Post Staff – Page 905 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Obituaries for June 30, 2014

Posted on June 30, 2014June 30, 2014

ST. JOSEPH – Henry “Ralph” Conard, 89 and 7 months, passed away Sunday, June 29, 2014 at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cameron, Mo., after a lengthy illness with Parkinson’s disease.
He was born November 17, 1924 in Halls, Mo., son of Henry Clay and Mary Ella (Crossfield) Conard. He attended Hosea Elementary and Benton High School and the St. Joseph Junior College. He is a veteran of World War II serving in the United States Navy, from March 8, 1943 to January 29, 1946, as third class boatman in Bermerton, Wash. He also served in Alaska on the U.S.S. Hamul (AD20) Naval Ship he was awarded a Star and the American Area and the Victory medal USS APL28.
He was very proud of his military service. He worked at Swift and Company, Farmland, and AGP, and he also owned and operated the Deep Rock Service Station in the south side of St. Joseph.
He enjoyed volunteering for the last 20 years at Heartland Hospital in pastoral care service, he also held Bible service at Wesley Senior Towers. Ralph was a member of the former Hyde Valley United Methodist Church. He married Mildred Hegenderfer Thurn, on November 7, 1962 in St. Joseph, and she survives of the home.
Ralph is preceded in death by his parents; a son-in-law, Randy West; four brothers, Ivan, Bill, Roy and James Conard; three sisters, Zetta Vann, Elsie Admire, and Kathleen Atkins Grieshaber.
Additional survivors include, two daughters, Cheryl Ann West and Jane Grace (Tony) Siela; a son, Kent (Carol) Conard all of St. Joseph; five grandchildren: Amy (Grover) Musser, Brandon (Jill) West, Bethany(Eric) George, Jared (Beth) Grace, and Kali (Bradley) Maloney; ten great grandchildren, Paige and Cade Musser, Courtney, Camren, and Ashlyn West, Zoe Maloney, Mason Grace, Madison Kovac, Shannon and Cameron Haws; a sister, Betty McCarty.
Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m., on Thursday, July 3, at Rupp Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m., on Wednesday at Rupp Funeral Home. The Interment will be at the Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials are requested to the Missouri Veteran’s Home in Cameron or the Parkinson Foundation. Online condolence and obituary at www.ruppfuneral.com

ST. JOSEPH – Bobbie P. Crawford, 87, died Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at a local healthcare facility.
He was born April 27, 1927 to Paul and Amber (Moore) Crawford in Trenton, Mo.
He married Sharon Kay Brown on August 20, 1961. She preceded him in death on January 15, 2011.
Bobbie was a Christian who liked bowling and woodworking and was truly an inventor with a great sense of humor.
Mr. Crawford was also preceded in death by his parents; and daughter-in-law, Marva Crawford.
Survivors: daughters, Connie Hunter (Bob), Osborn, Mo., Robin Shalz (Bobby), St. Joseph; sons, Bruce Crawford, St. Joseph, Rob Crawford (Diana), St. Joseph, Chris Crawford (Robin), Osborn, and Joseph Shawn Crawford (Karlan), Liberty, Mo.; 11 grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; brother, Charles Crawford (Lovice); sister, Cora Sue McCloud (Glen); cousin and best friend, Newt Crawford; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Memorial Services: 11 a.m., Thursday, Salvation Army Church. Care provided by Meierhoffer Funeral Home and Crematory. Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com.

