Mirror, Steelville Star-Crawford Steelville, Crawford Co. MO Local Obituaries for the Week of June 8, 2016 Charles E. Blankenship Charles E. "Jug" Blankenship of Sullivan, Missouri was born on August 5, 1939 at Japan, Missouri to Alva and Elsie (Strothkamp) Blankenship and passed away on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at the age of 76 years. Jug, as he was known by his family and friends, had made his home Japan/Sullivan, Missouri area his entire life and was employed for a time at the former Meramec Mining Company until its closing. Jug then went to work for the Shade Tree Company as a groundsman and worked there until retirement. Jug also owned and work a farm in the Japan, Missouri area for many years, raising cattle on a small scale. His pastime was spent largely by coon hunting and he also enjoyed NASCAR racing. On August 30, 1958 he married Shirley M. Bridgeman at Holy Martyrs of Japan Catholic Church and to this union three children were born. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alva and Elsie Blankenship; son, Brian; brother, Earl Blankenship; and an infancy sister, Mary Theresa Blankenship He is survived by his wife, Shirley of the family home; one son, Charlie A. Blankenship of Sullivan, Missouri; one daughter, Charlene Albright and husband Larry of Bourbon, Missouri; nine sisters, Lois Copeland of Gerald, Missouri, Shirley Burcham and husband Jerry of Sullivan, Missouri, Carol Schlueter of Bourbon, Missouri, Janet Terris of St. Charles, Missouri, Joan Strothcamp and husband Ronnie of Zalma, Missouri, Lana Gauer and husband Danny of Sullivan, Lorene Ransom and husband Mike of Cuba, Missouri, Linda Heuer and husband Marc of Cuba, Missouri, and Lisa Caltry and husband Tony of Japan, Missouri; four brothers, Edgar Blankenship and wife Goldeen of Bland, Missouri, Jack Blankenship and wife Betty, Richard Blankenship and wife Donna and Roger Blankenship and wife Rita all of Sullivan, Missouri; six grandchildren; four great grandchildren; other relatives and friends. Visitation was held from 4-8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 and on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 from 9 a.m. until time of service at the Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, Missouri. Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 from the Chapel of the Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, Missouri with James Eaton officiating. Interment followed in the Holy Martyrs of Japan Cemetery. Arrangements under the direction of the Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, Missouri. Doris Greig Doris Greig of St. James, Missouri was born in Hartsburg, Illinois on June 8, 1933 to Albert and Pauline (Marshall) Lessen and passed away Thursday, June 2, 2016 at the age of 82 years. After graduating from high school Doris went on to receive her Masters Degree in Economics. She began her lifelong career at the Missouri Cooperative Extension as a Home Economist, which she really enjoyed as she was able to work with youth groups in the 4-H clubs around the area. On April 22, 1967 she married Laverne "Dunk" Greig. They moved into a little house in town, where they lived before moving to the family farm. She and Dunk loved living on the farm. They raised cattle and always had a beautiful vegetable garden that she would harvest and can. She also enjoyed the outdoors, taking care of the farm and mowing the lawn. Mowing was the one job on the farm that she wouldn't share. Anyone could help weed the gardens, but she never shared the mowing. After all the farm work was done for the day, Doris would relax with Dunk while crocheting "scrubies." She enjoyed making them and gifting them to family and friends. She was preceded in death by her two brothers. She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Lavern Greig, of the home; sisters, Mary Ann Hindahl, Evelyn Armstron, and Carol Olson of Illinois; sister-in-law, Lucy Greig of Rolla, Missouri; brother-in-law, Jim Greig of Rolla, Missouri; other relatives and friends. Visitation was held Sunday, June 5, 2016 from 4-6 p.m. at the St. James Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary in St. James, Missouri. Funeral services were held Monday, June 6, 2016 at the St. James Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary with Pastor Doug Walter officiating. Internment was in the Adams Cemetery. Arrangements under the direction of the James & Gahr Mortuary in St. James, Missouri. Charles Henry Hadley Charles Henry Hadley of St. James, Missouri was born in Crawford County, Missouri on January 15, 1918 to Valgene and Ina (Cape) Hadley and passed away Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at the age of 98 years. Charles married Evelyn Bell on December 18, 1941 and to this union 17 children were born. They moved to a little farm outside of St. James, Missouri and raised their growing family. He loved being outdoors and enjoyed working in the yard which always included a big garden for Evelyn to can for the long winter months. He enjoyed hunting and often joked about the time he shot his daughter's turkey decoy. He attended church at the St. James Assembly of God Church. He retired from the University of Missouri Rolla where he worked in the Security Department. He is survived by his wife of 74 years, Evelyn Hadley of the home; children, Charles W. Hadley and friend Joan Krulik of St. James, Missouri, Charlotte Knowles and husband Jerry of Rolla, Missouri, Raymond Hadley and wife Gloria of Wright City, Missouri, Gary Hadley and wife Norma of O'Fallon, Missouri, Susie Savage