Celebrating the lives of three impressive individuals

The Southeast Missouri region lost three pioneers in recent weeks with the deaths of Mary Bolen, Cape Girardeau’s unofficial Baseball Mom; Charles Blattner, a prominent civic leader; and Charles Richard Williams Sr., funeral home director and first black mayor of the city of Charleston, Missouri.

Mary Bolen was the heart behind the Capahas Baseball organization. She held the semi-pro baseball team together, organizing and fundraising for what is basically a Cape Girardeau institution. The Capahas give opportunities for talented ballplayers to continue playing past their high school and college careers and give college players a chance to stay sharp over the summer. But Bolen made all of the players feel at home at Capaha Field. Many of the players considered Mary Bolen their second mother. She was 71.

Charles Blattner, according to a story written by Marybeth Niederkorn, was a brigadier general with the Missouri National Guard and a prominent businessman in Cape Girardeau. He was president and general manager of Erlbacher Materials Inc. and Blattner Brothers Real Estate Inc., secretary treasurer of Tel-line Inc., vice president of Midwest Cable Splicing and president of South K Inc., Blattner & Erlbacher Properties LLP and Route W Mobile Home Court LLC. He served for 10 years on the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, three years as chairman. An active member of the Missouri and Cape Girardeau chambers of commerce and Exchange International, Blattner was also on the board of directors of the Industrial Development Authority of Cape Girardeau County. “Someone once said, ‘Action is eloquence,’” former Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder said by phone Monday. “He was an action guy.” Blattner was 85.

Charles Williams, funeral director at Williams Funeral Home, was elected to the Charleston City Council in 1970 and later to mayor; according to his obituary, Williams was, among many other things, a founding member of the Black Mayors Conference in 1974 in Fayette, Mississippi. In 1994, he and the 12 other founding members were honored in Washington, D.C., during a national conference. Currently, there are over 450 black mayors. He volunteered for several organizations and gave generously of his time and energy, including helping feed elderly citizens one hot meal a day. He was 77.

All three individuals, in their special ways, contributed mightily to their communities. We offer our condolences to the families that lost their loved one, but also our appreciation for the lives lived so well.