married Dec. 7, 1941 in St. James, Mo to Herschel F. Racer
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Daily Democrat, Clinton MO, Apr 9 2002 - Alice Belle Racer, 87, died Sunday, April 7, 2002, at the Warrensburg Manor Care Center. She was born February 13, 1915 west of Clinton. She is survived by one son, William Eugene Racer of Wichita, Kansas; two daughters, Phyllis Kay Racer of St. Charles and Mary Alice Lyon of Warrensburg; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her husband Herschel, died November 19, 1983. She was a nurse for many years at the Golden Valley Hospital in Clinton. She was a member of the Northeast Baptist Church. Funeral services will be Friday, April 12, at the Northeast Baptist Church. Burial will be in the Englewood Cemetery. - Daily Democrat, Clinton MO, Apr 26 2002 - Alice Racer was a daughter of Henry County. She was born west of Clinton, moved to Clinton when she was a small child, and spent most of her life in Clinton, except for about four years when she was in nursing school and the last few years of her life spent in assisted care in Warrensburg. She spent over 80 years being part of this community. She often shared what she knew about the development of Clinton and seemed to know almost everyone who lived here. She was interested in genealogy and continued assembling the family history her father began. Her interest in Clinton got her involved in the establishment of the Henry County Museum, and various items there reflect her life in this community. Her greatest contribution was the part she played in Clinton's medical community. She spent three years in Kansas City training at General Hospital. Then she went to Chicago for special work in obstetrics and then to Tennessee for public health training. She worked for Dr. J. O. Smith in his office for awhile and then took time off to raise her family. She returned to nursing, which she truly enjoyed, when her children began high school. She was the charge nurse of evening shift at General Hospital in Clinton and then moved to Golden Valley Hospital when it opened. Many residents have received care from her and know she wasn't just a nurse, but a person who loved caring for others. She worked at Golden Valley until about 1979 when her husband became ill and needed her attention. In later years, she was in the hospital to have her hip replaced, and keeping her in bed was difficult because she thought she was there to work instead of receiving care herself. It was fitting that she sold her family home to Twin Lakes Hospice, which continues to provide care for the ill in this community. She also was a regular worker for the Red Cross Bloodmobile when it came to Clinton. She met her husband while she was a public health nurse in southeast Missouri. While parallel parking her new red Dodge, she hit Herschel's truck and they became acquainted as a result. They were married on Pearl Harbor Day as they were driving across Missouri. After being married at a minister's home in St. James, they heard the news that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. They often laughed that more than one war was started on December 7, 1941. When her husband joined the military, she moved to Harrisonville to continue public health service there. They were married almost 42 years. Her church and love of Christ were equally important. She spent much time working with children in Bible School and taught a Sunday School Class of adult women for many years at Northeast Baptist Church. She was baptized as a child at First Baptist Church and was an active member there for years. She and her husband moved their membership to Northeast and were active in building the first sanctuary at the church. We are not sure what she is most known for at Northeast. Was it her Bible teaching or her hot rolls? She always had a sheet of hot rolls for dinner and especially for funeral dinners. She loved her family and worked with Herschel in their plumbing business, which was located behind the family home on Ohio Street. Family gatherings were frequent at her home and her cooking ability was enjoyed by her whole family and many friends who gathered there. She loved music and insisted that all her children take part in musical training even when they protested. "Spare the rod and spoil the child" might have been her philosophy of musical training, but all three children learned music from her practice style and continue to use and enjoy their musical abilities. She was involved in church choir and sang duets for many funerals with Mrs. Simmons and others. She, like many parents, wanted her children to have what she felt was missing in her own life. She insisted that her children attend college. She was a lifelong learner, trying to keep up with medical advances, teaching many other people to be CNA's, emergency technicians and hospital assistants through classes she taught in Clinton. She felt that education was important for a full life and always wished she had a bachelor's degree besides her nursing and public health training. She worked to provide all three children with a means for getting a degree and training that would benefit their lives. Always involved in several activities, she was a PTA president at Washington School and encouraged the development of a private kindergarten which began in the Racer home on North Main Street before kindergarten was part of the public school system here. She also was the president of the American Legion Auxiliary during the time the Legion built the building that stands in Artesian Park. She was a board member of the American Cancer Society, district president of the Missouri Nurses Association and a member of the Poly Credo Bible Study Club and two Home Education Clubs. In 1992 she was honored by the Clinton Business and Professional Women's group for her work in this community in nursing. Through her work with Camp Fire Girls, she mentored many girls who regarded her as a second mother. She enjoyed going to camp with the girls and acted as the camp nurse several years. She worked with Cub Scouts as well. She will be remembered for ... Spoiling her grandchildren. Her ability to get by on what she had available. Her ways of saving and stashing things, such as butter tubs and milk bottles, partly as a result of being a child of the Depression. Her ability to feed her family year-round with the huge gardens she worked. Her loving and gentle spirit and caring for others. Being a forerunner of the physician's assistant by answering all the calls people made to her to see if they should go see a doctor. Her continuous involvement in numerous activities in community, church and work. Her concern for her children and constant encouragement of their activities. Being a person who spanned the turn in centuries and being part of a generation of enormous change from the development of electricity in country homes to the technology of modern day. But most of all to our family for being Mom and Grandma. - Tribute by Bill Racer
- Soul Seekers