ST. JOSEPH – Jack D. Simmons Sr., 76, passed away Saturday, June 28, 2014 in a St. Joseph hospital.
He was born November 25, 1937 in St. Joseph, son of Jessie and Coy Simmons. He attended Central High School and married Clara Baker whom survives of the home. He worked at the Hy-Klas grocery as a baker, then was the owner operator of Simmons DX, then Simmons Muffler and Auto.
Jack enjoyed fishing, baseball, working on cars, he also enjoyed baking. he was very generous, enjoyed feeding lunch to all who came by the shop, customers or not.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents; a grandson, Shawn Peacher; two brothers, Coy Jr., and Harlen Simmons; and a sister, Hilda Kerns.
Survivors include: wife, Clara of the home; two daughters, Debbie Simmons of Independence, Mo., and Jo Ann (Marc) Thompson of Blue Springs, Mo.; two sons, Jackie (Jeanette) Simmons Jr. and Michael (Dollie) Simmons, all of St. Joseph; nine grandchildren: Jenny Lynn, Jackie Lee, Christopher, Laura, Michael Jr.,Kaitlin, Kassidy, Trenton and Glenn; eight great-grandchildren; three sisters, Devona Cordonnier, and Donna Stewart both of St. Joseph, and Linda Cordonnier of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Funeral services will be conducted at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at Rupp Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m., on Tuesday at Rupp Funeral Home. The Interment will be at the Williams Cemetery Dearborn, Mo. Memorials are requested to the Jack Simmons memorial fund in care of the Rupp Funeral Home. Online condolence and obituary at www.ruppfuneral.com

ST. JOSEPH – Kathleen “Kay” Norris McLean, 90, passed away Thursday, June 26, 2014 at a Kansas City hospice facility. She was born July 8, 1923 on a farm near Glasgow, Mo. She is the daughter of Della and Erskin Ballew. She married Melvin McLean on February 10, 1944 while he was on leave from WW II.
She graduated from Glasgow High School and attended business college. She was a homemaker, who was a very fine cook, and seamstress. She was active in the PEO Sisterhood, and her church the Wyatt Park Christian Church.
Kay was preceded in death by her husband, Melvin K. McLean; a sister, Ruth Ballew; and her parents.
She is survived by son, Kirt (Robin) McLean of Kansas City, Mo.; sister, Cindy (Tom) Schrader of Mission, Kan.; four grandchildren, Lindsay McLean, Nick McLean, Katie Schrader, and Jeff Schrader; four great-grandchildren, Mack, Harper, Olivia and Emma Kay; and two sisters, June Asbury, and Billie Gebhardt.
A memorial service will be held Monday, June 30, 2014 at 11 a.m., at the Wyatt Park Chritian Church. Dr. Scott Kilgore officiating. Cremation under the care of Rupp Funeral Home. Online condolence and obituary at www.ruppfuneral.com

ST. JOSEPH – Brenda Sue Hilliard, 56, left this earth for her heavenly home on Wednesday, June 25.
Brenda was born September 10, 1957 to Farrell and Doris Harding. She leaves her loving husband of 39 years, George Hilliard; two sons, Joshua (Jenn) Hilliard, of St. Joseph, and Jarod (Stephanie) Hilliard, of Independence, Mo.; and two precious grandchildren, Preston and Layla Hilliard; three siblings, Carolyn (Tom) Whisenand, San Diego, Calif., Robert (Debi) Harding, Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Gale Harding, San Diego; and four adored nieces, Kellie (Joe) Martinez, San Diego, Jessica (Aaron) Stewart, Lee’s Summit, Galea Albano, San Diego, and Melanie Harding, Lee’s Summit.
Brenda will be cherished and sadly missed by many friends and family. Her life was one of generosity, kindness and joy to all those she met. Brenda never met a stranger and could talk to everyone. She held a special place in her heart for seniors, whom she served in her many years as a waitress at local restaurants. She loved animals, especially her furry cat friends. Brenda was a true friend to many, who will greatly miss her smile and big heart. Brenda was a member of Wyatt Park Christian Church.
Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, July 5, 2014 from 1 to 4 p.m., at Wyatt Park Christian Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Wyatt Park Christian Church or the American Cancer Society. Arrangements, Heaton-Bowman-Smith and Sidenfaden Chapel, St. Joseph, Missouri.

Trails West Buttons Now On Sale

Posted on June 30, 2014

It’s not too early to get your admission button to Trails West.

Buttons are $8 in advance, $10 at the gate. All festival guests under the age of 10 are free while accompanied by an adult. Buy your buttons at the Allied Arts Council office, your local bank, or at one of the many local businesses listed on the Trails West!® website here.

This year’s Trails West theme is “Live, Breathe, Create.” The festival weekend is August 15-17, at Civic Center Park in historic downtown Saint Joseph.

“There’s nowhere else in the Midwest offering this caliber of entertainment at the price of just under $3 a day,” says Teresa Fankhauser, Allied Arts Council Executive Director.

