In Memoriam

Northwest extends its condolences to the families and friends of these individuals.

Ronald Acord ’68, age 75, of Advance, Missouri, died July 19. He was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a captain in Vietnam. After nearly a decade in logistics and manufacturing for large national companies, he launched his own industrial adhesives business and later retired from the corrugated manufacturing industry. Bob Beeson ’77, age 75, of Riverside, Iowa, died Sept. 20. He taught social studies and physical education while coaching numerous sports in Carroll, Council Bluffs, Treynor and Solon. Paul Boedeker ’60, age 83, of Maryville, died Sept. 13. He served in the U.S. Army reserves and spent 39 years as an accountant and financial analyst in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Utah before retiring with LaRoche Industries Inc. in Atlanta. Daniel Bohlken ’84, age 59, of Shawnee, Kansas, died Aug. 1. He served in the U.S. Army from 1985 to 1987 and founded a wine and spirits distributorship, Valley Beverage.

Matthew Bosisio, age 68, of Seattle, died Sept. 5. He served in the U.S. Air Force and then worked as a newspaper journalist in Portland, Maine; Ruidoso, New Mexico; Roswell, New Mexico; Hays, Kansas; and Richmond, Missouri; as well as a news writer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Peoria, Illinois, and he owned The New Mexico Senior Digest in Albuquerque. He was an associate professor of journalism at Northwest from 1992 to 2005 and then at Augusta State University in Georgia before retiring.

Dr. Patricia Bowers-

Schultz, age 80, of Lenexa, Kansas, died July 13. She was a Northwest faculty member in music from 1985 to 2002. A coloratura soprano, she soloed on national television, toured Europe with Dave Brubeck and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and she sang in New York’s Philharmonic Hall. She also researched, wrote and performed a historical drama throughout the United States and the United Kingdom with her husband, Charles.

David Catherall ’98, age 46, of Bellevue, Nebraska, died April 5. He taught music at Bellevue West High School. Maxine Christensen ’62, age 87, of Carroll, Iowa, died Oct. 12. She taught elementary school for 10 years in Ohio before returning to Iowa. Effie Moffitt Crawford ’50, age 93, of Osceola, Iowa, died July 24. She began her career as a home economics teacher at Osceola High School, where she taught for 41 years, retiring in 1991. She served on several boards and was honored in 1976 as Iowa’s most outstanding home economics teacher. James Davis ’56, age 91, of Overland Park, Kansas, died July 28. He served in the U.S. Air Force. He worked with the Missouri Inspections Bureau and was a property manager on the Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, which led to a 27-year career in sales and sales management with Mead Corporation. David Duvall ’74, ’76, age 68, of Maryville, died May 7. He began his career as a vocal music teacher and then taught electronics and applied physics. Beginning in 1996, he worked at Northwest for 12 years as a project manager and environmental services director. Bob Gragg ’60, age 85, of Bolckow, Missouri, died July 24. He served with the Missouri National Guard and worked for Continental Can, the state of Missouri as an inspector and Energizer Battery. He owned and operated Gragg’s Mini Mart and later DMR Plastics for 20 years. Leona Ringold Greever ’53, age 89, of Stanberry, Missouri, died Aug. 2. She taught in Hopkins and Moberly. Daryl Hane ’72, age 74, of Cameron, Missouri, died Feb. 13. He taught middle school education

and coached in the Cameron R-I School District for 34 years, retiring in 2007. Dr. Harman “Mitch” Hanna Jr. ’68, ’72, age 74, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, died June 20. He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and became vice principal at Savannah High School. He then was principal at Maryville High School for three years, superintendent of schools in King City for four years and superintendent of the Pleasant Hill R-3 School District for 17 years, retiring in 2001. Father Mark Harrington ’72, age 70, of Phoenix, Arizona, died July 12. He served in the U.S. Army as a legal clerk at Fort Sam in Texas. He was ordained in 1979 as a Catholic priest and served within the Diocese of Sioux City (Iowa) and the Diocese of Phoenix. Nancy Salfrank Huffman ’76, age 67, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died Oct. 7. She was assistant director of the River Bluffs Regional Library and authored two children’s books. Loretta Roach Kissinger ’62, age 87, of Maryville, died May 21. She and her husband owned and operated Kissinger Flowers and Gifts in Maryville for 45 years. Elsie Youngberg Lake ’56, age 86, of Mesa, Arizona, died Sept. 15, 2020. She taught in Iowa public schools for several years and then co-owned a business school in Spencer with her husband. Gary Lausch ’70, age 77, of Kansas City, Missouri, died Sept. 6. He had a 37year career with the Social Security Administration and retired in 2018. Lucille Otte Lawrence ’61, ’86, age 81, of Clarinda, Iowa, died Dec. 16, 2020. She taught elementary school in St. Joseph, Missouri, for several years and later dedicated herself to volunteer work. Dr. Arnold Lyon ’60, age 82, of Helena, Montana, died Sept. 14. He was a periodontist in Wichita, Kansas, and Helena, where he and his wife also owned a McDonald’s franchise. Elaine Mallen ’58, age 85, of Kanawha, Iowa, died April 25. She worked at EDS/Meredith Corporation in Clarion for 20 years and was a substitute teacher. Jim Marley ’60, age 83, of Chillicothe, Missouri, died June 14. He taught high school math and science during a span of 46 years at the Roosevelt Naval Base in Puerto Rico, the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Missouri, and at Chillicothe High School, retiring in 2001. Dortha Shupe Martin ’51, ’60, age 94, of St. Charles, Missouri, died May 13. She was a teacher in Grant City and Conception Junction before relocating with her family to St. Louis, where she taught business education courses for more than 40 years, mostly at Forest Park Community College. Ray McClaran ’52, age 90, of Blue Springs, Missouri, died Sept. 18. He began his career as a certified public accountant and became financial vice president and comptroller for Hudson Oil Co. In 1975, he accepted an appointment as a full-time minister with the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and served in various roles until retiring in 1993. He also was a charter member of Battery D, 129th Field Artillery Battalion of the Missouri National Guard, later commanded Company B, 135th Signal Battalion and retired as a captain after 20 years of service.

