Stories from Wednesday, January 4, 2012

As I continue to clean out closets, cupboards, boxes, the sun porch, pictures on the wall and all sorts of places where I have stashed away my many treasures, memories come flooding back of the woven stitches of that tapestry that becomes a crazy quilt of our lives. So many stitches, so many colors, some have become faded, some are quite worn, but it still remains what our lives have become. There is a strong family bond that binds us all together in many ways...

Bill Marion Hall, 91, formerly of Fort Scott, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, in Woodland, Calif. He was born Jan. 18, 1920, in Fort Scott, Kan., the son of Omar Jay and Amelia Grace (Seaman) Hall. He had lived in Yolo County the past two years. He held a master's degree in business administration from the University of Santa Clara and was a pilot with the U.S. Air Force for 20 years before spending 37 years with Lockheed as an engineer...

Charles Edward McGee, 79, of Mound City, Kan., died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, at his home, the same house in which he was born. He was born on June 9, 1932 at Blue Mound, Kan., the son of Glenn and Reta Dizmang McGee. Charles was a 1951 graduate of Blue Mound High School...

Cheryl Metcalf, 63, of Fort Scott, died Friday even-ing, Dec. 30, 2011, at the Fort Scott Manor Nursing Home. She is survived by her husband, Delbert, of the home, and three sons, Mike Metcalf of Leavenworth, Kan., Jake Metcalf of Florence, S.C., and Josh Metcalf of Ardmore, Okla...

Clete and Donna (Christy) Hall of Fort Scott will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Jan. 13, 2012. The couple was married on Jan. 13, 1962, in Miami, Okla. They have three children: Brian Hall and wife Joyce, Fort Scott, Stacy Dwyer and husband Kirk, Fort Scott, and Cheryl Gallagher, Nevada, Mo...

Friends and family will be celebrating the 80th birthday of Bob Eshelbrenner on Sunday, Jan. 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Fort Scott Community College Ellis Fine Arts Building. Come share cake and punch with us. No gifts are requested.

Ava Mae Adams, 87, of rural Arcadia, died at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, at her home. Mrs. Adams was born Nov. 12, 1924, at rural Arcadia, the daughter of A.H. and Alta M. Farmer Spurling. Ava Mae was a homemaker and retired school teacher who lived in rural Arcadia most of her life. ...

Kathreen H. Kunstel, 95, of rural Arcadia, died at 10:19 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, at the Arma Care Center at Arma, Kan. Mrs. Kunstel was born June 22, 1916, at Arcadia the daughter of Lyle and Jean Caldwell Howard. Kathreen was a homemaker and retired school teacher who lived in rural Arcadia most of her life. She was raised in rural Arcadia and graduated from Fort Scott High School...

Lois Laverne Osterberg Smith passed from this world on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, after an extended illness. Lois was a resident of the Medicalodges of Fort Scott, Kan., where she received compationate care for the past five years and was loved by many of the staff and residents alike...

Jessie Mae Crandall, 90, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, at the Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, Kan. She was born May 5, 1921, in Porterville, Kan. Jessie graduated from the Hepler High School in 1939. She married Raymond Edward Warren on March 6, 1941, in Hepler, Kan. He preceded her in death on March 13, 1991. She later married Harvey Dean Crandall on June 8, 1996. He also preceded her in death...

Virginia Lee "Tootie" Meek, 86, a former resident of Richards, Mo., and currently of Fort Scott, Kan., died early Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, at the Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott. She was born Nov. 7, 1925, at Richards, Mo., the daughter of William Leon Poyner and Elsie Pearl Buris Poyner. She married Francis M. "Frank" Meek on Oct. 15, 1942, at Eldorado Springs, Mo. He preceded her in death on Dec. 25, 2003...

Jimmie Orton, 82, of Stark, Kan., passed away Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute. Jimmie was born in Driftwood, Okla., on Nov. 23, 1929, the son of Raymond and Francis (Hill) Orton. He graduated from Driftwood High School in 1941...

100 YEARS AGO (1912) Police Judge Frank Johnson said to a Tribune-Monitor reporter that the insinuation that he had given out information about impending prosecutions of bootleggers was as false as anything could be. He says he has no interest whatever in such matters except to try the cases impartially when they come before his court. ...

Area residents interested in beginning their own business are encouraged to attend a free two-hour "How to Start Your Own Business" workshop from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, in the Greyhound Room of the Administration Building at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton...

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce will have its weekly coffee at 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at Jukebox's Barber Shop, 15 E. Wall St. Members may make an announcement about their business, organization or community event by donating $1 toward "Dollars for Dolly."...

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce would like to thank all the individuals and groups that participated in the 2011 Dolly Hollyday trolley tours and Light Up Fort Scott contest. There were six entries in the lighting contest, and two award recipients received $50 cash prizes...

U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kansas, will be the guest speaker at the 2012 SEK, Inc., annual meeting and banquet on Thursday, Jan. 12. The annual business meeting starts at 4 p.m., followed by a social hour at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. at the Triple S Steakhouse in Girard...

Citing theological and differences in personal beliefs, Mansour Khajehpour has resigned his post as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Scott. A former Muslim from Iran, Khajehpour had been with First Presbyterian here since August 2010. During that time, membership increased and new community activities and guests were introduced to the city. The church will now undergo the process of seeking a new pastor...

The New Year's Day birth of David "Butch" Hall to Casey and Joni Hall of Uniontown was doubly meaningful. The newborn's sister Alexis was born Jan. 3, 2005, the first baby of that year, and he bears the nickname of his late uncle, a soldier who died in Afghanistan in 2004...

The old bridge over the Marmaton River on North National Avenue is set to receive some much-needed work after action Tuesday evening by the Fort Scott City Commission. During their regular meeting, commissioners approved a rehabilitation project for the span, which was built in 1933 and has sustained structural damage over the years...

Fort Scott High's girls rallied in the game's final minute Tuesday night as the Tigers prevailed over Parsons, 39-36, in a non-league game at the FSHS gymnasium. Parsons led 36-35 after Taylor Kemp made two free throws with 1:25 remaining. The Vikings (3-2) had the ball again when Mallory Shelton forced a turnover with 50 seconds left...

A 10-0 fourth-quarter run gave visiting Parsons what it needed to remain undefeated on the season following a 57-51 victory over Fort Scott High's boys at the FSHS gymnasium Tuesday night. The Tigers (5-2) used a 12-0 run of their own to overcome a 9-point deficit and take a 33-30 lead with 3:40 remaining in the first half. They lead 37-35 going into the fourth quarter and went up 47-45 on Cameron Woodring's free throws with 3:37 remaining...