Betty J. Anderson, daughter of the late Arthur and Elizabeth Smith Tschudin was born on April 14, 1934 in St. Louis, Missouri and departed this life on December 17, 2019 at her residence in Dexter at the age of 85.

Betty Anderson was a faithful and loving wife, mother and servant of the Lord. She became a Christian at 23 and never doubted God and who he was. She served alongside her husband Rev. Lloyd H Anderson as he pastored churches in Perkins MO, Bernie MO, Keiser AR, Augusta AR, Gideon MO and Poplar Bluff MO.  In recent years her role as a prayer warrior and caring friend had taken high-priority in her life.

On February 26, 1954 she was united in marriage to Lloyd H. Anderson in St. Louis County, Missouri.  Mr. Anderson preceded her in death on August 8, 2018.

She is survived by one son, Joe and his wife Debbie of Dexter; by three daughters, Carol Anderson of Clinton, Missouri, Cheryl and husband John Peacock of Jackson, Mississippi and Jana DeGeorge of Little Rock, Arkansas; by twelve grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Besides her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by one sister, Dorothy Conner.

Friends may call at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter on Friday, December 20, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. 

A graveside service will be conducted on Friday, December 20, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield.

Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter is in charge of all arrangements.

Orpha “Ruth” Gaines, daughter of the late Rev. Everett Earnest and Effie Caroline Mason, was born on July 28, 1944 in Carroll County, Tennessee and departed this life, unexpectedly, on December 7, 2019, while on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico at the age of 75 years.

Ruth graduated with honors from Bismarck High School, in Bismarck, Missouri in 1962.  She then moved to Dexter, Missouri, the place she would eventually call home and raise her family.  She attended Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.  She worked at Elder’s Manufacturing, where she met her late husband Jim Alvis Gaines.  The two were united in marriage on January 31, 1964, in Dexter, Missouri and went on to have two sons, James Kevin Gaines and Kenneth Wayne Gaines.

She then started what would be a successful 30+ year career in the banking industry, when she accepted a job at Southern Bank in 1977.  She had a way with numbers and often prepared taxes during the season for those who needed help.  She eventually retired in 2010.  After her retirement, Ruth enjoyed spending time with family and friends, working in her garden, cooking and baking delicious treats from scratch, sewing and crafting, serving her church, traveling and especially spending time with her grandchildren every chance she could get.

In addition to being a dedicated and loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend, she had so much love for her church family.  Ruth was a faithful member of the Southwest Church of the Nazarene since the 1960’s.  She loved her church, and the relationships in Christ she formed there.  She held many volunteer roles, including Treasurer and serving on the church board.  Throughout her entire life, she had an unwavering faith in God, which she shared with all those who surrounded her.

Ruth is survived by two sons, James Kevin Gaines of Dexter, Missouri and Kenneth Wayne Gaines (Brenda) of Grand Island, Nebraska; by her step-daughter, Debbie Speer (Norm) of St. Louis, Missouri; by three sisters, Doris Hubbell of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Joy Tilmon (Henry) of Bernie, Missouri, and Charlotte “Jane” Mason (Linda) of St. Louis, Missouri; by four grandchildren, Jada Rose Gaines, Lily Grace Gaines, Shane Speer and Amanda Speer; by one great-grandson, Landen Speer; by three cousins; and by twenty-four nieces and nephews, nine great nieces and nephews, and thirteen great-great nieces and nephews.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Jim Alvis Gaines; by her parents, Rev. Everett and Effie Mason; by four sisters, Ruby Lee Hodges, Mary Helen Mason, Geraldine Bell Rowland, and Violet Fay Raines; by two brothers, Winfred Adell Mason and Earnest Frank Mason; by two half-brothers, Donald Ray and Wendell Everett; and by her granddaughter, Olivia Jane Gaines.

To know her, was to love her.  Family, friend, or stranger, she showed the same love and kindness of Jesus Christ to everyone who crossed her path.  Mrs. Gaines lived her life by the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated.  She had a tender, compassionate and giving spirit, a woman of faith and was the heart and backbone of the Gaines family.  She was dearly loved by so many and her legacy lives on through the lives she touched by her love and kindness.

Friends may call at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

Funeral services will then be conducted in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel in Dexter on Friday, December 20, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Ron King and Rev. Bill Burke officiating. 

Interment will follow in the Dexter Cemetery.

Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter is in charge of all arrangements.

Thomas Allen Crowe, son of the late Cecil and Mildred Patterson Crowe was born August 20, 1928 at Powe, Missouri and passed away at the age of 91, December 14, 2019 at his home in Dexter.