of Rolla, Missouri, Debbie Thompson and husband Rodger of Gilbertville, Pennyslvania, Dennis Hadley of St. James, Missouri, Sherrie King and husband Roy of St. James, Missouri, Tammy Wools and husband Doyle of St. James, Missouri, Angela Kaltenbach and husband Jeff of Wright City, Missouri, Lisa Sherfy and husband Doug of St. James, Missouri and John Hadley of St. James, Missouri; 33 grandchildren; 47 great grandchildren; 12 great great grandchildren; other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Valgene and Ina Hadley; daughter, Patsy Sue Hadley; sons, David Michael Hadley, William Henry Hadley, Gene Arthur Hadley, and Larry Allen Hadley; brothers, Lloyd Wilford Hadley and Clyde Erron Hadley; son-in-law, Edward Savage; and grandchildren, Jason Hadley, Bobby Gene Charles Hadley, and Joshua Douglas Sherfy. Visitation was held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, 2016 at the St. James Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary in St. James, Missouri. Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2016 at the St. James Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary with Pastor Mick Thrasher officiating. Internment was in the Crawford County at the Hibler Cemetery, Pallbearers were Sam Kaltenbach, Brian Hadley, Michael Hadley, Justin Sherfy, J. Meurer and Don Luna. Honorary pallbearers were Roy King, Jerry Knowles, Jeff Kaltenbach and Randall Cahill. Arrangements under the direction of the James & Gahr Mortuary in St. James, Missouri. Annie Bel Harmon Annie Bel (Doyle) Harmon (nee White) was born on Friday, February 7, 1930 in Catron, Missouri to Grant Washington and Alice May (McKee) White and passed away on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at the age of 86 years, 3 months and 19 days. Annie married Willard Doyle in 1951. After his passing she married Ralph Virgil Harmon on January 5, 2002. She accepted the Lord early in life and recently was a member of Evangelical Holiness Church, Cuba, Missouri. She managed a public storage business and enjoyed sewing, making dolls, crocheting, cooking and canning. She was preceded in death by her parents, Grant and Alice White; husband, Willard Doyle; husband, Ralph Harmon; brothers, Virgil White, Billy (Lois) White, Harold White, Clifford White and Carroll White; brother-in-law, Gilbert Fryman; sister, Lottis Fryman; sisters-in-law, Mary White, Laverne White, Laura White and Barbara White; and grandson, Shannon Landers. She is survived by her sons, Eugene (Brenda) Landers of Imperial, Missouri, Bryan (Trisha) Doyle of Clarksville, Tennessee and Michael (Connie) Doyle of Potosi, Missouri; daughters, Pamela (Ronald) Hageman of Clarksville, Tennessee, Charolette (Michael) Black of Harrison, Arkansas and Rhonda (Ronald) Perkins of Steelville, Missouri; sister, Earline (Joe) King of Jackson, Missouri; sister-in-law, Viola White of Alexander, Indiana; 20 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; four great great grand- children; other relatives and friends. Visitation was from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at the Hutson Funeral Home, Steelville, Missouri. Funeral service was at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at the Hutson Funeral Home, Steelville, Missouri with Rev. John Ripley officiating. Burial was at the Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. Arrangements under the direction of the Hutson Funeral Home, Steelville, Missouri. William Wilson Land William Wilson Land of Leasburg, Missouri passed away Friday, May 20, 2016 at the age of 69 years. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Lillian Alice and husband Russell, Dorothy Marie Marsh; a brother, Marin Haley Land; and brother-in-law, Joseph Bishop, Jr. He is survived by his sisters, Shirley Ann Dillon and husband Don of Bourbon, Missouri, Lois Aileen Land of Watauga, Texas and Helen Joyce Bishop of Warren, Michigan; two brothers, Peter Louis Land and wife Kathy of Dayton, Ohio and Donald Land and wife Aiko of San Diego, California; sister-in-law, Wanda (Fernimen) Land; other relatives and friends. Visitation was held from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, 2016 at the Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, Missouri. Memorial funeral services were held on Saturday June 4, 2016 at 2 p.m. at the Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, Missouri. Interment was in the Bourbon Cemetery, Bourbon, Missouri. Arrangements under the direction of the Eaton Funeral Home, Steelville, Missouri. Lisa Lemons Lisa Lemons of Rolla, Missouri was born on July 6, 1968 in Rolla, Missouri to Bill and Betty (Faulkner) Lemons and passed away suddenly on May 27, 2016 at the age of 47 years. Lisa was caregiver at the Country Valley Residential Care Center in St. James, Missouri and she really enjoyed her job and working with the residents. She was very much a people person and loved spending time with family and friends, singing and listening to music, gardening, camping and being in the outdoors. She also enjoyed gardening, horses and reading horror books. She was a big fan of scary movies and watching Dancing With the Stars. She was preceded in death by her father Bill Lemons; step-mother, Sally Lemons; uncle, Howard Faulkner; and mother-in-law, Joyce Talbert. She is survived by Chris Talbert, her common law husband who she has been with since 1999; daughters, Dawn Lemons, of St. James, Missouri and Amber Talbert of Rolla, Missouri; mother, Betty Lemler and step-father Gary, of Colfax, Wisconsin; brother, Michael Simily of Wisconsin; sister, Natasha Jerde, and husband Brent of Wisconsin; grandson, Damion Lemons; other relatives and friends. Visitation was held on Friday, June 3, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the St. James Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary in St. James, Missouri. Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2016 at the St. James Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary with Reverend Don Carson officiating. Interment was at the North Lawn Cemetery and Mausoleum, in Salem, Missouri. Arrangements under the direction of the James & Gahr Mortuary in St. James, Missouri. Ralph Kenneth Pratt Ralph "Kenny" Kenneth Pratt of Steelville, Missouri was born December 7, 1930 in Blue Mound, Illinois to Frank James and Gertrude Edna Prince Pratt and passed away Friday, June 3, 2016 at the age of 85 years. On June 9, 1952 in New Berlin, Illinois he married Edna Lucille Harman. Kenny served honorably in the U.S. Navy. He retired in 1990 after 36 years at Borg Warner. He was a member of the Grace United Methodist Church in Sullivan, Missouri for many years. He was a past member of the Eagles Club and Odd Fellows Lodge in Sullivan. Kenny was a long-time member of the Steelville Country Club. He loved camping and traveled to many states with Edna in their motor home in the 1990's with his brother-in-law, Roy and Helen Harman. He enjoyed playing his guitar to the utmost whether it was in bands, at the Veterans Home in St. James or Gibbs Care Center. Kenny loved to play pool and spending time woodworking and making furniture for his daughters. He was known as a jack of all trades and spent many hours fixing his friends cars. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Gertrude Pratt; one sister, Helen Mae Elsner and husband David; brothers and sisters-in-law, Harry Clements, Roy Lewis Harman and wife Helen, Gilbert Harman, Eldon Harman, Julia Blanton and husband Roy, Ruby Hinkley and Ada Hall. He is survived by his wife of almost 64 years, Edna Pratt of Steelville, Missouri; two daughters, Pamela Pinney and husband Harry and Patricia Pratt, all of Columbia, Missouri; three "adopted" daughters, Regula Harri of Switzerland, Rene Parrett of Steelville, Missouri and Ruth Ann Booker of Salem, Missouri; one sister, Wanda Marie Clements of Springfield, Illinois; brother-in-law, John D. Harman and wife Janet of Bourbon, Missouri; two grandchildren, Ashley Marie Mayer and husband Dustin and John Thomas Marshall; one great granddaughter, Lillian Marie Mayer; other relatives and friends. Visitation was held from 5-8 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, 2016 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home of Steelville, Missouri. Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 6, 2016 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home of Steelville, Missouri with the Family officiating. Special music of "Go Rest High," "Old Violin," "Far Side Banks of Jordan" and "Hey Pretty Girl" was played. Memories were shared by Patty Pratt and Pam Pratt Pinney. Scripture was read by Dustin Mayer and a poem was shared by Harry Pinney. Committal prayer and interment were in the Liberty Cemetery, Steelville, Missouri. Honored to be casket bearers were Don Booker, Blaine Parrett, Lydle Davis, Richard Cassidy, Bill Anderson and Dennis Sandstrom. Arrangements under the direction of the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home of Steelville, Missouri. Laura Ellen Simmerly Laura Ellen Simmerly of Sullivan, Missouri was born on July 27, 1995 at St. Mary's Hospital in Clayton, Missouri to Carla Brown Simmerly and passed away on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at the age of 20 years. Laura was a preemie and shortly after her birth was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. She was the greatest joy to her mom, extended family, caregivers and many friends. She loved people and had a big smile for everyone. Laura enjoyed her bath time, listening to music, especially Elvis; watching movies, her favorites were Blondie and the Sound of Music; and she loved balloons. She touched many lives with her courage. She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Ross Brown; and special friends, Clarence Biermann, Donna Harmon and Ben Bouschert. She is survived by her mother, Carla Brown Simmerly of Sullivan, Missouri; father, James E. Simmerly of Bourbon, Missouri; grandmother, Frances Brown of Sullivan, Missouri; two half brothers, Jimmy and Billy Simmerly of Bourbon, Missouri; aunt and uncles, Darla Dunne and Rick of Gerald, Missouri, Dwayne Brown and Suzette of Sullivan, Missouri, Paula Leppanen and Bill of Sullivan, Missouri, Junior Simmerly and Evelyn of Bourbon, Missouri; cousins, Kyle Brown and Paige Leppanen, both of Sullivan, Missouri; other relatives and friends. Visitation was held from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, 2016 and from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, 2015 at the Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, Missouri. Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, 2016 at the Eaton Funeral Home, Sullivan, Missouri with Pastor Charles Idleman officiating. Interment was in the Champion City Cemetery, Sullivan, Missouri. Arrangements under the direction of the Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, Missouri. Reprinted with permission from the Obituary page of the Steelville Star-Crawford Mirror Web site. http://www.threeriverspublishing.com/ ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/mo/mofiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWebArchives by: Winnie Brooks