Curtis
Curtis Allen Dowell, left this Earth on Monday January 3rd in Springfield, MO at 8:30 AM, at the age of 61.
Curt had lead a rich and adventurous life, he was a person to enjoy life to the fullest. He was born December 29, 1960 in Syracuse, KS to Charles & Gaylene Dowell. Curt worked in numerous capacities throughout his amazing life, including at his family’s auto parts store Triple D in Syracuse, KS and most recently at Kime’s Auto Parts in Berryville, AR. His occupation was a second thought to pursuing his real passion of, spending time with his grandchildren and on Table Rock Lake. Curtis moved to Shell Knob, MO on May 7th, 2005 to enjoy life on the lake and time with his parents in their golden years. Anyone who knows Curt knew that he was an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan and enjoyed passionately rooting for the Kansas Jayhawks as well.
When he wasn’t cheering on his favorite teams, he enjoyed spending time with his children, family and friends at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Post# 4155. Joining the FOE on August 16th 2006, he made friends quickly, being a charismatic man who could light up a room and had an anecdote for every story. A man with a heart of gold and a love of cooking delicious food for others, he will be greatly missed.
Curtis is survived by his Mother Gaylene Dowell, Brother Jim Dowell & Sister Rea Czernicki. Curtis had Three Children, his son Austin (Courtney) Dowell, his daughter Saraya (Taylor) Lewis & his youngest daughter Albani Dowell all reside in Southwest Kansas. His greatest achievements are his grandchildren, Bronwyn & Brooklyn Lewis, Remi Dowell and Lucas Cline.
Our entire family wants to extend a heartfelt thank you for all of the prayers and support during his valiant fight, his spirit will live on through all of us. So share his stories and tell his jokes and celebrate the life of Curt!
In accordance with his wishes his body will be cremated and will have a small graveside service Thursday January 13th at 4:00 PM CST in Shell Knob, MO at the Fohn Cemetery. In the words of Curtis “It's not good bye, it is LOVE YOU LATER”!
Donations made in lieu of flowers to Central Community United Methodist Church 25682 State Highway YY
Shell Knob MO 65747
(417) 858-6707 https://www.ccumcshellknob.org/give/
OBITUARIES
James “Bub” McGee
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Richard Helfrich
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Harold Wayne Crawford
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Tia I. (Schmidt) Pennell
Tia I. Pennell passed away on April 21st, 2025 at her home in Olympia, Washington. She was born December 11,1935 to Walter and Zelma Schmidt in Syracuse, KS where she grew up with her five siblings; Eugene, Gano, Gerard, Lorraine & Mickey. She went on to attend Syracuse High... [More]
Elmer J. Simon
Elmer J. Simon, 91, of Augusta, KS, passed away Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Viewing 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. with a Rosary following at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30, 2025 at St. James Catholic Church. Funeral Mass 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 31, 2025 at St. James Catholic Church, Augusta,... [More]
Charles Albert Richardson
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Marshall “Bob” Gordon
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Donald Phillips
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SPORTS
HI-PLAINS ALL LEAGUE
The Hi-Plains League has announced recipients of all-league basketball honors. The selection process begins when individual coaches submit names. The players are then voted on by the other HPL coaches. However, coaches may not vote on their own players. Syracuse High School... [More]
SHS CHEER TAKES SECOND
Small but Mighty! That is the name high school Head Cheerleading Coach, Marcos Valadez put on the 2024-2025 squad last summer, “We may not have the numbers, but our team has overcome adversity and is always stepping up to the challenge.” Proving this, the Syracuse... [More]
BULLDOGS OPEN FALL SEASON WITH FIRST PLACE FINISH IN GOLF
The Syracuse Bulldogs Ladies Varsity Golf Team took first at their season opener in Stanton County on Tuesday afternoon. They shot a team score of 207 at the Prairie Pines Golf Course in Johnson. The varsity team is Lanee Owens, Bronwyn Lewis, Sammy Schwieterman, Maddy... [More]
LEWIS HEADS TO STATE TRACK
Qualifying members of the high school track team traveled to Hill City Thursday, May 16 to compete in the 2-A regional meet against 15 teams, Ellinwood, Ellis, Hill City, Hoxie, Lincoln, Meade, Medicine Lodge, Oakley, Plainville, Smith Center, Stanton County, Sublette, Thomas... [More]
BULLDOGS TAKE SECOND AT REGIONALS - HEADED TO STATE
The Syracuse High School boys golf team battled breezy conditions on Monday May 13 competing in the 2-A Regional meet on their own Tamarisk Golf Course. Adjusting to windy conditions and competing at home paid off for the Bulldogs Monday, placing second, qualifying... [More]
STATE GOLF RESULTS
State golf on Monday had the Varsity Bulldogs miss playing in the finals as a team by one stroke. They finished seventh out of twelve teams. On Day 1, Brody Keller shot a 92 missing day two by two strokes. Ian Brummett shot a 95, Mason Scott and Johnny TeVelde shot... [More]
JH BASKETBALL WINS
Junior High Boys Basketball A, B, and C teams travelled to Elkhart on Monday, November 21. The A team won 41-34, B team won 26-21, and C team lost to Elkhart 13-20. Head Coach Vance Keller said, “Elkhart was a tough win for both the A and B teams but both grinded... [More]
LADY BULLDOGS BORDER WARS CHAMPIONS!!
The Lady Bulldogs were undefeated during the Border Wars, defeating Eads on Friday, 42-7 and Walsh on Saturday 62-5, bringing their record to 3-1. But the winner wasn’t announced until Tuesday evening. Syracuse Athletic Director Josh Johnson explained, “It came down... [More]
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NEWS
Twice The Ice Opens
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Farm Store Opens North of Kendall
Drive ten miles north of Kendall where the blacktop ends, where the dust of the county dirt road flies. Travel a few more miles and on the Kearny County side of the border you will find the Horton Farmstead. Trees, farm equipment, a small backyard playground, barns, and a small,... [More]
Weis Awarded Bronze Star Medal
Syracuse resident Marvin and Janet Weis returned home last week to find a package waiting at their door. Marvin was sure Janet had ordered something online. When they got inside and opened the manila envelope, Marvin was shocked to find he had been awarded the Bronze Star Medal... [More]
GRAMMY D’S SWEETS MOVES TO SYRACUSE
“Since I moved back here, everything is falling into place.” Diena Schwieterman, 1986 SHS graduate made the decision to move home. “As soon as I made the decision, it seems like everything began falling into place.” Diena... [More]
Powerlifters Head to State
Syracuse Bulldogs power lifting successful season is ending with nine athletes qualifying for the state meet Saturday, March 29 in Conway Springs at 9:00 AM CT, 8:00 AM MT. Qualifying are Natalia Figueroa, Stella Simon, Deena Rochat, Angel Peralta, Angel Ramirez, Will Roberts,... [More]
LOCAL WOMAN HACKED ONLINE WANTS TO HELP PREVENT YOU FROM SIMILAR SITUATION
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HOMECOMING NIGHT
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SYRACUSE’S NEW STREET SWEEPER
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OPINIONS
Life in a Smalll Town
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Moments in Time
It’s the last day of school. Another school year has ended. It has had a few challenges but overall a great one. In the last week, we have covered high school graduation, kindergarten graduation, and eighth grade promotion (next week’s paper). High school graduation... [More]
I saw God on Monday
I spent Monday on the road picking up sheep feed and covering the Junior High Hi-Plains League Track Meet. Or in more honest terms, I spent the day running around for my daughter. LOL. It was a busy day filled with great memories. But I spent Tuesday in a... [More]
More Questions than Answers
It is a beautiful, rainy Wednesday morning as I write this. Gentle rains have fallen all over our county, polishing the trees with a shiny luster, washing away the dust and dirt, and giving our crops a push. I tried to take photos of the rain for the newspaper but nothing... [More]
Looking Through Open Eyes
It’s May! April showers bring May flowers! We got rain!! Over an inch in the northern part of the county. In town, I have dandelions. They don’t look pretty. I mow and they still come up. I am torn about dandelions. Dandelions are a healthy, nutrient rich food.... [More]
Finding your Path
We are nearing the end of April. Showers are in the forecast for the next few days. Rain in southwest Kansas is a beautiful gift to be treasured! Life has been crazy, which has become the norm for me. Between sheep, work, my daughter’s track meets, and everything... [More]
Hallelujahs and Headaches
It’s early Wednesday morning at 4:40 AM, as I sit in bed sipping a large cup of coffee writing a few notes on my phone to finish this week’s paper. I walked into church Sunday. I saw the message, Hallelujahs and headaches, and I laughed. That is the theme of... [More]
Let the Light Shine In
It’s bug season in western Kansas. It sounds like drops of rain falling but really it’s bugs hitting your windshield of your car or pickup, and they are a pain to clean off. But they are also a sign of warmer weather here! For a while now, I have been in a funk... [More]
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