Morris Alfred Claypole
Morris Alfred Claypole, age 70, passed away peacefully at home on Jan. 18, 2020, surrounded by his family. He was born Oct. 9, 1949, in Ray County. His parents, George and Opal (Campbell) Claypole, preceded him in death.
Morris was the youngest of 10 children and the seventh son. On June 12, 1970, Morris married his surviving wife of 49 years, Suzanne Gentry Claypole. To this union, four children were born, Misty Claypole of Kansas City, Dayna (Jason) Beinke of Liberty, Mark (Jessica Pollard) Claypole of Columbia, and Chad (Alexis Velasquez) Claypole of Kansas City. The couple have nine grandchildren, Alayna Meadows, Ava Beinke, William Beinke, Brett Claypole, Chase Claypole, Autumn Claypole, Isla Claypole, Natalia Dunnington, and Tyler Rogers, and future grandson-in-law, Logan Riddle.
Morris is survived by two sisters, Helen Condron of Overland Park and Irma Rinehart of Independence; three brothers, George (Judy) Claypole of Polo, Kenneth (Karen) Claypole of Richmond, and Harry Claypole of Kansas City; two sisters-in-law, Margie Claypole of Liberty and Karen Claypole of Kansas City; and mother-in-law, Jean Gentry of Kingston. Other family members include Allen (Jill) Gentry of Hamilton, Greg (Debbie) Gentry of Brookfield, Brad (Sarah) Gentry of Lee’s Summit, and Michelle Gentry of Kingston and numerous nieces and nephews and close friends.
Preceding him in death are three brothers, Wayne Claypole, Neal Claypole and Gerald Claypole; sister, Dorothy Rogers; brothers-in-law, Sam Condron, Ivan Rinehart and Lloyd Rogers; and father-in-law, Virgil Gentry.
Morris is a 1967 graduate of Polo High School. He attended college at Central Missouri State College in Warrensburg and graduated with a two-year degree in Automotive Technology. In his lifetime, Morris worked in the Heavy Construction Laborers’ Local No. 663. He was an automobile mechanic. He owned his own construction business, where he built many houses in the surrounding area, including the home he and his family lived in. He was elected as the first Caldwell County Assessor and went on to work for the Missouri State Tax Commission. He spent 27 years as a rural mail carrier for the town of Braymer before his retirement in 2016.
Morris served on the Mirabile School Board for more than 30 years, many of those years as president. He was instrumental in the construction of the gymnasium and was the designer and architect of the current classroom facility. He also served as president of the Mirabile Community Church, where he was a member for many years. Morris was the coach of the Mirabile Wildcat boys and girls basketball teams, as well as several baseball and softball teams in Kingston.
Morris was a friend to everyone he knew. His wife called him “honey”, and to his family, he was “dad”, “papa”, or “little brother.” Morris had a servant’s heart and strong family values, for which he will always be remembered.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, at Mirabile Community Church in Polo. A gathering of family and friends will follow the service from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Mirabile C-1 School, 2954 State Route D HWY, Polo, MO, 64671. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home. Cremation will follow the services. In lieu of flowers, for those who wish to make a contribution in memory of Morris, the family requests donations be made to the Mirabile Community Betterment Fund, c/o The Bank of Missouri, 3610 Buttonwood Drive, Suite 100, Columbia, MO 65201. Arrangements are under the care and direction of Stith Family Funeral Home in Polo. An online guestbook may be accessed at www.stithfamilyfunerals.com.
