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People we remember
Biographies are where we share about family & friends to connect with others who remember them.
Kathy Pinna:
Richard Joye Baker was born on October 5th, 1863 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Benjamin Baker (1819 - 1867) and Ann (Joye) Baker (1837 - 1866) and he had a brother, Benjamin Baker.
Richard Baker married Honora (Curtis) Baker (1863 - 1921) on May 21st, 1884 in South Melbourne, Australia and they had children Annie Joye (Baker) Griffith, Adelaide Catherine (Baker) Noyes, Albert Otway Baker, Queenie Norah Cliffy (Baker) Graham, Ernest Frank Baker, Arthur Valentine Baker, Beryl Floris Doreen (Baker) Cameron and Richard Joye Benjamin Baker.
In 1923, Richard married Beryl Floris Doreen (Baker) Cameron and they were married until he died.
He belonged to Masonic Lodge Dromana.
Daniel Pinna:
"11/10 - 11/11/19 was a great new experience for me. I was in Bakersfield at a recording studio called River Theatre at 1213 North Chester Ave in Oildale (Bakersfield) CA working on a new company with new business partners. The River Theatre opened in September 1939 and then closed around 1964/1965. It became a recording studio for Buck Owens from 1968 until 1992 when a number of artists like Johnny Cash recorded. It then became an independent recording studio from 1992 until it closed in April 2008. Since that time a new friend of mine has utilized the location for him and his band.
It was my 1st time to Bakersfield and one of my longer drives. I've only driven once longer than that and that was the time my father and I drove from San Jose to Los Angeles over to Phoenix Arizona to visit my grandmother in Sun City."
Kathy Pinna:
Philip Miller was born on March 2nd, 1919 in Caldwell Township, Iowa to Charles Edward Miller (1865 - 1931) and Laura Ellen Rash (1884 - 1924) and he had siblings Goldie, Gladys, William, Edward, Mary, Hazel, Peter, Mabel, Edith and Laurel.
Philip married Loshia Idella (Holladay) and they had a daughter, Phyllis Knapp.
Jennifer (Hutton) Goertler:
She was my grandma Trudie's big sister. Always referred to as "Kate". After their mother died, my grandma, as a teenager, lived with her and husband at the time, Lawrence Slonaker, in McMechen, WV. She had some psychological issues, and I know she spent a lot of time in facilities for those issues. Her and Lawrence were divorced, and the trail ran cold for information regarding her life after that.
Brittany Harp:
My first love - We were just kids, really—young, unformed, and trying to figure out who we were. He was caught up in basketball, hanging out with his friends, and staying close to his mom, who lived right next door. I, on the other hand, was chasing something deeper, something more. But instead of finding it within myself, I searched for it in him. That pressure—on both of us—slowly made me insecure, and I unfairly put a lot of blame on him for things I didn’t yet understand about myself.
After we broke up, I didn’t know how to handle the pain of rejection. I lashed out. Even then, he still showed me a quiet kind of support, in his own way. A week before he was murdered, he called me late at night, crying. If you knew Matt, you know how rare that was. He always wore a half-smile and could turn any moment into a laugh. I can’t even recall a time he was truly angry.
That night, his voice cracked as he told me he had done something awful. I thought maybe he’d been drinking. I tried to get him to open up, but all he said was, “They’re going to come for me.” He never told me what he meant. The next day, we went out to eat like nothing had happened. He smiled, laughed—acted like the call never happened. I still think about that day. Could I have done something? Could I have saved him?
A week later, Matt was shot and killed on the front porch of the home we once shared. The truth came out later—he had fired a shot at John’s house, and John retaliated. But anyone who knew Matt knows he wasn’t that kind of person. He was pushed into it. John had stolen from him, and Matt’s own friends had started calling him soft. But I was there. I saw it all. Matt wasn’t a vengeful person. When people hurt him, he usually just cut them off.
But this time was different. He was surrounded by people who fed into the worst parts of the situation. He got pulled into a mess that was never truly his. And no matter what anyone said, I don’t think he saw a way out.
After his death, the pain didn’t stop. People seem to forget, but Matt’s mother later died by suicide, and his stepfather overdosed not long after. His uncle Ronney was never the same. And me? I was left terrified and broken, carrying the weight of a loss I never really got to process.
