Stories from Saturday, April 8, 2017

Reece Tyler Koppa, infant of daughter of Derek Koppa and Randi Shaw Koppa, passed away Monday, April 3, 2017, at the Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition to her parents, she is survived by a sister, Brylynn Koppa; maternal grandparents, Kenny and Debbie Shaw, paternal grandparets, Jim and Cheryl Koppa; maternal great-grandmother, Freda Fleming and paternal great-grandmother, Janice Ramsey, all of Fort Scott. ...

Linda June Vann, age 69, a resident of Fort Scott, Kansas, passed away Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. She was born March 24, 1948, in Fort Scott, the daughter of Ray Hugh Harris and Cleta Mae Graham Harris. ...

Lee Van Orden, Jr., 83, of Arma, Kansas, died Tuesday afternoon, April 4, 2017 at Arma Health and Rehab Center. He was born July 28, 1933 in Canton, Ohio the son of Lee and Anna F. (Gaspers) Van Orden, Sr. He married Delores Maxine Van Meter October 15, 1960 at the Methodist Church in Hepler, Kansas. She preceded him in death March 21, 2005...

Clara Ann Finfrock, 84, of Bronson, Kan., passed away Friday, March 31, 2017 in Wichita. She was born Oct. 11, 1932 in Uniontown, Kan., to Arthur and Jessie (McHenry) Walker. She graduated from Bronson High School and married Earl E. Finfrock.  Clara was preceded in death by her husband Earl, her parents, her sisters May Walker, Lenora Headley, LaVerne O’Hara, and Ina Lafferty, and her brother Clarence Walker...

Richard Joe Graham, 73, of Girard, died at 9:30 a.m., Monday, April 3, 2017 at his residence in Girard. He was born May 29, 1943 in Fowler, Colorado, a son of Forest and Emma Jean (Sinding) Graham. Richard attended schools in Colorado and the family moved to Kansas before he entered the US Army...

Valeta Myrtle Kerr, age 89, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away early Friday, April 7, 2017, at the Medicalodge of Ft. Scott. She was born October 5, 1927, in Garden City, Missouri, the daughter of Samuel and Myrtle King. She first married Benjamin Hicks. ...

Marjorie Leone (Fisher) Duerson, 92, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on April 3, 2017. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 6 and services will be held 1 p.m. Friday, April 7, 2017, both at Resthaven Mortuary Chapel with interment immediately following. ...

Bourbon County Commissioners had some questions answered Wednesday regarding a planned expansion of U.S. Highway 69 south of Fort Scott. Commissioners and Public Works Director Jim Harris met for a work session to talk with Darrin Petrowsky, an engineer with the Kansas Department of Transportation, about the highway expansion project. ...

PITTSBURG —Both Fort Scott High School doubles teams finished in third place Thursday at a tournament hosted by Pittsburg. Alex Gorman and Micah Self (6-4) split in pool play in No. 1 doubles. They lost to Noah Jackley/Garrett Hogan of Bishop Miege, 8-4, but defeated Luke Laws/Pete Westervelt of Columbus by the same score. They then defeated James Richey/Caleb Dial of Pittsburg, 8-5, in the third-place match...

OVERLAND PARK — Fort Scott Community College’s softball team fell twice here Thursday afternoon to No. 6-ranked Johnson County in a Jayhawk Conference-Division II doubleheader. The final scores were 9-1 and 17-5. Both games were stopped early due to the 8-run rule...

Fort Scott Community College’s baseball team goes into today’s play tied for first place in the Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division following a Thursday split with Neosho County at Lions Field. The 16th-ranked Greyhounds won game one on five innings 10-0 but Neosho took the second game 5-0...

PAOLA — Fort Scott High School’s track teams ran into tough competition here Thursday and came away with just nine medals from the Paola Invitational. Neither Tiger team had an event winner. Devin Brooks came closest, finishing second in the boys’ 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:29.33. The winner, Sam Hubert of DeSoto, took the event in 10:07.33...

INDEPENDENCE — Fort Scott High School’s golf season opened in a big way here Thursday. The Tigers finished third to a strong champion from Colgan and a tough Chanute squad. Freshman Nick King finished third individually and, because golfers from non-league school Colgan finished in the top two tournament spots, is the Southeast Kansas League’s top individual following his first high-school meet...

PITTSBURG —Fort Scott High’s softball team cranked out 19 hits in a 23-10 decision over Pittsburg in both team’s first Southeast Kansas League game of the season here Thursday. Only one game was played. The teams will have a rematch at Don Hewett Field at 4:30 p.m. Monday...

Tigers will face Blue Valley North for 3rd today