Wilma "Jean" Porter went to be with her Lord and Savior on March 9, 2023 at Heart of the Ozarks Healthcare, Ava, MO.  She was born on October 12, 1932 to Everett & Anna (Myers) Hicks in Ava, Missouri. 

Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at Girdner Cemetery starting at 10:00

A complete obituary will follow.

Donna Klessig, 84, passed from this life March 2, 2023, at Mercy Hospital, Springfield, Missouri.  She was born on February 17, 1939, to Fred and Dorothy (Mueller) Nienow in Edgar, Wisconsin.

Donna spent many hours with crafts.  She enjoyed sewing and quilting especially.  Donna was also very involved with her church Trinity Lutheran Church, in Mountain Home, Arkansas.  Donna also liked to travel and to see the wonders that God made.

Donna is preceded in death by her husband Gerald Klessig, her parents, 3 grandsons, Scott Andersland, Nathan Andersland, and Danial Klessig.  She is also preceded in death by her brother Allen Nienow.

Left to miss Donna are her children, Debra and Michael Andersland, Pamela and Scott Powers, and Matthew and Rachel Klessig.  She will also be missed by her grandchildren, Megan and Elliott Zink, Joel Andersland, Emily and Dallas Zink, Abigail Powers and David Lang, Elisabeth and Caleb Rozeboom, Jacob Klessig, Isaac Klessig, Clara Klessig, Sarah Klessig, Anna Klessig, Emma Klessig, Luke Klessig, and Ruben Klessig.  Donna will also be missed by great-grandchildren, Deborah Zink, Miriam Zink, Margaret Zink, Samuel Zink, and Danielle Zink.  Many other family and friends will miss Donna in their every day lives.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at Ava Family Funeral Home, Ava, Missouri starting at 2:00 PM. Visitation will be held from 1:00 PM until service time. Burial will follow in the Loftis Cemetery in Ozark County.
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All arrangements are under the care of Ava Family Funeral Home

​Donna Klessig, 84, passed from this life on March 2, 2023 at Mercy Hospital, Springfield, Missouri. She was born on February 17, 1939 to Fred and Dorothy (Mueller) Nienow in Edgar, Wisconsin.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday March 11, 2023 at Ava Family Funeral Home, Ava, Missouri starting at 2:00 PM. Visitation will be held from 1 until service time.

Burial will follow int he Loftis Cemetery.

A complete obituary will follow. 

​Leroy Charles Higgins, l0l years, 2 months, 27 days old, passed away on February 20, 2023 at Cox Health, Springfield, MO.

Leroy was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 24,1921 in Stewartville, Minnesota to Ernest Higgins and Lily (Wallace) Higgins. He was the third child of six children.

It was a struggle farming in Minnesota and Leroy remembers his older brother, Gilbert, saying "Lotta work ado". Before their fourth child arrived, Ernest and Lily moved back to Wisconsin, so Leroy grew up near Stevens Point, Wisconsin. His parents did a variety of jobs to survive. They had a large garden and Ernie delivered milk and dairy products to the doorsteps of folks on his route. He was a painter and did other handy jobs. Lily made donuts and Gilbert took them to Stevens Point and sold them for 25 cents a dozen.

Leroy and his siblings invented toys they made for themselves by finding old buggy wheels and scraps of metal in the local dump. He was especially skilled at making a button on a string sing and hum. In later years, he shared this same toy with his great grandchildren.

Leroy graduated from 8th grade in 1937. Later that year he and his younger brother, Maurice, started jumping trains and went to see the U.S.A. They loved going west and south. They returned home to do heavy jobs on the farm, then they were off again for more adventures. They survived by offering to work at any job in exchange for food and shelter. The brothers were naturally sociable and made many friends. They learned how to do unusual jobs from mining with dynamite in Kingman, Arizona, to herding sheep onto train cars in Casper, Wyoming. As they got older, they also learned to work for pay. Leroy got a dollar a day for working in the mine and loading sheep. This was Leroy’s life after 8th grade until 1943.