Matt had such a bright soul—gone far too soon. I just wish I had one more day. Just one more moment for him to meet my son… and see the family that still carries a piece of him. Love you Matt!! Brittany Harp
Colleen Stanley:
Bob was my dad. I only had a handful of years with him toward the end, but it was enough to know that he loved my younger brother and me. Hopefully he knew that we loved him, too. I know from all of the stories that have been told to me over the years that he was an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers who also enjoyed watching college basketball, participating in our church’s bowling league, and making what would today be called “dad” jokes. His love for family and friends was also boundless. Whether it was a sibling, in-law, someone for church, etc., he was the first one who would come up with a plan to meet any needs that arose - anything from donating cases of baby food to our pastor after an accident to sneaking full-sized replacement appliances into the homes of both my mother’s sister and his own. My goal is to carry on the best parts of my father’s legacy and honor his memory with my life.
Randall Hedrick:
Mentor / Boss / Friend - I met Bill in 1977 when I went to work for Pamida Discount Center in Atchison, KS. He was the Store Manager's District Manager. Got to know Bill over the next couple of years as I was promoted. Eventually he promoted me to an Assistant Manager's job in Maryville, MO and gave me my own store in 1981 in Kingman, KS. My store was bought out by Gibson's Discount Center in late 1982 and I was able to return the favor and helped get Bill a job with Gibsons at a higher pay scale. He retired with Gibsons in Dodge City. I lost track of Bill in 1984 and never had the opportunity to thank him for helping me early on in my working career before leaving that life behind and going to college. Thank you Bill for everything -- I always admired you and appreciated you. Wish we could have stayed in touch. RIP in Heaven with your beautiful wife Rosie.
Adena Harmon:
John was partner to Farrell. Both were great friends during a time when the world felt “crazy fun.” Every year, Razzle Dazzle was one of the most exciting times and I've been reflecting on those years a lot lately. Friends from New Mexico, Colorado, and Michigan would arrive in town, and Linda and I would host unforgettable parties.
Since you loved nursing, Linda and I were honored to have thrown a MAS*H-themed party. There were hot air balloon rides in Taos, and our favorite moments were dining at The Steak Out, watching the sun set between two mountains while a young man strummed his classical guitar.
John, you were a special guy. I mean—what girl could truly say she’d lived if she didn’t know who Divine was?
I would’ve crossed the desert barefoot just to make sure you and Farrell were safe. We faced too many dangerous haters each time we left a restaurant, a club, or a theater. Nights we would kiss and bandage wounds of our neighbors. But in the end, it wasn’t the crowds that stopped us—it was the fear of AIDS that brought everything to a halt.
And your diagnosis was devastating. But you managed to care for your sweet mom until she passed. You were truly a blessing.
In time we become hand-holders, caregivers, storytellers—whatever it meant to be the hands of Christ in our community.
I will carry our friendship with me to the other side.
Kelly Rusinack:
Frances was my next door neighbor for 11 years - In 1972, when I was 7 years old, my parents bought the house next door to Frances and Mary. We got to know them as my parents would look after some of their chores and do some errands for them. Frances was always so nice to us! Now that I'm an adult, I wish I had gotten a chance to get to know her on a more personal level. As a kid, I appreciated her stories (I was a future historian, I loved listening to older people's tales), but I had too much energy to sit still for too long. Frances was a saint for caring for Mary the rest of her life. I know we felt that, even as kids. I hope she knew that our family truly cared about them. This is going to sound absolutely silly, but in the 1970s' UFO & Big Foot scares, I had plans that, if anything happened in our neighborhood, first we'd go save Frances and Mary, and take them along with us as we escaped. They were part of our "zombie apocalypse" plans. Somewhere in my brain, I still have those plans to save the Valosiches in case of alien invasion.
