Mrs. Anita Vernice McCluskey

December 5, 1936 - May 15, 2019

A Celebration of Life service for Anita Vernice McCluskey, will be held Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 2pm, at the chapel of the Willow Funeral Home, LLC. Mrs. McCluskey passed away May 15, 2019 at her home. She was born Dec. 5, 1936 at Dolores, Colorado to Henry V. Gardner and Clara Major Gardner. She graduated from Graham High School in Graham, Texas. On Oct. 15, 1954 she was married to Jimmie Ray McCluskey in Albuquerque, N.M. Being married to a career Air Force Serviceman meant lots of traveling. As an 18 year old bride she was on a ship to Burtonwood Air Force Base in England where she and Jimmie lived for 3 years. Both of her children were born there. Over 20 years as an Air Force wife she lived in California, Michigan, Nebraska, Luzon Island in the Philippines, and finally Missouri. In 1977, Jim and Vernice moved to Willow Springs where they carved out a farm in the area. Vernice was very active in raising her family. Her family saw her as a Vacation Bible school teacher, Girl Scout leader, Sunday school teacher, GA leader or a volunteer in the community that they lived in. Most of her life she was a homemaker, but later she began working as a dental assistant at first volunteering with the Red Cross and later as career. When she wasn’t working, she was an avid gardener. She and Jimmie always had a big garden and she was good at preserving what the garden produced. While Jimmie loved to go fishing, Vernice loved to go camping. Her favorite thing was sitting by the campfire and roasting marshmallows. Even at eighty, her grandkids could count on Granny taking them to the pond to roast marshmallows with them. After moving to Willow Springs, she was active with the Native Plant Society of West Plains, Hutton Valley Neighborhood Watch, and the Hutton Valley quilters. You could often see her at local garage sales buying up material to cut up to make quilt top squares. The quilt tops that she pieced together by hand were then made into quilts by the St. Paul Lutheran Church quilters’ guild and sent to the Lutheran World Relief. Some of her quilt tops were made into quilts to be donated to local organizations to help worthy causes. She cared about conservation and preserving wild spaces to be enjoyed by families and animals alike. She loved the birds that came to her yard and tried to make it a place where they could always find food, natural and from a feeder. She enjoyed the Native Plant Society “hikes.” She learned to identify lots of native wildflowers. She enjoyed pressing flowers with her friends and making her own cards to share. Vernice was very supportive of the Star Theater in Willow Springs. She was very proud of her hometown. She always made time to go to the concerts and plays to show she cared. She is survived by her husband, Jimmie Ray, her daughter, Verna Fuller and husband, Earl, of Willow Springs; 2 grandchildren, Brad Fuller and wife Lisa of Tulsa, Ok., Jessica Zak and husband, Clayton, of Williamsport, In. ; 3 great-grandchildren Andrew Fuller, Sydney Fuller, and Dylan Zak; 2 sisters, Judy Gerstner and husband, Barry of Vero Beach, Fl., and Henrietta Wilson of Toowoomba, Australia. Her parents, her son, Michael Raymond, and sister, Peggy Jean Jaquay preceded her in death. Memorial contributions can be made to the Good Samaritan Clinic in Mountain View, Missouri or Missouri Native Plant Society. Arrangements are under the direction of Willow Funeral Home, LLC. On-line condolences may be left at www.willowfuneralhome.com