World War II started and all three brothers served their country. All three returned home after serving. Leroy joined the Navy in August of 1943 and was stationed in the Pacific Ocean on the USS Midas (ARB-5), Auxiliary Repair Battleship. He was in charge of and maintained eight welders. At one time, he made repairs on the USS Missouri. The ARB-5 came in quickly to repair ships that were having troubles and then quickly got out of the way. During furloughs, the sailors visited the people in the Philippines and relaxed.

In 1946, after the war, Leroy came back to Wisconsin. His (soon-to-be) sister-in-law, Joyce Stein, introduced him to her beautiful friend, Charlotte Kaudy. He was immediately in love. They were married on May 3,1947 in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.

Leroy and Charlotte farmed in Wisconsin and were blessed with three lovely daughters, Sandra, Susanne and Diana.  They had goats which they milked and Leroy worked at the cheese processing plant near the railroad. However, he never stopped dreaming of finding a farm farther away from the cold northern winters of Wisconsin.

In 1954 he and Charlotte packed up all of their belongings, piled them on their farm wagon and pulled it from Wisconsin to Lincoln, Nebraska. There they left Sandra and Susanne with Leroy's sister Pearl and her family so that the girls could attend school while he, Charlotte and little Diana explored the farmlands in Oklahoma, Missouri and Northern Arkansas. Eventually they found the perfect farm on Hunter Creek in Douglas County, Missouri.

On the first Sunday in December 1954, Leroy left Lincoln, Nebraska at 2:00pm. He was driving his1949 grey Ford tractor with the red front loader and pulling the hay wagon with all of the family's belongings. He drove and slept until 9:00am Thursday, when finally, he arrived at the new farm. He put the geese in the chicken house with a large tub of water and a bunch of corn. He parked the tractor and wagon full of belongings in the barn. As it happened, a worker from the new electric company was there working on the meter. He took Leroy back to Ava where he caught a bus to Springfield and then on to Lincoln. Soon he returned with his family to their new home, which became his forever home.

With his tractor Leroy was able to make friends quickly. He plowed fields for close neighbors and even folks on the other side of Ava.

Gradually, Leroy and Charlotte acquired and raised a herd of beautiful Holsteins. There was a lot of hard work milking cows and farming. They were thankful for the neighbors who helped with the silage, and in turn they returned the favor for the neighbors.

While raising their daughters and milking cows, they also raised a large garden. During the summer months relatives from far away would come to visit and enjoy the sweet corn from the garden. They also enjoyed swimming in Hunter Creek.

In the early 1960 Leroy planted three acres of cucumbers in a field across Hunter. The neighbor children helped Sandra, Susanne and Diana pick cucumbers early in the mornings. He paid them by the bushel. In the afternoon, he drove the load of cucumbers to Springfield in his Dodge pickup to the pickle factory.

When the girls grew-up they eventually sold the cows and did some traveling. They returned to Wisconsin and then on to Arizona and California to visit family and friends. They also visited Yellowstone National Park.

After awhile they realized they needed to farm again. They soon had a sizeable beef cattle herd. This required hours of labor putting up hay for the winter, which they did well into their 70s.
From the road it is impossible to miss seeing the two spring-fed ponds Leroy dug. He acquired friends by having those ponds stocked with fish, as Charlotte acquired friends while working at the community center in Ava.
 
In the 1980's without any way to cool the house during the summers, Leroy noticed the cool stream of air coming from the wet-weather spring on the side of the hill. He dug around and realized it was a small cave. Being industrious, as usual, he dug out and built a small room which he lined with concrete and closed in with a roof and door.  After that, he spent hot afternoons on a cot in the cave house, thus the origin of man cave.  Whenever the grandchildren come they love to see the cave house. Eventually Leroy and Charlotte got a heat pump that cools  in the summer, consequently the cave is now home to spiders and bats.

