Skip to main content

Obituaries

Fontella Ruth Smith, 83, of Bourbon, formerly of High Ridge, died June 1, 2026, at her home. Mrs. Smith grew up and attended school in High Ridge and later graduated from Northwest High School in House Springs in 1960. Devoted to her family, …

Sandra Gail Freese, 62, of Festus died June 3, 2026, at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. Mrs. Freese worked as a manager in the restaurant industry, most recently for P'sghetti’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken. She was a member of the Wom…

James David Plymale Jr., 69, of Arnold died May 27, 2026. Mr. Plymale was retired and had served in the U.S. Navy. He was a member of VFW Post 2184. Born Nov. 12, 1956, in St. Louis, he was the son of the late Lavaughn (Clements) King and Jam…

Kenneth Edward Richardson, 82, of Festus died May 26, 2026, at St. Joe Manor in Bonne Terre. Mr. Richardson was a retired autoworker from the Chrysler Fenton plant and a farmer in the French Village area. He loved his time on the farm tending…

Christine A. Kinkade, 75, of High Ridge died May 31, 2026, in St. Louis. Born Feb. 23, 1951, in London, England, Mrs. Kinkade was the daughter of the late Elizabeth and Jack Ollington.

Dennis Lee Rushing, 76, of Pevely died May 11, 2026, at his home. Mr. Rushing worked as a Truck Driver for LMC Industries and retired after 43 years. He was a lifetime member at Joachim Masonic Lodge for 52 years and Arnold Moose Lodge for 50…

Email Signup

Edna M. Lintner, 90, of Sedgewickville died May 30, 2026, at Riverview at the Park Nursing Home in Ste. Genevieve. Mrs. Lintner was a homemaker and a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. She had a great sense of humor and loved c…

Keith Alan Bauman, 62, of Temple, Texas, died April 29, 2026, at his home. Sergeant First Class Bauman served in the U.S. Army from Dec. 29, 1986, until his retirement on April 30, 2008, completing more than 21 years of dedicated service. He …

Ralph Elmer Meuser, 90, of Dittmer died May 28, 2026, in Fenton. Mr. Meuser graduated from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M) with a degree in chemistry. He served in the U.S. Army in special chemical operations and afterward con…

Bryan Logan Hatfield, 30, of Festus died May 26, 2026, in Crystal City. Mr. Hatfield worked as a roofer and was known for his hardworking spirit and love for his family and friends. He had a passion for life and enjoyed spending his free time…

David Roy Loucks, 89, of De Soto died May 27, 2026, at his home. Mr. Loucks attended Bolivar High School, where he was co-captain of his football and wrestling teams, earning the distinction of undefeated in football in 1952. When he wasn’t o…

Barbara Lois Thorsen, 82, of Imperial died May 19, 2026. Mrs. Thorsen was an Eagles member for 50 years. Born May 21, 1943, in Beloit, Wis., she was the daughter of the late Lois Ellis Wegner and Wallace Wegner.

Purchase an obituary announcement

To arrange for the publication of a paid obituary in the Leader, visit www.myleaderpaper.com/site/forms/announcements/obit, call the office at 636-931-7560 or email news@myleaderpaper.com. The charge is $95 to run an obituary in any one of the three weekly papers or the bi-weekly Eureka paper. Cost to add an additional paper the same week is $35 for each. All obituaries are subject to editing for length and to conform to the newspaper’s standard obituary format.

Michael W. Ford, 76, of Festus died May 29, 2026, at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City. Mr. Ford served in the U.S. Army and owned and operated M&F Trucking in Festus. He retired as an instructor from Nu-Way Truck Driver Training i…

Bobby E. Guenther, 70, of Fletcher died May 29, 2026, at his home. Mr. Guenther worked for Vic Huskey’s gasoline and propane business and later for Universal Flavors. Born Oct. 12, 1955, in Vallejo, Calif., he was the son of the late Billy Eu…

Raymond J. Roesch, 90, of Festus died May 30, 2026, at Scenic Wellness and Rehab Center in Herculaneum. Mr. Roesch served in the U.S. Army. He was a retired machinist with 43 years of service at McDonnell Douglas and Boeing Aircraft. After re…

Nancy Mueller Gardner, 69, of Charlotte, N.C., died May 26, 2026. Mrs. Gardner earned a master's degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix, and in 2017 she was recognized as one of The Great 100 Nurses. She often attended her children'…

Melissa Ann Priest, 66, of Bonne Terre died May 17, 2026, at St. Joe Manor in Bonne Terre. Ms. Priest enjoyed cooking, fishing, camping and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. Born June 25, 1959, in Festus, she was th…

Rosalie L. Cooseman,84, of Arnold died May 15, 2026. Born April 4, 1942, Mrs. Cooseman was the daughter of the late Wilford and Mary (Mossey) Becker.

John Gilbert Williamson, 87, of El Paso, Texas, died May 18, 2026. Mr. Williamson was a 1957 De Soto High School graduate, earning varsity letters in football, track and baseball each year and was captain of the football team his senior year.…

Trula May Skaggs, 94, of Festus died May 24, 2026, at Scenic Wellness Center in Herculaneum. Mrs. Skaggs was a lifelong member of the First Christian Church of Festus. She was a 1950 graduate of Festus High School, where she was the 1950 Fest…

Nathan Allen Thomas, 32, of Imperial died May 21, 2026, in St. Louis. Mr. Thomas was a U.S. Army veteran who served with the 220th Engineers and was deployed with the 294th Engineer Support Company to Djibouti, Africa, in 2023. He loved servi…

Carl Joseph Moormann, 68, of De Soto died May 23, 2026, at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. Mr. Moormann was a 1975 De Soto High School graduate and went on to finish two years at Jefferson College. He was a welder for many years, wor…

Breanna “Jada” Tank, 27, of Festus died May 10, 2026, in St. Louis. Born Jan. 27, 1999, in St. Louis, Ms. Tank was the daughter of Sandy Tank of Festus. She was the stepdaughter of Jamie Hampshire of Festus.

Harry E. Wood, 87, of Imperial died May 26, 2026. A U. S. Navy veteran, Mr. Wood served for four years aboard the USS Willis A. Lee DL-4 out of Newport, R.I. He worked as a typesetter at Skinner and Kennedy, a sales representative at York Typ…