Stories from Tuesday, March 31, 2020

A Cedar county resident who has been missing since Thursday, March 26, was found Monday morning and was life flighted to a Joplin hospital. According to Sheriff’s Office officials, dispatch received a report Saturday afternoon of a possible missing person near the area of Zodiac and 2925 Rd in Vernon County. Responding deputies learned that no one had been in contact with the missing person since the previous Thursday afternoon. He was believed be hunting for mushrooms and never returned...

After a standout freshman season, Northeast Vernon County Knights guard Jaxon Prough lost the vast majority of his sophomore campaign to a hip fracture. The setback didn't deter Prough, as he bounced back with strong junior and senior seasons on the hardwood. Despite losing nearly a quarter of his prep career to the injury, Prough was still able to eclipse the 1,000 career point plateau, reaching the milestone on senior night, Feb. 20 in Walker...

Sherry F. Galster, 63, of Nevada, Mo., passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2020, at Freeman Hospital in Joplin. She was born June 29, 1956, to Revis Mack Williams & Billie Dorothy (Goodson) Todd in Little Rock, Ark. Sherry grew up in West Helena, Ark., and lived in Marianna, Ark., for a time. ...

Melva Lea Keithley, 79, Nevada, Mo., passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2020, at her home in Nevada following a lengthy illness. Melva was born Oct. 21, 1940, in Nevada, Mo., to Ralph H. and Doris O. (White) Smith. She was united in marriage to Alfred L. Keithley on December 29, 1961 in Nevada, Mo., and he preceded her in death on July 7, 2005...

Vickie Sue Koehn, 59, Walker, Mo., died on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Private graveside services will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, at the Living Faith Mennonite Cemetery in Walker, Mo. Additional obituary information will be announced at a later time...

Donna LaVaughn (Spangler) Lear, formerly of Sheldon, Mo., 77, passed away in her sleep at her residence near Washington, D.C., after a courageous battle with cancer on March 26, 2020. Since the cancer died along with her, we could call it a “tie." In her last year of her life she checked off many things off her bucket list while fighting leukemia and did it with a beautiful smile on her face. ...

Donna LaVaughn (Spangler) Lear, formerly of Sheldon, Mo., 77, passed away in her sleep at her residence near Washington, D.C., after a courageous battle with cancer on March 26, 2020. Since the cancer died along with her, we could call it a “tie." In her last year of her life she checked off many things off her bucket list while fighting leukemia and did it with a beautiful smile on her face. ...

Melva Lea Keithley, 79, Nevada, Mo., passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2020, at her home in Nevada following a lengthy illness. Melva was born Oct. 21, 1940, in Nevada, Mo., to Ralph H. and Doris O. (White) Smith. She was united in marriage to Alfred L. Keithley on December 29, 1961 in Nevada, Mo., and he preceded her in death on July 7, 2005...

Sherry F. Galster, 63, of Nevada, Mo., passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2020, at Freeman Hospital in Joplin. She was born June 29, 1956, to Revis Mack Williams & Billie Dorothy (Goodson) Todd in Little Rock, Ark. Sherry grew up in West Helena, Ark., and lived in Marianna, Ark., for a time. ...

Vickie Sue Koehn, 59, Walker, Mo., died on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Private graveside services will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, at the Living Faith Mennonite Cemetery in Walker, Mo. Additional obituary information will be announced at a later time...