This year’s design is the work of Kansas City, Missouri resident Doug Bennett, winner of the artwork contest hosted earlier this year by the Allied Arts Council. Bennett is a St. Joseph native, and is incredibly honored to have his artwork represent the festival theme.

Sierra Club files new suit over Kansas coal plant

Posted on June 27, 2014

JOHN HANNA, Associated

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit challenging the latest move by Kansas to allow construction of a $2.8 billion coal-fired power plant, partly because the state wouldn’t regulate the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The environmental group says in its filing Friday with the state Court of Appeals that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment also isn’t imposing adequate limits on other pollutants.

Sunflower Electric Power Corp. wants to build the 895-megawatt facility next to an existing coal-fired plant outside Holcomb in southwest Kansas.

The department approved changes last month in a 2010 permit allowing the plant’s construction. It said the revisions set stricter air-quality standards to comply with a Kansas Supreme Court ruling last year in an earlier Sierra Club lawsuit.

Environmentalists contend the changes are superficial.

“Memphis Belle” Lands In KC And You Can Fly In It

Posted on June 27, 2014June 27, 2014

The Liberty Foundation Salute To Veterans Tour landed in Kansas City this week. This weekend you can fly in what was arguably the most famous aircraft of World War II, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

According to a history on the foundations web site http://www.libertyfoundation.org/index.html Boeing began construction of the four-engine heavy bomber in 1934 in Seattle, Washington. It’s first flight was on July 28th 1935. The U.S. Government placed an order for production of 13 of these aircraft and began to take delivery of the 13 production aircraft between January 11th and August 4th 1937.

The B-17, dubbed the “Flying Fortress” as a result of her amount of defensive firepower, underwent a number of improvements over its ten-year production run. The aircraft on display in Kansas City is the same one used in the film “Memphis Belle.”

You can see one up close at downtown Kansas City’s Charles B. Wheeler Airport this weekend. For a price you can fly in it. Call 918-340-0243 to schedule your flight.

St Joe Muslims Set To Observe Ramadan Holy Month

Posted on June 27, 2014

Muslims in St. Joseph are joining more than a billion adherents of the Islamic religion around the world as they prepare for the annual Ramadan observance, which starts on Saturday, June 28 and ends on July 28.

Participating in the monthlong observance is one of the five pillars, or basic requirements, for being a Muslim. Ramadan is a time for self-reflection and renewing one’s faith.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk each day, increasing their prayers and daily readings of the Qur’an, increasing acts of charity, and refraining from sensual pleasures from dawn to dusk. Muslims believe the temporary hunger helps a person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry, while achieving growth in his or her spiritual life.

The start of Ramadan this year occurs during the hottest summer stretch with increased daylight. As a result, the fasting period each day is several hours longer than it would be in the winter. Ramadan is two weeks earlier each year.

This is the fourth Ramadan for the congregation of the Islamic Center of St. Joseph at its mosque at 2325 Messanie St. This Ramadan is also the fourth year the Islamic Center will be sponsoring meals and feeding needy on August 19 and October 21 at the Open Door Food Kitchen in Downtown St. Joseph.

Rebecca Evans Promoted To Regional SBTDC Director

Posted on June 27, 2014June 27, 2014

The Northwest Missouri State University regional Small Business and Technology Development Center has promoted Rebecca Evans as its director, effective July 1.

Evans joined the Northwest SBTDC in 2007 to serve as director of its St. Joseph branch and has served as associate regional director for the SBTDC since August 2013. Evans is taking the place of Larry Lee who has served as regional director of the SBTDC.

Lee will remain as director of Northwest’s Dean L. Hubbard Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Bids for KU home for basketball rules come in high

Posted on June 27, 2014

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Construction of a center to house the original rules for basketball on the University of Kansas campus will be delayed because bids for the project came in higher than expected.

The building will hold James Naismith’s rules of basketball, which were purchased by David and Suzanne Booth for $4.3 million in 2010 and donated to the university.

Dale Seuferling, president of the Kansas University Endowment Association, says the high construction bids for the $18 million project might require some changes to the building.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the bids were all more than the contract, although no bid was more than 10 percent higher.

