Obituary -- A.C. "Connie" Wilkinson 1923-2015

Aubrey Conn (A.C./Connie) Wilkinson, 82, passed away on December 27, 2015 in Grant City, MO following a courageous 8-year battle with cancer.

He was born on the family farm near Allendale, MO to Trusten and Leah Conn Wilkinson.  He was the second of 5 children, graduated from Grant City High School, attended Graceland College, was a 50-year Master Mason, a member of the Grant City United Methodist Church and worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a Soil Conservation Service technician for 31 years until retirement.

He was married to his high school sweetheart, Mary Bea King, for 62 years.  In retirement they enjoyed their family and many friends and spending winters in south Texas.  He loved his farm, tinkering with machinery and woodworking.  He had a kind, considerate manner and a quick sense of humor.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Bea, of the home, and children Connie Sue (Rick) Thomas, Lawson, MO, Nancy Jane (Randall) Baker, Lee’s Summit, MO, and Scott Wesley Wilkinson, Allendale, MO; six grandchildren, Josh (Lisa) Thomas, Emily (Jamie) Haines, Sarah Baker, Kelsey Wilkinson, Drew (Kelsey) Wilkinson and Sam Baker; 6 great grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and a host of friends.  He is also survived by his siblings, Donna Rae Mosbarger, Julia Ann Ashby, Ronnie Wade Wilkinson and Nancy Lee Hill.  He was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Mary Beth, and his parents, Trusten and Leah Wilkinson.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation from 10-11 a.m. prior to the services at the Andrews- Hann Funeral Home, Grant City, MO.  A Celebration of Life to honor Connie will be held at The Nation in the summer of 2016.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Grant City United Methodist Church or the Senior Center of Grant City.

Worth County Sheriff's Report

12-14 – Person in asking if officer can be on duty January 7th at school wrestling meet.

12-14 – Cattle out south of Grant City on 169 highway; owner notified.

12-14 – Cattle out on Route C & M; owner notified.

12-14 – Two subjects in for CCW application.

12-15 – 911 call to dispatch ambulance to Sunny Slope in Grant City.

12-15 – Horses and mules out on Route K in Worth County.

12-16 – Cattle out on Route PP; owner notified.

12-17 – Taylor County calls about extraditing wanted person.

12-17 – Person in to renew CCW permit.

Obituary -- Gary Truman Robertson 1945-2015

Gary Truman Robertson, age 70, passed away suddenly on the evening of December 14, 2015 from a heart attack brought on by pneumonia.

Born in rural Worth County, Missouri, May 12, 1945, Gary was the first child of Donna and Truman Robertson.

While attending college, Gary married Deborah Jean Boles, and later fathered two children. He valiantly served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army as a helicopter mechanic and crew chief. Upon returning to civilian life, he worked as a computer programmer. Later in life, he served as an automotive mechanic and thereafter, caregiver to his mother. Throughout his life, he loved all things mechanical, enjoyed auto racing as a participant and spectator. He was selfless to the end.

Gary is survived by his mother, Donna Robertson; brother, Stephen Robertson; sister-in-law, Candace Robertson; son, Douglas Robertson; daughter-in-law, Aleksandra Robertson; daughter, Catherine Robertson; granddaughter, Hayle Robertson; grandson, Jarrod Robertson; and the many more that his unique life touched.

Memorial Service was 2:00 P.M. Sunday, December 20, 2015 at the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home, 200 South Front Street, Grant City, Missouri, with visitation one hour prior to service. Inurnment will be in Grant City Cemetery.

Worth County Sheriff's Report -- Deputy Tom Trullinger to Retire

Deputy Tom Trullinger told the Express Monday that he would be retiring from the Sheriff’s Office effective February 20th. He served 30 years in the Missouri Highway Patrol and 7 as a Worth County Deputy under Sheriff Terry Sheddrick.

12-7 – Officer checks on well-being of person in Sheridan

12-7 – Officer in court for bailiff duty.

12-7 – Officer transports prisoner from jail to court.

12-7 – Cattle out on Route B; owner notified.

12-8 – Alarm at Dollar General; all secure.

