May 1, 2021
Annual Meeting — Saturday, May 29, 2021, 2:00 p.m.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! After a year’s hiatus due to the 2020 pandemic, the annual association meeting for
Rock Prairie Cemetery will reconvene Saturday, May 29th, at 2:00 p.m. The chapel will provide a safe environment
with all eight windows open and plenty of space to safely distance ourselves. Come hear about and see what your
donations have accomplished over the past couple of years. Jim Carson (18 yrs) and Sherry Neeley (24 yrs) — and
that’s not their ages, folks — are up for another three-year term on the board and somehow it feels like the vote will
be unanimous. All board members will be in attendance giving you the chance to meet us and voice any concerns
you may have. So make plans to attend as we get back to the business of visiting with each other and sharing the
ongoing work of the cemetery. We certainly hope you all have fared well and look forward to seeing you there!
REMEMBER! Our historic chapel will be open for all to visit and enjoy every day starting Monday, May 24th through
Memorial Day. By the way, the small, veterans flags that we keep outside the chapel for you each and every year are
thanks to our esteemed former board member, Frances Duvall. Our “git ‘er done” maintenance supervisor, Jerry
Tuttle, will mow the Wednesday and Thursday before Memorial weekend and again two weeks later. Please contact
me, Roxie Sharpe, if you have any questions or need to coordinate times to access the chapel whether for flowers,
flags, to see the veterans memorial renderings, or to check out improvements made to the chapel.
DON’T FORGET! There are three fences full of RECYCLED FLOWERS on display in
the chapel. Please help yourself to as many flowers as you need for your personal use in
any cemetery or otherwise. We hope that this convenient, environmentally-smart, and
money-saving option for you will generate a few donations for us! Heck, you might
even find the flowers you used last year!! We would like to see them cleaned out of the
chapel every year as we prepare to make it available for use by our members and the
community. So, come on down and take advantage of, or tell someone you know who
might benefit from, this amazing deal!!
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Rock Prairie Cemetery
Halltown, Missouri
Memorial Weekend - May 29
th
- 31
st
, 2021
By the way, after witnessing the
prettiest snowfall we’ve had in years,
we just had to see the cemetery in
that setting. So my husband and I
went “slip-sliding away” (as Paul
Simon might say) from Republic to
Halltown to take pictures of my
favorite cemetery blanketed in the
white, fluffy stuff. It was awesome.
May 1, 2021
Last summer, we received an incredible gift of $3,000 from a member who wishes to remain anonymous granting
the board sole discretion over how the funds would be used. Feeling strongly that an increase in chapel usage was
imminent, the board allocated those funds to chapel and bathroom updates and repairs. Though the project was
planned for last year, the pandemic delayed things until this past spring. The pandemic also saw a drastic increase in
the cost of materials resulting in a $1,000 overage. Those expenditures are not reflected above, but will appear in
next year’s report.
Our interest income is staying steady despite the decline in interest rates over the past year. While we expect our
funds to grow yearly, “staying steady” is good in the current climate.
NOTICE: Rock Prairie Cemetery is now officially an IRS 501(c)3 charitable organization and our EIN number has
changed. For donations under $250, the IRS does not require a receipt, but for larger donations a receipt with our
EIN number should be obtained. If you need a receipt or our new EIN number, please let us know.
Remember, there are now three ways to donate:
(1) By mail at: P.O. Box 45 Halltown, MO 65664
(2) By dropping your check in the mail slot at the chapel
(3) By credit card using the PayPal Donate button on our website:
RockPrairieCemetery.com
THANK YOU!
CHAPEL: As mentioned many times in the past, funeral / burial options are trending toward more economical
means. With that in mind, the board focused on sprucing up the Chapel this year. In fact, last November, after a
sizable funeral was held in the chapel, we realized the need to make it more accommodating for functions of all
types — funerals, celebrations of life, meetings, reunions, and even weddings (yes, a wedding was discussed once).
Josh Noggle was put in charge of the project and is doing a beautiful job. In addition to increasing the security of
the building, replacing boards and staining the entry ramp, he scraped and cleaned the windows inside and out, and
built a beautiful little storage / multi-purpose room in the southeast corner of the chapel (weddings need a changing
room!). Our goal is to make the chapel usable and attractive to not only our members, but to the community at
large. Even the addition of electricity is a real and serious proposal for this year. Please take the time to come and
see how Josh’s skills have made the chapel practical and relevant once again. We are very proud of his work.
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Donations
SubTotal
Expenses
Year End
Total
Maintenance
$ 7,727.25
$ 12,701.29
$ (10,596.26)
$ 2,105.03
Endowment
$ 900.00
2020-2021 Rock Prairie Cemetery Association Board
Jim Carson, President (2021)
Jerry Tuttle, Vice President (2023) Roxie Sharpe, Secretary (2022)
Sherry Neeley, Treasurer (2021) Josh Noggle, Sexton (2023) Mike Pyeatt (2022)
Financial Overview As of December 31, 2020
2020/2021 IN REVIEW
May 1, 2021
BATHROOMS: The bathrooms were cleaned out last December and a proper maintenance schedule set up to
ensure their “pleasantness of use.” Additionally, Josh ran ventilation pipes to further aid in the “pleasantness of use”
factor. He painted the interior walls and cut out windows for better lighting and secured up the doors. You won’t
believe the difference!