Before acquiring the heat pump, he dug out and built a basement under the house. Originally it was just a small basement for storing canned goods and processing home-made root beer. He dug out the dirt and used it to build up the edges of the pond. He also put in new timbers to help support the floor. Gradually he had a full basement under the house.

Meanwhile, every year he raised a large garden of peppers, green beans, squash, corn, tomatoes, and more. Charlotte no longer canned the vegetables because they acquired a large freezer and she froze all the extra food for winter eating.

On October 24, 1990, Leroy purchased and installed an outdoor wood burning water circulating Hardy Furnace. Every year he stockpiled wood for the winter. After his heart attack in 2005, he was grateful for his son-in-law, Verl Smith, who kept him supplied with wood, and his grand-son-in-law, John Rode, who stepped in to help. To this day, the Hardy is puffing along thanks to his grandson-in-law, Darren Wright.
In 1998 Leroy wanted to protect Hunter Creek from erosion so he started using USDA and DNR programs to help him achieve his goals.

His conservation practices were noticed and he was designated a Demonstration Farmer in July 1999 and hosted a Watershed Project Field Day on the farm. More than 70 people attended. Leroy demonstrated his tree planting practices and allowed the people to view his trees and see how they were stopping erosion. By 2008 he had planted thousands of trees and still at the age of 86 his granddaughter AdriAnn and her husband John and their children along with Verl and Sandra and Leroy's neighbor, Eugene Ritter, came to help Leroy and Charlotte plant more trees on the hill across Hunter creek. Now in the winter the walnut and pine trees that took root are visible from the road. One day recently Leroy's grandson-in-law, Darren Wright, took him across the creek to inspect the trees. Despite failing eyesight, he never stopped caring.

Leroy and Charlotte had many friends. He especially enjoyed going to steam tractor shows with Ray Fritz. They shared memories of farming in the cold north where they lived in their younger days. Ray and Vi Fritz's family have been special to Leroy and Charlotte. Their daughter Darlene is a dear friend of Leroy and Charlotte's first granddaughter, Angela. It was Angela (Epps) Wright and her husband, Darren, who came to care for Leroy as he was 99 and needed a little help approaching 100. With the family’s care, he achieved 101 plus.

Leroy's 100th Birthday celebration spread out for over a week. Everyone who came had their pictures taken with Leroy in front of a huge 100th Birthday Banner Angela hung in the sunroom. All of the pictures were posted on a special Facebook page for everyone to enjoy. Many family and friends also posted greetings. Also on Old Ava Facebook page Leroy received over 200 likes, over 100 comments, and many shares.
The year between his 100th and 101st birthdays was a time of slowing down. He caught Covid 19 in June despite being vaccinated. He survived, but never fully recovered.

More people came for his 101st birthday. He was able to see and hug his youngest great grandchild, Kennedy Parks and his youngest great-great-grandchild, Millie Byrne.  Of course, there was another huge banner and more pictures.
Leroy was preceded in death by his spouse of 74 years, Charlotte (August 9, 2021), by his parents, by all three sisters, Valerie Smith, Pearl Wallace Decker and Doris Hunt, and his brothers Gilbert and Maurice Higgins, and two nieces and a nephew.

He is survived by his three daughters: Sandra Smith (spouse Verl Smith of Ava, Mo), Susanne Hester (spouse, Larry Hester of Springfield, MO), Diana Parks of Ava, MO.

Seven grandchildren: Angela Wright (spouse Darren Wright), Karri Gutierrez (spouse Steven Gutierrez), AdriAnn Rode (spouse John Rode), Jason Smith (spouse Jennifer Smith), Joseph Parks (spouse Mary Parks), Jennifer Parks (Andrew Jones) and Franklin Parks (spouse Kylie Parks).

One step-grandson Richard Hester (spouse Rebecca Hester).