Mr Crowe was united in marriage to Nadine Douglas on September 8, 1950. Mrs. Crowe survives of the home in Dexter. Besides his wife, he is survived by two children, a daughter, Terri Ann and husband Dean Bennett, and a son Michael Crowe, also of Dexter. He is also survived by one granddaughter, Shannon and husband Scott Schaefer of Columbia, Missouri, and one great granddaughter, Lillian Adele Schaefer. He was preceded in death by his brother, Bob Crowe and one sister, Carol Ann Crowe.

Mr Crowe attended school in Dexter. He served as a jet mechanic in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict. Mr Crowe then moved his family to California where he attended college. After moving back to Dexter, he began work at Citizen's Bank. He was a graduate of the Memphis School of Banking. He then managed Superior Loan Corporation in Poplar Bluff, and later moved his family to Caruthersville, Missouri where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the First National Bank until his retirement. Upon retiring and relocating his family back to Dexter he performed property appraisals as an employee of First Commercial Bank and served for a period on their Board of Directors.

Mr Crowe was very active in civic and local affairs. He was in the Lions International for 30 years where he received the Outstanding Presidents award. He was on the Caruthersville Housing Authority and was Commissioner. He was a member of the American Legion, an active member and past board member of the First Baptist Church, was instrumental in getting the Special School for the Handicapped in Braggadocio, on the Urban Renewal Board. He served as the Red Cross Service to family Members contact for 16 years. He was Director of the Retail Merchants Assn for 4 years. He was also on the Missouri Community Betterment Board, Northeast Arkansas Computer Center Board. He received the Boy Scouts of America-Southeast Missouri Council Award for rendering service to his community. He was also selected as Outstanding Community Leader by the Caruthersville Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Crowe was also a yearly guest speaker at the high school on personal finance and banking.

Mr. Crowe spent his life serving his community, church, friends,and family and will be missed by all who were graced by his Christian continence and kindness.

Friends may call on Wednesday, December 18, 2019, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter with services following at 1 p.m.

Burial will be in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield with full military rites. Watkins & Sons Funeral Service in charge of arrangements.

Connie Marie Bean, age 81, of Jefferson City, Mo., passed away Tuesday, December 10, 2019 at home surrounded by her family.

Connie was born on September 7, 1938 in Bloomfield, the daughter of Paul Bland and Margriete Katherine (Baker) Cox. She was married on September 6, 1956 in Dexter to Willard L. Bean, who survives.

Connie grew up in Dexter, Mo. and was a 1956 graduate of Dexter High School.

Shortly after graduation, she married Willard, and began her role as a supportive military wife. She moved with him to quite a few locations until, in 1968, they made Jefferson City their permanent home. She took great pride in his service that spanned over 40 years until his retirement as a Colonel from the Missouri Army National Guard. However, her greatest accomplishment was being a mother and later a grandmother; always supporting and encouraging her children in all aspects of their lives.

Connie was a devoted housewife all her life. When her children were younger, she owned a beauty salon in Dexter. After moving to Jefferson City, she volunteered as a Girl Scout Leader at West School. One of her favorite mottos was, “Be Prepared”. Connie enjoyed working with cosmetics in a few downtown retail stores and also worked as a Financial Secretary at the First Christian Church. 

Connie was creative and channeled that energy different ways. She enjoyed oil painting, working with ceramics, and sewing. She especially enjoyed visiting Branson and the Fall Craft Festival. Connie was very talented and enjoyed designing and decorating five beautiful homes with her husband Willard. She also took pride in designing the landscape and personally planting everything with Willard.

Survivors include: her husband of 63 years, Willard Bean; two children, Douglas Bean (Vera DeGiorgio) of Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Terri Riley (Carey) of Jefferson City; one brother, Ronald Cox, Sr. of Branson; five grandchildren, Ryan Riley, Amanda Riley, Kyle Riley (Gemma), Jennifer Klimala (Frank) and Nicholas Bean; a great-granddaughter, Ava Klimala; and another great-granddaughter that will be joining her family in May of 2020.

Connie was preceded in death by her parents.

Visitation will be held at Freeman Mortuary from noon until 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 17, 2019 with her funeral service following at 1:30 p.m. in the Freeman Chapel with Celebrant Gara Loskill officiating. Graveside services and entombment will be held at the Mausoleum of Hawthorn Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Freeman Mortuary.

Albert C. Lowes, a legend of the legal community of Southeast Missouri, died peacefully on December 9, 2019 of complication after a fall.  He was 87 years of age.