Seuferling said he expected the final bid to be awarded next month and construction to start in August.

Army releases possible reductions for Kansas forts

Posted on June 27, 2014

FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Army says budget cuts could mean the loss of thousands of soldiers and employees at Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth.

However, fort officials say the report released Thursday is a worst-case scenario and the reductions aren’t likely to be as severe as predicted.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the report said Fort Riley could lose 16,000 soldiers and civilian employees, with another 3,600 jobs related to the base also eliminated. The fort currently has about 20,000 soldiers and civilian employees.

The Army says Fort Leavenworth could lose 2,500 of its 5,004 employees.

Fort Riley spokesman Col. Sean Ryan says the numbers in such reports are speculation, and he does not expect the fort’s population to ever drop that low because its troops are needed too often.

Premiums for many in the individual market may change next year

Posted on June 27, 2014

By Julie Appleby
Kaiser Health News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Health insurance premiums for people with subsidies could increase substantially in some markets – but consumers who shop around may not end up paying more, a new report out Thursday says.

Shopping around may not be as likely, however, under proposed rules also released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that will automatically re-enroll the vast majority of those who are signed up for plans through the online marketplaces. Automatic re-enrollments might ease the experience, but it also will make it less likely consumers will check out other options.

Consumers who choose to would still be able to shop around, the administration said. And the Avalere study shows they should.

The analysis of rates filed in nine states found that as insurers battle for a share of the individual market, some plans that were the low-priced leaders this year are not the least expensive options next year.

Because subsidies through the Affordable Care Act are tied to “benchmark” plans, which are the second lowest-cost silver-tier plans in each market, even those with subsidies could see the monthly amounts they pay change. In most of the states studied, the second lowest-cost plan is changing.

“If you are a savvy buyer, you could pick a low-cost plan and probably avoid a significant rate increase,” said Caroline Pearson, vice president at Avalere. But those who do nothing may end up paying more.

Here’s how it works: Subsidy-eligible individuals – those who earn between about $11,480 and $45,960 – can enroll in any plan they like. But those who choose plans other than the benchmark silver plans would pay the difference in monthly premium cost, dollar for dollar.

In a hypothetical example cited by Avalere, a 40-year-old consumer who enrolled this year in a $214-a-month benchmark plan paid $58 of her own money toward the premium after the subsidy. But now her insurer plans to raise rates next year to $267 a month. Because other plans have come in lower, her plan is no longer the benchmark. That benchmark plan is now a different one, whose price is $231 a month.

Unless she switches plans, the consumer must now pay the difference. Her income has stayed the same, so her subsidy of $173 a month remains unchanged. But, because her plan is now $36 more than the benchmark plan, her monthly payment rises to $94 for the premium – unless she switches to the lower-cost plan.

Instead of narrowing, as might be expected, the range in premium prices widened from 2014 to 2015, Pearson said.

Reasons varied. In some markets, new insurers are entering with low rates, possibly to try to wrest market share. At the same time, the low-priced plans in some markets are raising rates because they won significant market share the first year – and are hoping to keep their new customers even with a price increase.

The Avalere study looked at rate filings in Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. The filings have not yet been approved by regulators, so the rates might change before the fall open enrollment season begins.

The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, required that marketplace plans be available in every state, and HHS officials encouraged each state to operate its own. But Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback was among the Republican state leaders who defaulted to the federal marketplace as part of their opposition to the federal health reform law.x

Lecompton celebrating historic Kansas roots

Posted on June 27, 2014

LECOMPTON, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas town is celebrating its place in state history this weekend with the annual Lecompton Territorial Days, including a display of maps dating to the mid-1800s.

Events begin Friday evening in Lecompton, located on the Kansas River between Topeka and Lawrence.

The town was the site of the territorial capital before statehood and focus of debate whether Kansas would be a free or slave state when admitted to the Union. In 1858, a brawl broke out in the U.S. House over the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution, which was narrowly rejected.

A collection of 30 maps of the territory and United States have been digitized. Several of the maps belonged to the Lecompton Historical Society.

Other events include a Saturday parade, demonstrations of pioneer life, games, music and food.