Billie J. “Catfish” McClure, son of the late Luther McClure and Thelma Shipley McClure, was born on December 6, 1931, in Clinton, Arkansas, and departed this life at his residence in Bloomfield, Missouri, on November 18, 2012, at the age of 80 years.
Mr. McClure was a former employee with the St. Louis Ship Yards and had also worked as a farmer.
On August 11, 1954, he was united in marriage to Jean Bruce in Bell City, Missouri. Mrs. McClure survives of their home in Bloomfield.
Besides his wife he is survived by three sons, James Allen “Bo” McClure and wife, Sally, of Loganville, Georgia, Robert Eugene McClure and friend, Cindy, of Bloomfield and Billy Gene McClure and wife, Cheryl, of Bloomfield; by two daughters, Peggy Sue Kennedy and husband, Rob, of Bernie and Pamela JoAnn McClure and friend, Rick, of Wappapello, Missouri; by three brothers, Gene, Orvan and L.J. McClure; by five sisters, Shirley, Margaret, Owdia, Patricia and Ruby; by eleven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Scott Edward McClure; by two brothers, Weldon and Carl; and by one sister, Lucille.
Friends may call at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter on Tuesday, November 20, 2012 from 5:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. Funeral services will be conducted on Wednesday, November 21, 2012, at 11:00 A.M. in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel in Dexter with Rev. Dale Holman officiating. Interment will follow in the Walker Cemetery near Bloomfield.
The Rev. Tony Kevin Eskew, most commonly known to many as Brother Kevin, passed away Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, surrounded by his beloved family and friends. Kevin served as Pastor of the First General Baptist Church of Bloomfield, Missouri for 35 years.
Kevin was born on February 22, 1952 in Piggott, Arkansas to Vaval Royal Eskew and Mary Ellen Smith Eskew, both deceased.
Kevin is survived by his precious wife Becky, whom he married on June 2, 1973, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. He is also survived by a daughter, Tonya Skinner, and her husband, Bruce, of Cape Girardeau, and their daughters Sierra and Alexis; a son, Tim Eskew of Kennett; a sister, Sharon Vernon of Piggott; and a brother, Kim Eskew and his wife, Karen, of Springdale, Arkansas. In addition to these, Kevin is survived by numerous sisters-in-law, cousins, nephews, nieces and his beloved church congregation and community.
Kevin and Becky met while both were attending Oakland City University in Indiana, where Kevin received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Religious Studies. Kevin later received his Master’s degree in Christian Counseling from Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Kevin served as Pastor at Henderson, Kentucky, when he and Becky’s oldest child Tonya was born. They went on to Pastor in Decatur, Illinois, before being called in October 1977 to serve at First General Baptist Church of Bloomfield, where their son Tim was born.
While in Bloomfield, Kevin has served on numerous committees and boards and was frequently in charge of the city-wide Memorial Day services at the Stoddard County Courthouse. Many folks in the community turned to Kevin to preach their family member’s funeral services, to counsel with them in times of trouble and to join them in marriage. Kevin also served on the Ministerial Alliance for over three decades, and was the first president of the General Baptist Council of Associations.
Kevin preached numerous revival services in many towns all over Missouri and Arkansas. He published several Sunday school lessons for the General Baptist denominational literature, and his final lessons will be featured this December in all the lesson books distributed to the denomination. Last year, Kevin was proud to be the keynote speaker at the Oakland City University Founder’s Day event.
If you knew Kevin, you knew he was an amazing man of God and lived his life as an example of how Christians should live, love and serve others. You knew that he loved his family deeply and that they were his joy. You knew that he was a faithful husband and loved to spoil his precious wife Becky. You knew that his two granddaughters, Sierra and Lexi, were the absolute lights of his life, and that every chance he got to go and “kidnap” them from school or their house to spend time with him, he did. You knew that he was extremely proud of his daughter Tonya and believed her to be the best teacher in Missouri. You knew that his son-in-law Bruce was someday going to “run a university” and loved to refer to him as Dr. Skinner. You knew that if his son Tim was coaching a basketball game that this proud Dad was probably sitting right behind him cheering him on knowing that he was the best coach around. You knew that he was first and foremost an Arkansas Razorback fan and that the Hogs held a special place in his heart, even forcing a Missouri congregation to “Call those hogs!” You knew that Kevin and his brother Kim had an incredible bond and love for each other that few have ever experienced. You also knew of his love for everything Disney and one of the highlights of his life was taking those beautiful granddaughters on their very first visit to his favorite place on Earth.
Several people on Facebook, in social media and in a newspaper article have referred to Bro. Kevin Eskew as “one of the greatest men they have ever known.” That would be news to Kevin, because he was such a humble servant of God, answering God’s call into the ministry at the age of 16. He will be deeply missed.
Under the direction of Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home of Dexter, visitation will be held on Friday, November 16, 2012 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at First General Baptist Church, 501 Christian Drive in Bloomfield, Missouri. Services will be held at the church on Saturday, November 17 at 11:00 a.m., with Pastor Greg Stevens presiding. Burial will be held immediately following the service in the Bloomfield Cemetery. Pallbearers are Tim Eskew, Kim Eskew, Bruce Skinner, Tony Eskew, Chad Eskew and Dustin Hicks.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Tony Kevin Eskew Endowed Scholarship Fund at Oakland City University, 138 North Lucria, Oakland City, Indiana 47660.
