Kara D. Richardson, age 15 of Carl Junction, Mo. passed away Sunday August 26, 2007 at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City following a long illness. Kara was born August 10, 1992 in Joplin, Mo. to David and Jeanne (Russow) Richardson. She was a student at Carl Junction. She was also a member of the Byers Avenue Methodist Church and Youth Group. Kara enjoyed playing sports and spending time with friends and family. She is survived by her parents and one brother Klayton Richardson of the home; paternal grandparents, Lawrence & Kay Richardson of Carl Junction, Mo. and maternal grandparents Pat & Ron VanWinkle also of Carl Junction, Mo. Kara was preceded in death by a grandfather, the late Don Russow.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday at Christ Community United Methodist Church, Joplin. Reverend Steve Blasksher will officiate. Burial will be in Carl Junction Cemetery. Her cousins, Trent Cowley, Travis Beck, Tyler Beck, Andrew Jiles, David Eddy and Nathan Eddy will serve as pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the church. The family would like to thank the National Children's Cancer Society for all their help and request contributions be made to them in care of the mortuary. The family has requested that instead of flowers that a stuffed animal be sent so the family can give them to the 4 Henson Floor to be shared with other pediatric cancer patients at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. Arrangements have been entrusted to Mason-Woodard Mortuary & Chapel.
Carl Junction girl loses battle with cancer
Kara Richardson, 15, of Carl Junction, died Sunday after a yearlong battle with leukemia.
Despite her youth, she left a legacy, said her aunt Kathy Cowley.
"Because of Kara, over 600 people have been screened as bone-marrow donors," Cowley said. "And through her faith and her parents' faith, a lot more people have gained strength and faith in the Lord."
Doctors at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City last week told Kara and her parents, David and Jeanne Richardson, that the most aggressive chemotherapy available was not having any impact on her disease, acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
She had been asking for a puppy, and Cowley said that on Saturday, Kara cuddled a miniature schnauzer pup that doctors allowed her to have in her hospital room.
She died Sunday, with her parents at her bedside.
Cowley said the nurse who was with Kara at the time told her that the girl sat up in her bed and said to her parents, "I'm dying; I see Jesus."
"Especially the way she left us, that helped the family," said Cowley, who is director of maternal and child services at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin.
"Kara's faith touched so many people, even nonbelievers," said another aunt, Anita Eddy, of Webb City. "She knew where she was going. And even with all the pain, she was so brave and so strong."
Cowley said a nurse on her staff is married to a manager at Hunte Corp., a McDonald County company that buys and sells puppies.
"I mentioned that Kara wanted a puppy, and we had one in two hours," she said. "But there has been such an outpouring of love and caring from so many people, especially the Fire Department and General Mills. The moral support and the monetary support from everyone has been wonderful."
David Richardson is a captain with the Joplin Fire Department and a volunteer with the Carl Junction Fire Department. Jeanne Richardson works in the office at General Mills.
Among other responses, Kara's illness prompted a bone-marrow testing drive that has added well over 600 people to the rolls. A number of firemen and their wives, and other local residents were tested June 16 in Olathe, Kan.
Members of the Fire Department then organized a local drive, and officials of the National Bone Marrow Donor Program in St. Louis said they would come if the drive could guarantee at least 50 potential donors.
The event, staged July 13 at the Joplin Fire Department's main station, attracted 488 people, said Gerald Ezell, an officer with the department.
Though doctors had found a donor to provide a suitable match, they were unable to get the leukemia under control so a transplant could take place.
Kara would have been a freshman this year at Carl Junction High School. Students were informed of her death Monday morning, and counselors are being made available to students who want to talk about her death, said Georgiana McGriff, high-school principal.
"She had many friends here," McGriff said.
Contributions
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions be made to the National Children's Cancer Society, in care of Mason-Woodard Mortuary in Joplin. In addition, donations of stuffed animals are being sought. They are to be given to pediatric cancer patients at Children's Mercy Hospital.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday at Christ Community United Methodist Church, Joplin. Reverend Steve Blasksher will officiate. Burial will be in Carl Junction Cemetery. Her cousins, Trent Cowley, Travis Beck, Tyler Beck, Andrew Jiles, David Eddy and Nathan Eddy will serve as pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the church. The family would like to thank the National Children's Cancer Society for all their help and request contributions be made to them in care of the mortuary. The family has requested that instead of flowers that a stuffed animal be sent so the family can give them to the 4 Henson Floor to be shared with other pediatric cancer patients at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. Arrangements have been entrusted to Mason-Woodard Mortuary & Chapel.
Carl Junction girl loses battle with cancer
Kara Richardson, 15, of Carl Junction, died Sunday after a yearlong battle with leukemia.
Despite her youth, she left a legacy, said her aunt Kathy Cowley.