12-8 – Officer with traffic assist for funeral.

12-9 – Officer does well-being check near Denver.

12-9 – Report of stolen truck parts at location on Route B.

12-10 – Officer transports prisoner to court from jail.

12-11 – Person in for CCW application.

Mustang Girls Douse Strong Start by Worth County

Worth County’s girls got off to a strong start against North Nodaway last Tuesday, but it was quickly doused and turned into a North Nodaway rout as Worth County fell 59-21.

It all started off so well for Worth County as consecutive 3’s by Dominique Findley pushed Worth County out to an 8-4 lead at the 3:27 mark of the first quarter. Sean Thurm’s Tigers had a chance to add to that lead, but that was when Madison Thompson began to take over. Madison, more known for her post play and shot blocking, suddenly decided to live out her guard dreams as she got the first of six steals she would collect on the night. She threw ahead to Kelsi Oberhauser for a layup to create a four point swing. Breann O’Riley followed with another steal and instead of Worth County behind six points ahead, it was tied up at 8. The game was tied at 10 and 12 before Madison’s 3-point play put North Nodaway ahead for good at 15-12. Ashley Thompson and Kelsi Oberhauser had 4 in the quarter to lead North Nodaway.

If it wasn’t a record performance, Madison Thompson’s six steals was close. While the single game record for girls is not listed on the record boards at North Nodaway, the boys record for a single game is eight.

Thompson ran wild on the offensive boards early in the second quarter to put the game away and added a breakaway after she blocked a shot and caught it on the run. She had 7 points in the period and Keagon O’Riley came off the bench and added 6. Worth County was in serious foul trouble in an ominous echo of the West Nodaway game that Thursday and they were having trouble breaking North Nodaway’s half court trap; they went without a field goal from late in the first quarter to late in the third quarter. North Nodaway led 35-14 at the half; Madison’s jumped passes fueled the rout as she had four by halftime.

Kristin Herndon got on the board with four points in the third to lead Sami Jackson’s Mustangs as they triggered the running clock by the end of the third quarter, up 47-17. Madison Thompson added three points, two blocks, and two more steals for North Nodaway and added four more in the fourth quarter. Cheyenne Murphy and Emma Hart came off the bench to score for the Mustangs late.

For North Nodaway, Madison Thompson had 17 points and Ashley Thompson followed with 8. Keagon O’Riley had 7, Bethany Herndon had 6, Breann O’Riley had 5, Kelsi Oberhauser and Kristin Herndon had 4, and Alisha Davison, Taylor Combs, Cheyenne Murphy, and Emma Hart all had 2. Eleven different players scored for Sami Jackson’s squad.

For Worth County, Dominique Findley had 7. Rikky Hunt had 4, Haley Hunt had 3, Kennedy Galanakis, Tess Andrews, and Jessi Badell all had 2, and Sidney Troutwine had 1.

Mustangs Drop Two to Trojans

Both Mustang teams played games against Nodaway-Holt which came down to the wire, and both teams came up short Friday night in 275 Conference action as the girls lost 55-51 in overtime and the boys lost 48-42. The scores reflected a topsy-turvy week of strange scored; for instance, Tarkio’s boys beat Jaden Gillenwater and the Mound City Panthers after having been a doormat team last year.

The girls dug themselves into a 17-6 hole as Madison Thompson picked up two quick fouls, North Nodaway could not break Nodaway-Holt’s full court pressure, and the game threatened to turn into a layup drill. But then North Nodaway finally began to find an offensive rhythm in the second quarter and stopped the bleeding, getting as close as six at one point. Alisha Davison had four in the period as five different Mustangs scored in the period.

They were down 27-18 at the break, but then Alisha Davison did all she could in the third quarter to get her team back into the game. She opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Bethany Herndon got loose twice inside as North Nodaway got as close as three in the period. Nodaway-Holt went old school in the fourth as Josh Petersen went to the Four Corners, an offense that has not been used much within the last 50 years. But the Mustangs kept right on coming; Madison Thompson got loose twice inside and Bethany Herndon scored with 3:27 to tie it up. Breann O’Riley’s coast to coast runner with 1:35 left put North Nodaway ahead 46-44, but Madison Thompson fouled out going for a pass. North Nodaway got a stop, but O’Riley missed a 1 and 1 that would have made it two possessions and Frankie Lemar’s free throws on the other end tied it at 46. Lemar scored again after a stop to make it 48-46, but Davison’s runner tied it up again and sent it to overtime.