Linnea Wells Cashmore:
Memories of my Dad, Delbert Martin Riepe. - My Dad had a hard life likely all of his life, though I don't know a lot of his childhood years. I do know that he always wanted to be a farmer, which Dad pursued for many years though true success at it eluded him. He loved his wife and children and always brought his paycheck home for us. He was a quiet person most of the time, but loved to chat, joke and laugh in social situations with extended family and friends. My cousin Steve once confided that Dad was his favorite uncle because of his entertaining sense of humor. Also, Dad loved to tease Mom and get her to laugh, which all of us kids enjoyed. When my Dad got cleaned up with the help of Brylcreem and Old Spice shaving lotion, and dressed up in his best clothes I always thought he was so handsome, resembling Ronald Reagan. Those occasions were rare because he worked from sun-up until past sun-down, coming home exhausted. I don't think Dad got the full respect he should have gotten from we three kids while we lived at home, in part due to the hold that alcohol had on him which sometimes caused problems at home between him and Mom. I'm sure our neglect must have hurt him. Dad stuck with all of us, and I'm very grateful for that, especially since Mom loved and really needed his help once her early-onset Alzheimer's Disease showed up. When Dad and I parted in 1975, we didn't know we'd never see one another again in this life, but that's what happened. He's living in Heaven with Mom.
Lizzy Canedy:
This is a portrait of my great-grandmother Eva Alice Canedy (nee Call). She was William Floyd Canedy's mother. I don't know much about her as my grandfather didn't know much either but she's a lovely looking woman who died far too young.
I was lucky enough to this photo negative, which itself was a copy made of the daguerreotype in the 1980s, in my family's collection. Even luckier to have a transparent media adapter attachment of a flatbed scanner. This is perhaps the first time this photo has been viewed in almost 40 years, and I'm happy to get to share it with the world.
Lizzy Canedy:
tagged Eva Alice (Call) Canedy in this photo.
Mark Musser:
Mark Musser - I was a friend of Laurie's back while we were both attending LSU Shreveport during the '80s. I last saw her in 1996. We went out a few times, but were mainly friends. I recall her as a kind but somewhat melancholy person. We had lost contact after '97, and I called her mother around 2008 and learned of her passing in 2006. Rest in Peace, Laurie. I haven't forgotten you.
Jo Ann Farris:
Dr. James Russell Murphree, Sr., age 76, of Ozark, died Monday evening, October 17, 2011, in Dale Medical Center.
Funeral services will be 2:00 P.M. Thursday, October 20, 2011, from Ozark Baptist Church with Reverend Dr. Steve King, Reverend Bill Hix, and Reverend Greg Aman officiating. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Memory Gardens, Holman Funeral Home of Ozark directing. The family will receive friends Wednesday at the funeral home from 5:00 P. M. until 7:00 P. M.
Dr. Murphree was born September 30, 1935 in Montgomery, Alabama to the late Eony Russell Murphree and Elma Scarborough Murphree. He grew up in Prattville, Alabama, graduated from Autauga County High School in 1953, from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1957, and from the University of Alabama School of Dentistry in 1960. He practiced dentistry for 51 years, was a member of the American Dental Association, the Alabama Dental Association, a past member of the Academy of General Dentistry, was a member and served as a past President of the Third District Dental Society. Dr. Murphree was a member of Ozark Baptist Church and the Coed I-A Sunday School Class. He was a member of the Ozark Jaycees, an avid Alabama fan, enjoyed gardening and going to the beach. Dr. Murphree served as a dentist in the United States Air Force for two years. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Dr. Jerry Eony Murphree.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Anderson Murphree of Ozark;
one daughter, Millie Murphree Brinyark of Berry, Alabama;
two sons and daughters-in-law, Dr. James R. Murphree, Jr. and wife, Amber of Ozark, Dr. Andy Murphree and wife, Leigh of Hanson, Kentucky;
one sister and brother-in-law, Mollie and Fred Jones of Guntersville, Alabama;
one brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Christine Murphree of Columbus, Georgia;
one brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Dr. Louis Anderson III and wife, Ruth of Waverly, Tennessee;
nine grandchildren, Tanner Brinyark, J. P. Brinyark, Helen Elizabeth Brinyark, Tyler Brinyark, Clayton Brinyark, Lorelei Murphree, Lillian Murphree, Jax Murphree, and Aubree Murphree.
Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Ozark Baptist Church, 282 South Union Avenue is on the Holman Funeral Home website: