, Hazel; sister, Geraldine Kinman; nephew, Nathan Devers and many other nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Michael Scott and step-sister, Brenda Murphy.

Graveside Services 11am Wednesday, January 7th at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Ravenwood, Missouri. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, January 6th at Price Funeral Home from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. In memory of Rickey, his family suggests memorials to the National Kidney Foundation or United Spinal Association.   

 

Linda (Robertson) Summers 1948-2026

Linda Mae (Robertson) Summers, 77, of Maryville, Missouri passed away on Friday, January 2, 2026, at Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Linda was born on May 9, 1948, in Grant City to William and Venetta (Parker) Robertson. She began her career as a secretary and had worked for the Nodaway County Senior Center and later was a Med Tech at Village Care Center.

She married Jerry Summers, He preceded her in death. She was also preceded by her parents.

Survivors include her children, LaDena Herbst, Robert Lee Herbst, Avanell Herbst, Tammy Dredge and Linette McClurg; brother, Robert “Bob” Robertson; sixteen grandchildren and twenty-four great-grandchildren.

Graveside services 11am Thursday, January 8th at Nodaway Memorial Gardens under the care of Price Funeral Home. A luncheon will follow the service at the American Legion Post 100.   The family will receive friends from 6:00pm to 8:00pm Wednesday, January 7th at the funeral home. Her family suggests memorials to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

 

Gavin Humphrey Gets Double-Double, Paces Three Panthers in Double Figures

Gavin Humphrey paces three Pattonsburg players in double figures Wednesday as the Panthers grabbed 49 rebounds and ran past Southwest Livingston 75-34. Drake Sperry and Reagan Coin had career nights, and Drake nearly got a triple-double, getting 13 boards and 8 assists. Humphrey had 11 boards to go with 21 points. 

Peyton Moss hit a 3-pointer to start the Wildcats off, but Brandon Heath hit two in traffic and Collin Mason got behind the Wildcat defense, getting two free throws. Drake Sperry hit Gavin Humphrey backdoor, and Humphrey converted a three-point play to make it 7-3 with 6:44 left in the first quarter.

Grant Warren's free throw cut it to 7-4, but Gavin Humphrey got behind the defense and got a pass from Drake Sperry, Collin Mason went backdoor and got a pass from Humphrey, and Gavin Humphrey converted a third-chance putback to make it 13-4. 

Southwest tried to switch from a man to a 2-3 zone to stop Humphrey from slashing to the basket at will, but Pattonsburg continued to pull away as Drake Sperry hit a baseline shot and Brandon Heath got loose in transition and got a pass from Humphrey before Warren's triple cut Southwest's deficit to 17-7.  

Pattonsburg was running up and down the floor at will; the Wildcats tried to run with them and keep up, but after Lyam Myers hit a 3-pointer to cut the Southwest deficit to 22-10, the bottom dropped out after Drake Sperry's putback sparked a big run. Reagan Coin got a steal and fed Aden Woodward for two, Woodward hit Sperry in the paint, Sperry got a putback, Drake hit Gavin Humphrey inside for two, Collin Mason got a steal and fed Brandon Heath, and then Gavin Humphrey got a steal and fed Heath for two more. By the time the dust had settled, the Panthers were up 36-10 with 4:23 left. Grant Warren did all he could to keep Southwest in the game, but a late push by Gavin Humphrey put the Panthers up 43-14 at the half.

After Sperry scored twice in the paint for Pattonsburg to start the second half, Warren continued to hit for Southwest, getting seven points in a 1:35 stretch. But then he picked up his fourth foul and Pattonsburg continued to pull away as Reagan Coin started a big run with a 3-pointer, Drake Sperry got a free throw, Gavin Humphrey scored six straight, Jeremy Pittsenbarger scored a baseline shot, Drake Sperry scored off a Reagan Coin steal, and Pittsenbarger connected again to start the fourth quarter. That capped a 16-0 Pattonsburg run and put them up 70-23 before the Panthers started subbing freely. Remington White got on the board and Aden Woodward hit three free throws down the stretch for them.

Gavin Humphrey had 21 points for Pattonsburg. Drake Sperry had 15, Reagan Coin 14, Brandon Heath 8, Collin Mason 6, Aden Woodward 5, Jeremy Pittsenbarger 4, and Remington White 2.

Brandon Heath and Drake Sperry had 1 block.

Drake Sperry had 13 boards. Gavin Humphrey had 11, Aden Woodward 7, Collin Mason and Reagan Coin 6, Jeremy Pittsenbarger 4, and Brandon Heath 2. Pattonsburg had 49 rebounds for the day, which fueled their huge offensive output. 

Drake Sperry had 8 assists. Gavin Humphrey and Collin Mason had 5 each, Aden Woodward 4, and Reagan Coin 3.