Sixteen Great Grandchildren (listed chronologically):
Gregory Pope, Courtney Pope (Jon Byrne), Chloe McKee (Alex Salgado), Bailey Smith, Troy Smith, Elijah Smith, Matthew Gutierrez, John (Jack) Rode, Michael Gutierrez, Jayce Smith, Macaleb Gutierrez, Hailey Jones, Cohen Smith, Cameron Jones, Penelope Parks and Kennedy Parks.

Four step-great grandchildren:
Spencer Rode, Dean Hester, R. J. Hester and Tristan Hester.

Three great-great grandchildren:
Gunner Burns, Maisy Byrne and Millie Byrne.

And many nieces and nephews. He loved them all and they all loved him.
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A memorial celebration of life service will be held in April.
Cremation services are provided by Ava Family Funeral Home. 

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Judy Mathes finished the trail ride of life on February 16, 2023 at her home west of Ava, Missouri  She started her trail ride on January 29, 1944, in Daily Colorado, with parents Richard and Audrey (Lambert) Hadeen.   

Judy’s trail ride of life would bring her to the Ava, Missouri area where she would meet Donald Mathes.  On August 19, 1962 Judy and Donald were married in Springfield, Missouri.  Judy’s trail ride went far and wide while traveling with Donald while he was in the military
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Judy would see that she did not ride alone on the trial ride of life.  She shared her love of horses with all that knew her.  She would spend many hours showing others how to ride and how to win horse shows at the Missouri Foxtrotters Horse Breed Association shows and the area saddle clubs.  She would spend countless hours with her nieces, great nieces, and others with the love of horses to see that her knowledge would be passed on.

Judy’s trail ride was at times sad these included when she was preceded in death by her husband, Donald, and her parents.

Judy has left many to continue her ride those include her son Doug (Elizabeth) Mathes in San Antonio, Texas one grandson, Zachary.  Judy will also be missed by her brother Jerry Hadeen and sister Debbie Thurman.  Judy will also be missed by those 3 nieces and 2 nephews, 9 great nieces, 9 great nephews, 2 great-great nephews, 1 great-great niece and many other family friends and fellow riders.

A memorial service will be held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to St. Jude's Research Hospital. (See link below)
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Cremation arrangements are being handled by Ava Family Funeral Home. 

Beverly Ann Adam was born May 16, 1938, in Athol Massachusetts.  Beverly died in her home surrounded by family on January 15. 2023. 

Beverly is preceded in death by her parents Warren and Ethel (Doe) Britt, her husband Roger Adams Sr., daughter June Brazeal, and grandsons Michael (Bud) Brazeal and Roger Adams III. 

Beverly is survived by her daughter Virginia Turley, son Roger Adams Jr, son Scott Adams, and daughter April Adams. She is also survived by many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even great-great grandchildren.  Many other family members and friends also survive Beverly. 

Beverly mainly did secretarial work during her lifetime, she was also was a Silver Sneakers instructor.  Beverly graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the age of 78 to show her grandchildren you can do anything you set your mind to. 

Beverly was known for her strong will and her can-do attitude. Beverly had a very strong Christian faith and one of her favorite things to do was use her voice to serve the Lord.  She believed music was good for the soul and even brought karaoke to the Senior Center most Thursdays.

For those that did not have a grandmother, Beverly was happy to step in, sometimes with a plate of cookies, a cup of hot cocoa on a snowy day or her famous chocolate mayonnaise cake.  She loved to bake and occasionally baked a cake for Jesus’ birthday.  Beverly made lap quilts and if she knew you wanted one you were sure to get one.  She made on for Sherry, a family friend, and made sure it was delivered.  She then heard Don, Sherry’s husband, wanted one and hurried to get it finished so he would not get in trouble for “quilt-napping”.  She said it was not perfect, but it was perfectly finished.  Just like Beverly’s life not perfect by perfectly finished. 