TRASH: Mike Pyeatt continues to provide our awesome FREE trash service and Josh tidied up the area by
repairing and staining the gate and wooden fence enclosing our trash barrels. In addition to being our “on-call” go-to
security guy, I think Mike also sneaks in when no one is looking and makes little repairs to graves just because they
need it. Thanks, Mike & Josh!
501(C)3 STATUS: In 1913, Congress exempted cemeteries from federal income tax via IRC 501(c)13, which is why
your donations have always been fully deductible. Over the last few years, it became more evident that a change in
status could offer even more financial benefits. Therefore, after some research and several meetings, the board voted
to move ahead with the 501(c)3 status application process, which began last November. Two weeks ago, we received
our official IRS determination letter establishing Rock Prairie Cemetery as a 501(c)3 exempt charitable organization.
Now we can take advantage of a slew of financial benefits like government grants (think Veterans Memorial, historic
chapel improvements/upkeep), discount on PayPal fees, half-price for our AirTable database system, and automatic
donations from Amazon of 0.5% of your total purchases (at no cost to you). [See page 4 to learn how you can make
Amazon pay us every time you shop!]
VETERANS MEMORIAL/SCATTERING GARDEN: The following is my feeble attempt at describing what you
can more easily see from the renderings displayed in the chapel, but
here goes . . . Perched on the hill above I-44, illumined flagpoles will
impress drivers by. They will border a granite wall containing the
names of all veterans interred or inurned at Rock Prairie (81, at last
count). A circular scattering garden made of — you guessed it — rock
. . . leading to the veterans memorial wall will have granite benches
encircling a central granite pedestal for private cremation memorials.
The entrance will have opposing granite walls to hold the engraved
nameplates of those whose remains have been scattered. And . . . all
of this encompassed by beautiful natural vegetation and/or large
picturesque “rocks.”
After lots of talking and dreaming, we are closer than ever to breaking
ground on this incredible addition to our cemetery. My description
does not do the project justice, so, please, take the time to come out
and see the renderings in the chapel — like the drivers-by, you are
sure to be impressed! Jim Carson has been hard at work obtaining
bids and company “pro bono” type donations, but a separate, more formal method of donation specifically to this
project will be forthcoming. In the meantime, until the project is completed, please refrain from scattering ashes at
random in the cemetery.
THE MEANING OF COINS ON A HEADSTONE
A penny . . . you stopped and paid your respects.
A nickle . . . you attended bootcamp with them.
A dime . . . you served in the armed forces with them.
A quarter . . . you were with the soldier when they were killed.
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May 1, 2021
1. The days and weeks leading up to Memorial Day see a lot of activity by decorators and visitors to the
cemetery. Courtesy and caution are requested when using the cemetery roads. Be mindful of others needing to get
around you and remember that some graves are closer to the road than they seem.
2. We realize that there are very rare instances when a vehicle must be driven into an
area normally prohibited by the cemetery (i.e., extensive grave repair work, hauling off
heavy headstones, etc.). We ask that a board member be notified and in attendance so that
the risk of damaging other graves is negligible. Thank you for your kind cooperation.
3. To reiterate, please refrain from scattering ashes in the cemetery - save this special
moment for our beautiful scattering garden where a proper memorial nameplate can be
affixed and the exact spot preserved.
4. A BIG THANK YOU and shout out to Don Wood for all of his help in filling and
smoothing out sunken graves and holes throughout the cemetery recently.
5. Don’t forget to contact me, Roxie Sharpe, if you move or change your phone
numbers and/or emails. We don’t want to lose touch!
Emails: Roxie@RockPrairieCemetery.com or
RockPrairieCemetery@yahoo.com
417-234-4077 (call or text)
How Shopping at AmazonSmile Generates
Automatic Donations to Rock Prairie Cemetery
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Rock Prairie Cemetery, at no cost to you. When you shop
at+smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same prices, selection and shopping experience as Amazon.com, with
the added benefit that Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to us!
Step 1: Simply go to+smile.amazon.com+from the web browser on your computer or mobile device.
Step 2: Log in or, if you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one.
Step 3: After signing in, you will be directed to select (or change) your charity.
Step 4: In the “Or pick your own charitable organization” enter “Rock Prairie Cemetery” then click “Search.” [If our
name doesn’t pop up, keep trying every few weeks. I’m told it can take several months to get added to Amazon’s list because they don’t
manua!y add new non-profits.]
Step 5: Click “Select” next to Rock Prairie Cemetery and you will be redirected to the agreement page. Check the
box next to “Yes” and then click “Start Shopping.”
Step 6: #You will be redirected to Amazon’s homepage that adds a disclaimer about how to add Amazon Smile to
your toolbar, should you want to add a particular bookmark for it.Adding a bookmark (or shortcut on your mobile
device home page) reminds you to access+smile.amazon.com+before shopping — remember, Rock Prairie doesn’t
receive anything, if you shop from amazon.com.
That’s it! You are now signed up for Amazon Smile! Just be sure to visit+smile.amazon.com+every time you
normally visit Amazon to make sure your eligible purchases are having a portion of the price donated to Rock
Prairie Cemetery!
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REMARKS, REMINDERS & TIDBITS