Reagan Coin had 6 tips. Aden Woodward had 5, Gavin Humphrey 3, and Drake Sperry, Brandon Heath, and Jeremy Pittsenbarger 1. 

Reagan Coin had 6 steals. Aden Woodward had 3, Collin Mason and Gavin Humphrey 2, and Drake Sperry 1. 

Annabelle Gardner Scores 18; Resurgent Panthers Win Third Straight

Annabelle Gardner scored 18 points and a resurgent Pattonsburg squad won its third straight game, downing Southwest Livingston 43-17 Wednesday to get back to 5-5. Jayden Goble went beast mode with 15 boards and Cheyenne Miller nearly had a double-double, getting 11 points and 9 steals. 

The scoring started with 7:13 in the first when Kavinly Bumgarner got a quick outlet to Cheyenne Miller for a finish. Jayden Goble got a putback, and consecutive putbacks by Gardner made it 8-0. Timberlynn Palmer got Southwest on the board with a 3-pointer, but Cheyenne Miller went up strong and scored an off-balance shot and Gardner and Miller added free throws to make it 12-3 after one. 

Southwest hung around to start the second quarter, but then Annabelle Gardner started getting on the line at will, making three of six in the period and cashing in off a steal to make it 19-5. Cheyenne Miller scored after Addie Iddings pushed it up the floor, and then Gardner cleaned up off a steal. Jayden Goble cut inside off an inbounds play and scored to make it 25-5 after one half.

The Wildcats tried to rally, scoring consecutive points for the first time and cutting it to 25-9. But then Addie Iddings, who has the ability to score points in bunches, hit back-to-back triples and added a steal to put the game out of reach at 33-9. Annabelle Gardner got a tip and Cheyenne Miller got a steal, finishing it with two free throws on the other end to make it 35-9 after three.

Annabelle Gardner kept working the offensive glass at will, getting two straight putbacks to start the fourth and added a baseline shot. Carlie Pittsenbarger got a putback to give Pattonsburg its largest lead of the day at 43-11.

Annabelle Gardner had 18 points to lead Pattonsburg. Cheyenne Miller had 11, Addie Iddings 8, Jayden Goble 4, and Carlie Pittsenbarger 2.

Annabelle Gardner and Jayden Goble had 3 blocks each.

Jayden Goble had 15 boards. Annabelle Gardner had 7, Addie Iddings and Carlie Pittsenbarger 5 each, and Kavinly Bumgarner and Cheyenne Miller 3 each.

Jayden Goble, Addie Iddings, and Kavinly Bumgarner had 3 assists each. Cheyenne Miller and Annabelle Gardner had 1 each.

Cheyenne Miller had 9 tips. Kavinly Bumgarner had 4, Addie Iddings and Annabelle Gardner 3 each, and Jayden Goble 1.

Cheyenne Miller had 9 steals. Annabelle Gardner had 7, Addie Iddings 4, Carlie Pittsenbarger 2, and Jayden Goble and Kavinly Bumgarner 1.

Dianna Leonard 1947-2025

Dianna Mae Leonard, 78, Bethany, MO passed away Tuesday, December 30, 2025 at Crestview Nursing Home, Bethany, MO.

She was born on July 7, 1947, in Bethany, MO the daughter of Garland and Alice Mae (Stotts) Hancock.

Dianna was a graduate of Gilman City High School. She worked multiple jobs including Lambert Cap Factory, Crestview, Bethany Care Center, Harrison County Community Hospital, and Walmart. She was a kind, compassionate person who loved her residents and customers. She treated people with grace, saying, “you don’t know what they may be going through that day”. She was a member of the Assembly of God Church in Bethany, MO and she enjoyed crocheting and her dog companions.

She was preceded in death by her parents; significant other, Harold House; brother, Clifford Hancock; brother-in-law, David Purvis; infant son, Harold Lewis House, Jr.; and a great nephew, Jase Bextermueller.

Dianna is survived by her sisters, Mary Purvis and Lois (Kenneth) Vandiver both of Bethany, MO; nieces and nephews, Bryan (April) Vandiver, Ridgeway, MO, Shellie (Ben) Bextermueller, Manhattan, KS, Gabe (Katie) Hancock, Gilman City, MO, Rocky (Christine) Hancock, Martinsville, MO; and many great nieces and nephews.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 10, 2026 at the Assembly of God Church, Bethany, MO under the direction of Roberson Funeral Home, Bethany, MO. Burial will follow in Sharon Chapel Cemetery, Mt. Moriah, MO. The family will receive friends from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Saturday at the church. Memorials may be made to Sharon Chapel Cemetery in care of Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 46, Bethany, MO 64424. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com.