"Because of Kara, over 600 people have been screened as bone-marrow donors," Cowley said. "And through her faith and her parents' faith, a lot more people have gained strength and faith in the Lord."
Doctors at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City last week told Kara and her parents, David and Jeanne Richardson, that the most aggressive chemotherapy available was not having any impact on her disease, acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
She had been asking for a puppy, and Cowley said that on Saturday, Kara cuddled a miniature schnauzer pup that doctors allowed her to have in her hospital room.
She died Sunday, with her parents at her bedside.
Cowley said the nurse who was with Kara at the time told her that the girl sat up in her bed and said to her parents, "I'm dying; I see Jesus."
"Especially the way she left us, that helped the family," said Cowley, who is director of maternal and child services at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin.
"Kara's faith touched so many people, even nonbelievers," said another aunt, Anita Eddy, of Webb City. "She knew where she was going. And even with all the pain, she was so brave and so strong."
Cowley said a nurse on her staff is married to a manager at Hunte Corp., a McDonald County company that buys and sells puppies.
"I mentioned that Kara wanted a puppy, and we had one in two hours," she said. "But there has been such an outpouring of love and caring from so many people, especially the Fire Department and General Mills. The moral support and the monetary support from everyone has been wonderful."
David Richardson is a captain with the Joplin Fire Department and a volunteer with the Carl Junction Fire Department. Jeanne Richardson works in the office at General Mills.
Among other responses, Kara's illness prompted a bone-marrow testing drive that has added well over 600 people to the rolls. A number of firemen and their wives, and other local residents were tested June 16 in Olathe, Kan.
Members of the Fire Department then organized a local drive, and officials of the National Bone Marrow Donor Program in St. Louis said they would come if the drive could guarantee at least 50 potential donors.
The event, staged July 13 at the Joplin Fire Department's main station, attracted 488 people, said Gerald Ezell, an officer with the department.
Though doctors had found a donor to provide a suitable match, they were unable to get the leukemia under control so a transplant could take place.
Kara would have been a freshman this year at Carl Junction High School. Students were informed of her death Monday morning, and counselors are being made available to students who want to talk about her death, said Georgiana McGriff, high-school principal.
"She had many friends here," McGriff said.
Contributions
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions be made to the National Children's Cancer Society, in care of Mason-Woodard Mortuary in Joplin. In addition, donations of stuffed animals are being sought. They are to be given to pediatric cancer patients at Children's Mercy Hospital.
Kara D. Richardson, age 15 of Carl Junction, Mo. passed away Sunday August 26, 2007 at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City following a long illness. Kara was born August 10, 1992 in Joplin, Mo. to David and Jeanne (Russow) Richardson. She was a student at Carl Junction. She was also a member of the Byers Avenue Methodist Church and Youth Group. Kara enjoyed playing sports and spending time with friends and family. She is survived by her parents and one brother Klayton Richardson of the home; paternal grandparents, Lawrence & Kay Richardson of Carl Junction, Mo. and maternal grandparents Pat & Ron VanWinkle also of Carl Junction, Mo. Kara was preceded in death by a grandfather, the late Don Russow.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday at Christ Community United Methodist Church, Joplin. Reverend Steve Blasksher will officiate. Burial will be in Carl Junction Cemetery. Her cousins, Trent Cowley, Travis Beck, Tyler Beck, Andrew Jiles, David Eddy and Nathan Eddy will serve as pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the church. The family would like to thank the National Children's Cancer Society for all their help and request contributions be made to them in care of the mortuary. The family has requested that instead of flowers that a stuffed animal be sent so the family can give them to the 4 Henson Floor to be shared with other pediatric cancer patients at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. Arrangements have been entrusted to Mason-Woodard Mortuary & Chapel.
Carl Junction girl loses battle with cancer
Kara Richardson, 15, of Carl Junction, died Sunday after a yearlong battle with leukemia.
Despite her youth, she left a legacy, said her aunt Kathy Cowley.
"Because of Kara, over 600 people have been screened as bone-marrow donors," Cowley said. "And through her faith and her parents' faith, a lot more people have gained strength and faith in the Lord."
Doctors at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City last week told Kara and her parents, David and Jeanne Richardson, that the most aggressive chemotherapy available was not having any impact on her disease, acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
She had been asking for a puppy, and Cowley said that on Saturday, Kara cuddled a miniature schnauzer pup that doctors allowed her to have in her hospital room.
She died Sunday, with her parents at her bedside.
Cowley said the nurse who was with Kara at the time told her that the girl sat up in her bed and said to her parents, "I'm dying; I see Jesus."
"Especially the way she left us, that helped the family," said Cowley, who is director of maternal and child services at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin.
"Kara's faith touched so many people, even nonbelievers," said another aunt, Anita Eddy, of Webb City. "She knew where she was going. And even with all the pain, she was so brave and so strong."
