Stories from Friday, February 24, 2023

General Manager Eric Arnolds cuts the ribbon in front of the new home of Circle Fiber in Poplar Bluff. The branch will be used as both a sales center and a hub for technological education, according to Arnold and Big Rivers Communications President Kevin Cantwell. Circle Fiber began installing fiber optic internet in Poplar Bluff last year, making residents part of only 8% of Missourians with access to gigabit internet. The office is located at 1347 N. Westwood Blvd...

Clara Eleanor Elizabeth (Martin) Freeman, 92, died peacefully Feb. 14, 2023 at the home of her daughter in St. Louis, Missouri. Clara was born Feb. 11, 1931 in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Raymond and Bess (Grisham) Martin. Her mother died days after her birth. She was raised by her grandparents, Henry and Mary Etta (Lucy) Martin on a farm on the Butler and Ripley County line, near Fairdealing...

Juanita Louise Vester, 91, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, moved peacefully to her Heavenly Home with Jesus Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, from Oakdale Care Center. On a snowy night in Cornwall, Missouri, Juanita was born on Nov. 26, 1931, on a feather bed, to Walter and Daisy Stephens. She was a graduate of Fredericktown High School...

Concepcion “Conchita” Gravseth, 77, of Hudson, Wisconsin, passed away Feb. 19, 2023 at her home in Hudson, after a courageous battle with cancer. Conchita was born on June 22, 1945 in Sevilla, Spain to Manuel and Carmen Juado-Soto. Ernest “LeRoy” Gravseth and Conchita met in Rota, Spain and were united in marriage while LeRoy was stationed in Spain, serving in the United States Marine Corps. ...

As one of my daughters told me, “Heaven gained an angel today” in the passing of 96-year-old Lula Jane (Watson) Moffitt. She passed away peacefully at her home Feb. 20, 2023, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Jane was born Oct. 28, 1926 in Pollard, Arkansas, to Loy R. and Zora May (Underwood) Watson...

Mary Mollie (Wooten) Temple, 93, passed away peacefully Feb. 23, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. Mary was born to George and Beulah Wooten on June 25, 1929 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Her siblings were the late Velma Perry, Bessie Woolsey, Marie Winder, Lora Barnhill, Jesse Wooten, Hazel Mallady, Stella Wooten, Geraldine Carpenter and Alma Jean Gulledge...

Flipping pancakes has been a tradition of Poplar Bluff Kiwanis Club for 85 years. This year’s event will be from 6 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 4, at the Poplar Bluff Junior High School. The first Pancake Day in November 1938, “was all about giving back to and helping children,” said club member Kathy Brittingham. “In 2023, that hasn’t changed. This year we are preparing to install the second phase of the ADA playground equipment at Kiwanis Bacon Park. “...

“I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to serve people while pursuing my career. This was very rewarding to me,” said Vernestine Bounds Kennedy Kennedy’s work ethic and devotion to people blazed trails in Southeast Missouri and the Social Security Administration, where she was the region’s first Black claims representative, operational supervisor and district manager at various offices during her 40-year career. ...

Firefighters responded at 3:01 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, to an unauthorized burn at 934 Park Avenue. According to Capt. Kevin D. Edgar’s report, the fire crew found a pile of trash burning in the residence’s back yard. Edgar made contact with someone in the home and advised them of the city burn ordinance. The firefighters used 20 gallons of water to extinguish the fire...