Funeral services for Beverly will be held on Friday, January 20, 2023 at Ava Family Funeral Home in Ava, Missouri, starting at 2:00 PM.  A visitation will be held from 1 until service time.  Burial will follow in the Thornfield House of Prayer Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made to help defray funeral expenses. 
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Ava Family Funeral Home thanks the family for allowing them the privilege to care for the arrangements for Beverly.  

​John Paul Pitts, 82 years old, passed to Heaven on January 1, 2023 at Cox South with his loving family by his side.
John Paul was born on September 24, 1940 to Paul D. Pitts and Modena (Wilson) Pitts. He had 2 brothers, David and Jim Pitts. He grew up in Ava, MO on the family farm.
 
He married Rachel (Fry) Pitts of Almartha, MO in 1960. He often called her his girlfriend of 62 years. Together they had 5 daughters who adored their Daddy: Paula (Kent) Williamson, Pam (Alex) Nole, Kim Pitts, Kristi (Brian) Vinson, and Julie Eiler. John Paul and Rachel had 1 grand-daughter and several grandsons and great-grand children.

​For a time, the family lived in Springfield, MO where John Paul made a career of blue print reading and bridge building. He was a member of Carpenters Local Union 978. He was a Christian and attended Parkcrest Baptist church with his family.
 
After he retired, he, his wife, and their daughters moved back to Ava where he raised beef cattle. He enjoyed farm life…putting up hay, working on tractors, tending to his beef cattle, and collecting antique tractors, especially 2-cylinder John Deeres. John Paul was known for his kindness, unmatched work ethic, wittiness, grit, strong American values, and his love for his family. With age, he developed severe health problems which forced him to slow down. He enjoyed his coffee buddies who he would meet each morning at ¨the office¨ as he would say. Several of those were his good and lifelong friends, Tom Vinson, Jack Ritter, Larry Chance, Rolla Swofford, and others.
 
John Paul was preceded in death by his parents, brother-in-law Prentis Fry, son-in-law Keith Leming, and others.
 
He is survived by his aforementioned family and many other family members and friends. Though our hearts ache for him, he will be forever in our hearts and countless memories until we meet again.
 
A graveside service for John Paul will be Thursday, January 5, 2023 at 2 PM at Turkey Creek Cemetery with Larry Vinson officiating.
 
John Paul will lie in state at the Ava Family Funeral Home LLC, 401 N Jefferson, Ava MO from 11:00 until 4:30 on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.

​Judith Kay Davidson was born on June 2, 1949, in Ava, MO on the family farm to parents Joseph W and Zola (Rippee) Davidson. She gained her heavenly wing on November 17, 2022, in her home with her family at her side.
Judy worked for the Department of Social Services for 19 years. Because of her love for God and children she became a single mother to a little boy that she read about in the Springfield News Leader.  Judy prayed so hard for that little boy that she became his mother for life.
Judy loved God, her children, her grandchildren, her nieces and nephews, her dogs, and horses.  Judy was a true follower of God! Because of her love for God, she has blessed so many people with her preaching, her knowledge of the Bible and her wisdom.  Judy loved spending time with her family but most importantly her grandchildren.  Judy also loved her animals.
Judy is survived by her son Jerry and his wife Jessica, 4 grandchildren: Harley, Jared, Abagail, and Izzabella Davidson all of the home.  She is also survived by 1 brother Joseph Davidson, 5 special nieces and nephews: Daniell Davidson, Shannel Hanney and husband Darrin, Joseph L and wife Jamie Davidson, Reve. Jesse and wife Rocksand Davidson, and preacher Alisha Reynolds and husband Buack.  She is also survived by a host of family and friends. 
She is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph W and Zola (Rippee) Davidson and one sister-in-love Doris that she loved dearly. 
Judy will be greatly missed by her grandchildren, her son Jerry and her special daughter-in-law, Jessica.
Funeral services will be held for Judy on Monday, November 21, 2022, at 2:00 PM at the Ava Family Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 1:00 Pm until service time.  Burial will follow in the Turkey Creek Cemetery.

