Paul Allison Pratt, son of the late Robert Arnold Ellis Sr. and Gladys Stewart Porter, was born on October 1, 1954 in Dexter, Missouri and departed this life at his residence in Dexter on February 14, 2020 at the age of 65 years.
Mr. Pratt was the owner of Paul’s Garage for 40 years. In his free-time, he loved working on cars, junkin’, collecting coins, camping and gardening. Paul was an outspoken conservative. He loved watching YouTube, Fox News and History Channel.
On June 29, 1974, in Dexter, he was united in marriage to Sandra Kay Craft. Mrs. Pratt survives of their home in Dexter.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Zach Pratt and wife Lana of Dexter and Aaron Pratt and wife Ginny of Bernie; by three brothers, Robert Pratt of Dexter, Mack Pratt of Ottawa, Illinois, and Bobby Ellis of Dexter; by five sisters, Cynthia Hartley of Bernie, Lynn Sipes of Dexter, Sharon Sue Weiss of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jessica Voss of Canton, Ohio, and Dorothy McCollough of Poplar Bluff; and by three grandchildren, Austin Glenn Pratt, Kiley Mae Pratt, and Mary Grace Pratt. Paul had a family of close loving friends Bob and Barb Ellis Jr., Mike and Barbara Karmiss, and Jerry Durham, who will feel his loss terribly. Paul was a devoted grandfather and family was his life.
Other than by his parents, he was preceded in death by his step-father, J. W. Porter and by three sisters, Ruby Padgett, Margaret Wiessman, and Peggy Dickerson.
Friends may call at the First General Baptist Church in Dexter on Saturday, February 22, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
A memorial service will then be conducted at 11:00 a.m. with Dennis Ward and Christopher Padgett officiating.
Memorials may be made to 18 Fore Life, c/o Scott Kruse, 705 Laurie Circle, Dexter, Missouri 63841
Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter is in charge of all arrangements.
Denver Dale Brown, son of the late Earl Brown and Nell Lovins Brown was born on June 25, 1937 at Kennett and departed this life in his residence at Sikeston on February 14, 2020 at the age of 82.
Mr. Brown was a retired farmer. He was known to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren as Grandpa, Paw-Paw, Poppy and Pa-Doe.
He was united in marriage to Peggy Samples on April 2, 1955 at Hernando, Mississippi. Mrs. Brown preceded him in death on June 24, 2007.
Survivors include one son, Johnny and Regina Brown of Dexter: by two daughters, Earline Barnett of Sikeston and Sherry and Tim Newell of Morley: by one brother, Paul Brown of Rector, Arkansas: by two sisters, Billie Ann Clayton of Rector, Arkansas and Brenda and Chuck Rogers of Walker, Louisiana: by ten grandchildren, Jennifer Shanefelter, Jeremy (Dawn) Hunt, Tony Barnett, Tracy Debose, Nikki (Kevin) Brown, Ashley Brown, Brittany (Chase) Vaughan, Brandon (Hannah) Newell, Scottie Newell and Courtney Stotts: by twelve great-grandchildren, Kaelyn Hunt, Ryan Hunt, Jaxen Hunt, Grace Debose, Ruby Debose, Gabby Brown, Brandie Brown, Madi Brown, Cooper Vaughan, Rhett Newell, Reid Stotts and Khloe Stotts.
Besides his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Randy Brown: by two brothers, Baby Brown and Gaylon Brown: by two sisters, Earlene Brown and Bonnie Brown.
Mr. Brown’s children would like to express a special thank you to Missouri Delta Hospice for all the Love, Care and Companionship you gave to Daddy and our family during this difficult time.
Friends may call at the Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter from 5:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M., Monday, February 17, 2020.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, February 18, 2020 in the Mathis Funeral Home Chapel with Chaplain Callum Reavey officiating.
Interment will follow in the Dexter Cemetery.
Known to his grandchildren as “Bops”, Bobby Lee Coffey, son of the late Orville and Marie Worley Coffey, was born on September 8, 1930, in Parma, Missouri and met his Lord and Savior, surrounded by family on February 14, 2020, at his residence in Dexter, at the age of 89.
Bob was a gifted athlete and as a senior in high school he was discovered by a scout for the St. Louis Browns. He was offered a tryout in July 1950, and after homering three times in Sportsman’s Park that day, he was offered a contract, on the spot, receiving a $750 sign on bonus. Before getting a chance to play baseball for the Browns, the Korean War conflict began and he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he was stationed in Kansas for the four years.