Nodaway-Holt scored the first four points of overtime, but North Nodaway battled back despite both Thompson girls being on the bench with five fouls and fought back to within one point at 52-51. They got the ball back for a possible go-ahead score, but Amanda Bohannon’s steal and layup made it 54-51 with 50 seconds left. Kelsi Oberhauser missed a 3-pointer and Macie Bohannon hit a free throw to seal it.

Alisha Davison had 17 to lead North Nodaway. Madison Thompson and Bethany Herndon had 9, Breann O’Riley had 6, Ashley Thompson and Kelsey Oberhauser had 4, and Kristin Herndon had 3.

The boys looked to repeat their performance in Mound City as they jumped out to an early lead of 13-8 against Nodaway-Holt. But Nodaway-Holt switched from a man to a zone to close off North Nodaway’s driving lanes and had their players shadowing sharpshooter Koby Reynolds all night. On the other end, they made a much more concerted effort to get the ball into Carey Volner, their post player. Consequently, they slowly took over and built up a lead of as much as 8 points in the third quarter. But a 3-pointer by Dakota Smyser followed by a steal from Peyton Coleman in the last 15 seconds made it a totally different ballgame as North Nodaway fought to within 32-29.

Jake Shipman’s troops continued to fight back in the fourth quarter, getting to within 42-40 on Coleman’s 3-pointer with 3:55 left and 43-42 on Ben Hart’s putback with 3:06 left. Both sides traded two stops, but a critical call went against North Nodaway as Ben Hart lowered his head and shoulders into Volner and got called for a charge with 1:06 left. Kaiden Vance then hit a free throw for Nodaway-Holt with 32 seconds left and the second shot missed; however, Zach Walker grabbed a putback to make it two possessions. Walker’s steal accounted for the final score.

Peyton Coleman led the scoring for North Nodaway with 15 points, followed by Koby Reynolds with 13. Dakota Smyser had 5, Ben Hart and Kendrick Calfee had 4 each, and Wyatt Tate had 2.

Chuck Borey, Jared Findley Inducted into Eight Man Hall of Fame

Chuck Borey and Jared Findley were initial inductees into the Missouri Coach’s Eight Man Hall of Fame at the annual banquet Sunday night. Both were recognized at the banquet and both gave speeches afterwards.

Borey was an assistant coach at Worth County from 1993-96 and head coach from 1997 to 2012. He accumulated a won-lost record of 155-26. He had five state titles, two runner-ups, 11 district titles, 12 conference titles, and the 4^th highest winning percentage throughout the state. He recognized former assistants Chris Healy, Andy Ross, Larry Kinsella along with Findley and his wife Janice, all of whom were in the crowd. He said that his advice to young people was to surround one’s self with good people, have a vision, and one would succeed. He also served as a mentor to younger coaches; both Doug Fountain (Albany) and Andrew Webster (North-West Nodaway) gave him credit for helping them get started when they first came to the area.

Jared Findley was one of Mr. Borey’s most successful players. He won four conference titles, four district titles, and was a four-time all-state honoree. He went on to play for Northwest Missouri State, where he became an all conference tight end for their powerhouse team. He continued his studies after leaving Northwest and now runs his own business, Biomass Energy Solutions out of Blue Springs. He thanked his friends and family and said he was fortunate to have played for Mr. Borey even though he made him run the 800 until his sophomore year. His advice for young people was, "Always set goals, always be coachable, and always push yourself."

The inductions will be done on an annual basis. Players who were recognized for making the All State Team from Worth County were Brevyn Ross, Tristan Miller, Drake Kinsella, and Tevin Cameron. From North-West Nodaway, Koby Reynolds and Jakob Cordell were recognized.