Jared R. Spurlock entered this life on July 17, 1980. Born to Jeannine Kay Spurlock & Reginald Fred Spurlock. Jared was an active child, and he walked at 8 months old. Many things interested his mind during his childhood, such as He-Man & She-Ra, G.I. JOES, and Marvel Superheros. As he grew, one of his favorite stories in church was Zacchius. He told this story several times at the podium. Jared was a boy scout, and achieved many honors helping his [pack,troop] reach the top of the list regarding several activities, including sharp shooter. Jared also loved to hunt and fish when he was young. Another thing he enjoyed was spending time with all of his Grandparents. He loved them all as they loved him. Furthermore, he played football during the 1994-1995 school year when he was 14 years old. Jared enjoyed time with his mother as she enhanced his English skills. Something they would do for fun is pick a random word out of a dictionary and try to use that word throughout the day. One of his first jobs was working at his family's store, Spurlocks General Store, and construction with Jeff Freeman. Soon, he started adventures in welding beginning at Ava High School, then vo-tech in Mountain Grove followed by Tulsa Welding School and continuing this challenge with the US Army.

Jared was very free-hearted giving anyone in need all he could. He bought a $1 raffle ticket for an $800 gun at Squires Fire Department and his name was pulled out of the hat with the winning ticket. Jared said something along the lines of: I have a gun, so raffle it again. Another chapter in his life was the MS rides. Jared and his neighbor Earl shared these adventures for 2 years. When he was young, Jared enjoyed family reunions and building tight relationships with several cousins such as Jill, Charlie, Crystal, Sarah, Melissa, Dawnelle, Martin, LeAnne, Robbie, and many others. Jared could also ace his test while at the same time napping in class. Jared's enjoyable life came to a screeching halt while serving in the Army from a traumatic brain injury, which he could never fully recover from, even with large doses of medication.

In his adult life, Jared enjoyed seeing his nieces and nephews, and giving them high-fives. Every time he saw his sister, he asked where the kids were. He loved them very much. Jared liked watching movies, especially scary movies and action movies. He really enjoyed trips to Academy, shopping for various goods such as clothing and shoes. He also loved to drink lots of milk and soda. Jared learned to suck down the flavor of a Camel Wide, better than an old-timer. Jared loved when Eunice cooked his favorite steak and cleaned for him. Jared and Eunice grew very close in their 10 years together.

Jared was preceded in death by his grandparents, Dorothy & Fred Spurlock, and Artilla Stone.

Jared is survived by his father, Reggie Spurlock; his mother, Jeannine Spurlock; his stepmother, Eunice Spurlock;his only grandfather Matt Stone; his sister, Regina Hampton; his brother in law, Michael Hampton; his niece, Joslin Hampton; and his nephews, Aaron, Isaiah, and Zachary Hampton.

Services will be held at Ava Family Funeral Home on Saturday, October 8th, 2022, at 10:00 AM for visitation and the funeral will follow at 11:00 AM. The service will be conducted by Pastors Oren Alcorn and Gabe Sharp. Burial will be in Ava Cemetery with military rights being observed.

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Phyllis Ann (Brooke) Girdner was born on February 25, 1949 to Voyne and Willma Pauline  (Plumb) Brooke.  She passed from this life on September 17, 2022 in Yellville Arkansas.  

Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, her son Christopher Paul Girnder, and nephew Austin Brooke. 

She is survived by her son Richard Girdner, grandson Gunner, brother Phillip Brooke, and his family; Preston and Michael grandchildren Trevor, Tyler and Sydney Brooke, Rhett and Brandtly Brooke and Shawn and Kara Brooke.  She is also survived by sister Marcia Davis and husband Harold and her family, Harold, Brooke, Adam, and Peyton.  She is also survived by Aunt Pauline Brooke, Wendy Brooke and many cousins and friends. 

Phyllis' request was to be cremated with memorials being given to the family to help dery final expenses.  No service is planned at this time.

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