Bob became a Christian at the age of 25. In 1955, he became a member of First Baptist Church and in 1960 was ordained as a deacon. Bob taught Sunday School for 50 years, he began teaching a group of high school boys on Sunday mornings and later transitioned into the role as a teacher for the adult Sunday school class. In 1992, he began traveling with a group of men to the country of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Mexico over the next several years. There they built churches and distributed food to the villagers while sharing the love of Jesus.
He was an owner in Bootheel Petroleum, bringing one of the first fuel transport trucks to the Southeast Missouri region. Growing the business from one transport truck to multiple tankers, he developed a vast number of consumers. Farmers in the area will remember him as a thoughtful business man, allowing them to pay their fuel bills once harvest was completed. He was honored to serve on the board of directors at Citizens Bank and First Midwest Bank for many years.
On July 17, 1951, he was united in marriage to June Barbour in Dexter. He cherished their life together. She proceeded him in death May 16, 2015. One of his greatest joys in life was in giving to others. He loved spending mornings with his coffee-drinking buddies on the front porch.
He is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Kay Coffey of Cape Girardeau; by three daughters and their spouses, Jan and David Reimann of Cape Girardeau; Vicki and Jody Lemmon of Dexter; and Lisa and Greg Mathis of Dexter. He is also survived by one sister, Janie and her husband Chuck Caby of Kansas City, Missouri; by eight grandchildren and their spouses, Chad and Liz Reimann of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, J.J. Lemmon of Dexter, Christy and Brandon Vaughn of Dexter, Eric and Brittany Mathis of Birmingham, Alabama, Josh and Katie Reimann of Salt Lake City, Utah, Aaron and Brittany Mathis of Dexter, Bobby Coffey of Cape Girardeau and Rachel Coffey of St. Louis, Missouri; by thirteen great-grandchildren, Eliott Reimann, Garett Reimann, Natalie Reimann, Lily Reimann, Noah Reimann, Isaac Reimann, Chloe Lemmon, Delaney Lemmon, Brayden Vaughn, Mabree June Vaughn, Taylor Ward, Harper Mathis and Blake Mathis.
Visitation will be held on Monday, February 17th, from 4:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Dexter.
Funeral services will be conducted on Tuesday, February 18th, at 11:00 a.m. and will also be at the church.
Memorials may be made to:
George and Carol Ann Truelove, 3026 Lone Pilgrim Road, Tanneyville, Missouri 65759
Kids Against Hunger of St. Peters, PO Box 668, St. Charles, Missouri 63302
The Berean Liberty Foundation (Acts 17:11), c/o Jay Scribner, 105 Galewood, Branson, Missouri 65616
Crown Hospice, 2858 Professional Ct., Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63703
Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter is in charge of all arrangements
Lester George Bushmann Jr., 83, of Jefferson City, died of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, at his home, surrounded by his family.
The son of Lester George and Alice Ward Bushmann, Les was born on Nov. 29, 1936, in St. Louis, where he grew up and graduated from Central High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Missouri–Columbia, where he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He was married to Cynthia Fullerton Bushmann, who survives of the home.
In 1960, Les was drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed first at Fort Benning, Ga., and then at Camp Casey in South Korea. Les served as an acting sergeant during his entire two-year tour of duty, which was extended in the Berlin Crisis of 1962. During his service in Korea, he played baseball for the U.S. Army and held the highest batting average in the league.
Les’s entire professional career was spent as an association manager. He was executive director of the Missouri Police Chiefs Association (1964-1966); executive vice president of the Automotive Wholesalers Association of Missouri (1966–1975); and executive vice president of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents (1975–1999). After his retirement in 1999, he continued lobbying part-time for the insurance agents until 2003. He earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation from Michigan State University.
Les was active in several professional and civic organizations, notably the American Society for Association Executives; Independent Insurance Agents of America; American Society of Insurance Association Executives (president); Missouri Society of Association Executives (president); Rotary West (treasurer); and Cole County Jaycees, where he served as chairman of the Cole County Fair in 1970. As a lobbyist in the Missouri Legislature (1975–2003), he was instrumental in passing many laws that benefit Missouri consumers to this day. In 1987 he was named “Insurance Person of the Year” by the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents.