Albert could only be described as one of a kind.  He was hard-charging, hard-working and cigar smoking. He peppered his speech with unique expressions and colourful language. He was also honest, loyal and an aggressive advocate for his clients and his community.

Albert was born on December 1, 1932 to Guy E. Lowes and Lillian Tuschhoff Lowes on a farm near Oak Ridge, Missouri. His early years were marked by the tough economic times of the Great Depression.  He fondly recalled that his father would shoot squirrels early in the morning to provide his family with breakfast.  He graduated from Perryville High School in 1950. He joined the US Marine Corps almost immediately after his graduation.

Albert would later describe his time in the Marine Corps as one of the two seminal influences of his life.  The Marines sent him to Korea in 1952, as the secretary for two two-star generals.  During his time as a Marine, he handled court martials and top-secret dispatches as well as various other responsibilities.  He often joked that his most hazardous assignment was waking the general in the middle of the night whenever events dictated it.  Albert was very proud of the fact that he attained the rank of Staff Sergeant after only 35 months in the Marines.  He was discharged from the Marines in 1954 with a passion to pursue a legal career.

Albert attended Southeast Missouri State Teachers College, as it was then known, and graduated from law school of the University of Missouri-Columbia in early 1959, less than 5 years after he started his university education.

It was during his time at Mizzou that Albert experienced the other seminal event in his life.  He met Peggy Rae Watson, an energetic and determined journalism student.  He was able to convince Peggy to relocate to Southeast Missouri and to become his wife.  They were married on August 27, 1960.  Their union lasted until her death on September 2, 2016.  

Upon his graduation from law school, Albert joined the law firm of Robert M. Buerkle.  The two remained associated professionally for nearly 25 years.  In 1984, Albert decided to form the partnership of Lowes & Drusch with Walter S. (“Sam”) Drusch.  This partnership lasted 31 years until both men retired in 2015.  

Albert considered himself to be a trial lawyer and he was very proud of it.  Most lawyers and judges of his era can tell many an amusing story about Al in the courtroom or with one of his clients.  His expressions were legendary.  Some family favorites include: “born tired” (lazy); “choir practice” (time at a bar); “dead soldiers” (empty beer bottles); and “drunk box” (breathalyzer for measuring blood-alcohol levels).  During his legal career, Albert tried more than 400 jury trials, and with assistance of other attorneys, he handled more than 150 appeals.

Albert participated in a number of civic and community activities.  He was a member of the Missouri Bar, the Cape Girardeau County Bar, the Eighth Circuit Bar and the Federal District Bar.  He was active in many Masonic orders, including Excelsior Lodge #441 in Jackson and the 32nd Degree Royal Arch Masons in Cape Girardeau.  He was also a member of the Cape Council, the Cape Commandery, the Knights Templar, the Moolah Shriners of St. Louis and the Scottish Rite Valley of the Orient in St. Louis.  He was a lifetime member of the VFW in Cape Girardeau and the American Legion in Jackson.  Albert was charter member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.

Albert took great pride in his family.  Albert and Peggy were blessed with, and often challenged by, their three children: Danita Rae Lowes, Albert Charles Lowes II and Kurt Brandon Lowes.  All three obtained both bachelor and graduate degrees.  Danita is a long-term resident of Sydney, Australia.  Albert lives in Oklahoma City and Kurt resides in Chicago. Their children blessed them with 4 grandchildren, 2 step-grandchildren and 1 step-great grandchild.  Danita is the mother to Hayden, Blake and Zara Fite as well as stepmother to Nicole Bennett-Fite.  Albert and his wife, Susan Starkey Lowes, are the parents of Ashley Whiting and grandparents of Bastion Whiting.  Kurt and his wife, Crystal Kennedy Lowes, are the parents of Ascher Lowes.  

In addition to his children and grandchildren, Albert is survived by his siblings (Guy Lowes, Jean Paden and Mary Lowes) and a sister-in-law (Jeanne Lowes).  He is preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife.  Albert is now at peace with his “best buddy”.

Visitation will be from 4pm to 8pm on Monday, December 16, 2019 at Ford & Sons Mt. Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.   The funeral will be held at 10am on Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at Ford & Sons Mt. Auburn Funeral Home with Rev. David Roth officiating.  Entombment will be at the Memorial Park Mausoleum in Cape Girardeau.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to the Children's Hospital of Michigan.  They can be reached via  www.chmfoundation.org/donate-now/ or  (313)993-8815 or Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation, 3901 Beaubien-Mailslot 257, Detroit MI 48201.  Alternatively, memorials can be directed to the VFW in Cape Girardeau via their website https://www.vfwpost3838.org/donate