Thelbert Metheny

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- Thelbert Lee Metheny, 81, of Oak Ridge died Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

He was born Feb. 12, 1920, at Gravel Hill, Mo., son of Sam and Daisy Robinson Metheny. He and Bonnie Janell Clark were married Aug. 25, 1944.

Metheny served 20 years in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War, retiring in 1958. He was awarded a Silver Star and a Bronze Star.

He moved to a small farm near Oak Ridge and was a heavy equipment operator for Central Materials and later Delta Asphalt of Cape Girardeau, retiring in 1968. He was a member of Oak Ridge Methodist Church and Fleet Reserve Association.

Survivors include his wife; three sons, Tom Metheny of Marble Hill, Mo., Robert Metheny of Washington, Mo., William Metheny of Providence, R.I.; two sisters, Betty Frost of Los Angeles, Calif., Naomi Denman of San Diego, Calif.; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters.

Friends may call at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home in Jackson, Mo., from 4-8 p.m. today.

Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Michael Woods officiating. Burial will be in Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau, with a military honor service.