Cyrena M. DeBerry Bragg, daughter of the late Rally and Mattie Lou King Hawkins, was born on June 25, 1921, in Tyler, Missouri and passed away at her home in Dexter, Missouri on November 9, 2012, at the age of 91 years.
She had lived most of her life in Southeast Missouri and lived in Dexter the past several year. She was of the Protestant faith. She had worked as a seamstress at the Elder Manufacturing Company.
In 1937 she was married to James T. DeBerry in Steele, Missouri. He preceded her in death on Sugust 28, 1967. She later married W.C. Bragg who preceded her in death in February of 1991.
Surviving are two daughters, Audrey Pounds of Covington, Tennessee, Marie Hankins of Bloomfield, Missouri; one son, Charles DeBerry of Dexter, Missouri; sixteen grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren; several great great grandchildren; one sister, Reatha Roberts of Tunica, Mississippi; and one daughter-in-law, Shirley DeBerry of Rockford, Illinois. Other relatives and many friends also survive. She was preceded in death by four sons, William, Hugh, James Timothy and Michie DeBerry.
Friends may visit on Sunday November 11, 2012, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield.
Funeral services will be held on Monday November 12, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield with the Rev. Bob Holland of Bloomfield, officiating.
Interment will be in the Bloomfield Cemetery in Bloomfield, Missouri with Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in charge of all arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.watkinsfuneralhome.com
Larry Joe Averett, son of the late Kenneth William Averett Sr. and Gussie Westerfield Averett was born June 23, 1940 at Cape Girardeau and departed this life at the residence of his sister, near Dexter on November 8, 2012 at the age of 72.
Mr. Averett was a member of the Hot Springs Village Church of Christ, a former sales representative for the Levi Strauss Company in the Kansas City area and was named the most outstanding Sales Representative of the Year. He was a former member of the Army National Guard, was active in the Hot Springs Tennis Association and played trumpet in the Hot Springs Community Band. He was a resident of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.
He is survived by one sister, Jane Flowers of Dexter; one brother, Michael Averett of St. Charles, Illinois; and several nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by one brother, Kenneth W. Averett Jr.
Friends may call at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter from Noon until 2:00 P.M., Saturday, November 10, 2012. Funeral services will then be conducted at 2:00 P.M. in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with interment to follow in the Garden of Memories Cemetery at Sikeston.
Glenda passed away at home in Jackson, Missouri, surrounded by members of her family. She was born in Dexter, Missouri, to John Henry Law and Anna (Allard) Law. She lived briefly in South Africa as a child where her father was a missionary, but lived most of her life near Puxico, Missouri, where she and her husband, Andrew Jackson (AJ)) Johnston, farmed for many decades after their marriage in 1936. In her later years she moved to the Jackson area to live with her granddaughter, Michelle Johnston Cook, and grandson-in-law, Kevin Cook.
Glenda's services to the community and especially to her church were numerous. She served as a Vacation Bible School director and Sunday school teacher for many years, and, for decades, was the choir director for the First Baptist Church of Puxico. She was noted for her excellent singing voice and was invited to sing at many community events, both solemn and joyous. Her children and grandchildren especially enjoyed her rendition of "I Want to Be a Cowboy Sweetheart", which ended with her tremendous yodeling.
She worked hard to provide for her family and had many homemaker skills. Her pies and cobblers were especially treasured. People were always asking for her recipes, but she usually made her culinary creations with a dash of this and a handful of that. The upstairs of the family's two story house on the Dale farm was filled with a great variety of canned fruits and vegetables in quantities sufficient to survive a famine. Those years when the family had no electricity or other modern amenities, she used a kettle in the back yard to make lye soap and wash clothes. She drew water with a bucket from a hand-dug well.
Glenda was preceded in death by her husband, AJ Johnston (1916-1992); her son, Marvin Lee Johnston (1940-2012); and infant children, Barbara Joyce Johnston (1938) and William Ray Johnston (1939). She is survived by her son, Carroll Deane Johnston (Marilyn); and six grandchildren – Marvin's children: Tara Hobbs (Jim), Scott Johnston (Angela), Michelle Cook (Kevin), and Todd Johnston (Dena); and Carroll's children: Heather Johnston and Pamela Burlingame (Josh). She also has 11 great grandchildren and 4 great, great grandchildren.
She began as a little country girl who grew up to touch many lives with her unwavering faith, her love of singing, and her wonderful cooking. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother and respected friend. She will be greatly missed by all.
Visitation begins at 5 PM and a memorial service at 7 PM on Thursday, November 8, at First Baptist Church, 202 W Richardson Avenue, Puxico. Burial service will be the following day at 10 AM in the Puxico Cemetery. Rev. Ed Dunivan officiating.
Memorials may be made to the Puxico Nurtrition Center, 335 N Harty, Puxico, Mo 63960.