Byron Myers ’57, age 88, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died July 12. He taught vocal music at Central High School and received the Outstanding Educator Award from the St. Joseph School District. Additionally, he was a small business owner and directed numerous choruses and quartets throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.

Richard New, age 87, of Maryville, died Sept. 14. He was a faculty member in Northwest’s education department from 1967 to 1996. He also served as chair of the former Department of Curriculum and Instruction, coordinator of outreach education, director of library science and director of elementary education.

Martha “Ann” Wilson Nichols ’69, age 73, of Montrose, Colorado died Aug. 3. She spent 43 years as a teacher and coach. Bill Norton ’54, age 91, of Independence, Missouri, died April 7. He taught industrial arts, coached basketball and football at Maryville High School, Union Star High School and William Chrisman High School in Independence. He then was junior high school principal for 22 years.

Paul Patterson, age 78, of Mooresville, Indiana, died Sept. 20. He was an assistant basketball coach at Northwest from 1971 to 1975 and coached in Ohio and Kentucky before moving to Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, where he coached 34 years, retiring in 2013 with 734 wins, 15 league championships and an NAIA Final Four appearance. He is a member of several halls of fame.

Charlotte Brown Poe

’73, age 102, of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, died May 1. In addition to her service as wife of a Methodist minister, she worked with the Head Start Program in Nodaway County and was a substitute teacher in Kansas City, Missouri.

Diana Pope ’07, ’16, age 69, of Maryville, died May 11. She was an adjunct faculty member at Northwest, where she taught labs in geology and geography. Stanley Rock ’70, age 77, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died June 16. He worked at Western Regional Diagnostic Correction Center in Cameron and in St. Joseph as a teacher. Janice Eilts Rosenquist ’61, age 83, of Bellevue, Nebraska, died Aug. 16. She taught at elementary schools in Omaha and then was librarian at Burken High School and Swanson Public Library in Omaha. Later, she became a church secretary and preschool teacher. Roger Schraufek ’61, age 84, of Columbus, Georgia, died Aug. 30. He worked in pharmaceutical sales in Fargo, North Dakota, and then became a registered nurse at the Fargo VA Hospital until his retirement. Dorothy Harvey Sheets ’53, age 95, of Bethany, Missouri, died April 11. She retired in 1990 after 42 years as a business teacher. Richard Spiegel ’70, age 73, of Hamburg, Iowa, died Aug. 15. He was a farmer and operated Spiegel Farms. Dr. Phyllip Standlea ’60, age 86, of Raymore, Missouri, died April 15. He served in the U.S. Army as a medical technician stationed in Aurora, Colorado. He was an educator from 1960 until 1987, mostly as a biology professor at Longview Community College. He then became director of instructional services for Metropolitan Community College, retiring in 1996 but continuing part-time until 2002. Dick Thomson, age 81, of Overland Park, Kansas, died June 8. He was member of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors from 2008 to 2013 and loyal supporter of Northwest. He practiced law in Maryville with the Beavers, Thomson & Beavers Law Firm and retired as president of Nodaway Valley Bank in 2004. Clarence “Lee” Triplitt ’61, ’71, age 89, of Mesa, Arizona, died April 14. He was a band director in Skidmore, Missouri, and in Leon, Woodbine, Iowa Falls and Jesup in Iowa, during a 40-year career.

John Viau, age 51, of Maryville, died April 12. He was employed at Northwest for more than 20 years as a painter, maintenance staff member, carpenter supervisor and sustainability coordinator.

Dr. Roger Von Holzen

’87, age 68, of Maryville, died Aug. 9. He retired from Northwest in spring 2020 as an associate professor of computer science and information systems after 33 years of service to the University. He was the first director of Northwest’s Center for Information Technology in Education (CITE) from 1999 until 2013. He also served in the roles of director of textbook services and vice president of information systems.

Jo Ellen Wilson ’53, age 90, of Louisville, Colorado, died May 15. She began her career in student housing management at the University of Northern Iowa and retired after 25 years with the University of Colorado Housing Department. Janice Wright ’64, age 84, of Des Moines, Iowa, died Aug. 28. She worked in microbiology for 38 years and then volunteered for 10 years as an advocate for victims of violence. Julie Burk Yepsen ’77, ’81, age 65, of Jefferson, Iowa, died Oct. 12. She taught in Pleasant Hill, Jefferson and Havelock-Plover schools.

LET US KNOW

If you learn of the death of a Northwest graduate, please submit in writing or via news clipping the name of the deceased (and maiden name, if appropriate), year(s) of graduation from Northwest, date of death, age, city of death, city of residence and a brief listing of career accomplishments. In addition, submit your relationship to the deceased and your daytime telephone number to the Office of University Advancement, 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468-6001, or email alumni@nwmissouri.edu. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.