Cowley said a nurse on her staff is married to a manager at Hunte Corp., a McDonald County company that buys and sells puppies.
"I mentioned that Kara wanted a puppy, and we had one in two hours," she said. "But there has been such an outpouring of love and caring from so many people, especially the Fire Department and General Mills. The moral support and the monetary support from everyone has been wonderful."
David Richardson is a captain with the Joplin Fire Department and a volunteer with the Carl Junction Fire Department. Jeanne Richardson works in the office at General Mills.
Among other responses, Kara's illness prompted a bone-marrow testing drive that has added well over 600 people to the rolls. A number of firemen and their wives, and other local residents were tested June 16 in Olathe, Kan.
Members of the Fire Department then organized a local drive, and officials of the National Bone Marrow Donor Program in St. Louis said they would come if the drive could guarantee at least 50 potential donors.
The event, staged July 13 at the Joplin Fire Department's main station, attracted 488 people, said Gerald Ezell, an officer with the department.
Though doctors had found a donor to provide a suitable match, they were unable to get the leukemia under control so a transplant could take place.
Kara would have been a freshman this year at Carl Junction High School. Students were informed of her death Monday morning, and counselors are being made available to students who want to talk about her death, said Georgiana McGriff, high-school principal.
"She had many friends here," McGriff said.
Contributions
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions be made to the National Children's Cancer Society, in care of Mason-Woodard Mortuary in Joplin. In addition, donations of stuffed animals are being sought. They are to be given to pediatric cancer patients at Children's Mercy Hospital.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday at Christ Community United Methodist Church, Joplin. Reverend Steve Blasksher will officiate. Burial will be in Carl Junction Cemetery. Her cousins, Trent Cowley, Travis Beck, Tyler Beck, Andrew Jiles, David Eddy and Nathan Eddy will serve as pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the church. The family would like to thank the National Children's Cancer Society for all their help and request contributions be made to them in care of the mortuary. The family has requested that instead of flowers that a stuffed animal be sent so the family can give them to the 4 Henson Floor to be shared with other pediatric cancer patients at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. Arrangements have been entrusted to Mason-Woodard Mortuary & Chapel.
Carl Junction girl loses battle with cancer
Kara Richardson, 15, of Carl Junction, died Sunday after a yearlong battle with leukemia.
Despite her youth, she left a legacy, said her aunt Kathy Cowley.
"Because of Kara, over 600 people have been screened as bone-marrow donors," Cowley said. "And through her faith and her parents' faith, a lot more people have gained strength and faith in the Lord."
Doctors at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City last week told Kara and her parents, David and Jeanne Richardson, that the most aggressive chemotherapy available was not having any impact on her disease, acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
She had been asking for a puppy, and Cowley said that on Saturday, Kara cuddled a miniature schnauzer pup that doctors allowed her to have in her hospital room.
She died Sunday, with her parents at her bedside.
Cowley said the nurse who was with Kara at the time told her that the girl sat up in her bed and said to her parents, "I'm dying; I see Jesus."
"Especially the way she left us, that helped the family," said Cowley, who is director of maternal and child services at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin.
"Kara's faith touched so many people, even nonbelievers," said another aunt, Anita Eddy, of Webb City. "She knew where she was going. And even with all the pain, she was so brave and so strong."
Cowley said a nurse on her staff is married to a manager at Hunte Corp., a McDonald County company that buys and sells puppies.
"I mentioned that Kara wanted a puppy, and we had one in two hours," she said. "But there has been such an outpouring of love and caring from so many people, especially the Fire Department and General Mills. The moral support and the monetary support from everyone has been wonderful."
David Richardson is a captain with the Joplin Fire Department and a volunteer with the Carl Junction Fire Department. Jeanne Richardson works in the office at General Mills.
Among other responses, Kara's illness prompted a bone-marrow testing drive that has added well over 600 people to the rolls. A number of firemen and their wives, and other local residents were tested June 16 in Olathe, Kan.
Members of the Fire Department then organized a local drive, and officials of the National Bone Marrow Donor Program in St. Louis said they would come if the drive could guarantee at least 50 potential donors.
The event, staged July 13 at the Joplin Fire Department's main station, attracted 488 people, said Gerald Ezell, an officer with the department.
Though doctors had found a donor to provide a suitable match, they were unable to get the leukemia under control so a transplant could take place.
Kara would have been a freshman this year at Carl Junction High School. Students were informed of her death Monday morning, and counselors are being made available to students who want to talk about her death, said Georgiana McGriff, high-school principal.
"She had many friends here," McGriff said.
Contributions
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions be made to the National Children's Cancer Society, in care of Mason-Woodard Mortuary in Joplin. In addition, donations of stuffed animals are being sought. They are to be given to pediatric cancer patients at Children's Mercy Hospital.
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