Les’s passion was golf, and he was lucky enough to have played some of America’s finest courses. The thing he loved best was playing golf on his favorite course with his friends and brother Gene at the Jefferson City Country Club. The best two days of his life were when he won the Jefferson City County Club’s B-Flight Championship and when he made a hole-in-one at Redfield Golf Course in Eugene, Mo.
He loved his family. He was an avid student of history and politics, often participating in political campaigns and Democratic Party initiatives. During the early 1970s, he served as Cole County Democratic Chairman.
Les hated antiquing and any other kind of shopping.
His most redeeming quality was that he never took himself too seriously.
Survivors include his wife, Cynthia Bushmann; two daughters, Kate Bushmann (Tim O’Mara) of New York City and Maggie Williams (Allen Retsema) of Jefferson City; two granddaughters, Eloise O’Mara of New York City and Elise Williams of Jefferson City; three sisters, Shirley Henslee of St. Louis, Judy Heilig of Houston, Texas, and Patricia Mosby of Malvern, Ark.; one brother, Gene Bushmann of Jefferson City; and many in-laws, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Kenneth J. Bushmann, of St. Louis.
A family celebration of Les’s life will be held at a later time. In lieu of flowers and other tributes, Les asked that you please donate to The Missouri Democratic Party (www.missouridemocrats.org) and vote Democratic.
The family wishes to thank Hospice Compassus for their loving guidance and care.
Evans Harold “E.H.” Ryan, 102, of Chaffee passed from this life Wednesday, February 13, 2020 at Auburn Place in Cape Girardeau. He was born October 30, 1917 in Harrisburg, AR, son of William Sherman and Cleo Esther Evans Ryan. He and Wanda Ryan were married February 4, 1940. Evans was an engineer on the Frisco Railroad for 37 years. During those years, he was proud of his service as the Local Chairman of his union, the UTU.
Evans was a lifelong member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church of Chaffee.
He is survived, admired, loved and missed by daughter, Carol Cannon; daughter-in-law, Judy Ryan; granddaughters Karen Cannon Brown, Kathi Cannon Stone (Tim), Lynn Ryan, Kas Ryan; grandson Chris Cannon (Pam); grandson-in-law Ron Shelton; great-granddaughters Andrea Ryan Crawford (Tommy), Kori Brown Skidmore (Travis), Kari Stone, Caitlin Cannon Hayward (Jake), Madison Cannon, Mackenzie Cannon, Linsday Tivoli, Brittany Ryan, Amanda Ryan; great-grandsons Ryan Shelton (Jessica), Reid Shelton (Jenella), Alex Stone, Michael Ryan (Ashley); great-great-granddaughter Everly Shelton; great-great-grandsons Gage Skidmore, Miles Hayward, Merrick Hayward, and Rip Shelton.
In addition to wife, Wanda, he was preceded in death by his parents; sons John Ryan and Bob Ryan; sister Rae Davidson; brothers James, Hugh, William and Edwin; granddaughter Stacy Ryan; grandson Randall Ryan; and great-great-grandson Noah Cook and two lifelong friends, Bud Slaughter and Vopel Watkins.
Evans had a kind and loving spirit with a wonderful sense of humor. He was grateful for all the blessings he received in life and never took his relationships for granted. He maintained a positive attitude toward life, regardless of his circumstances, and never lost that positive attitude or sense of humor even to the last day of his life. He had a warm and generous heart, always taking care of those he cared about. He was hard-working and honest in all his endeavors
Evans’ loves were Wanda - the greatest “catch” of his life, fishing, traveling, camping, and hunting. Hawaii, Alaska and the Bahamas were some of their favorite travel destinations. Throughout their 71 years of marriage, he and Wanda spent 32 winters as “snowbirds” in Avon Park, FL where they made many lifelong friends. Evans loved God and his family and will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
For the last year of his life, Evans lived at Auburn Place Assisted Living in Cape Girardeau, where he received excellent care. The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to their staff and to the staff at Crown Hospice for their loving and compassionate care.
Visitation will be from 5-8pm on Sunday, February 16 at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee. The funeral service will be held at 10am Monday, February 17 at St. Ambrose Catholic Church of Chaffee, with Fr. Randolph G. Tochtrop officiating. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau.
Memorials may be made to the St. Ambrose Catholic Church of Chaffee, Mo.
