Esther Lorene Feger February 4, 1917 - April 22, 2016

Esther Lorene Feger, age 99 years of Ozark, passed away Friday morning, April 22, 2016 in her home. She was born February 4, 1917 in Qulin, Missouri and raised with her family of 13 siblings. Esther was the daughter of the late Samuel and Bertha Reeves. They all worked on the family farm and years later, Esther kept a sprig of cotton branch as a reminder of her cotton picking days. William W. Feger and Esther Reeves were married in Oceanside, California and endured WWII together. Esther is survived by two daughters, Shirley and Claudia. Esther’s major role and commitment was to properly raise and care for her family. She was a devoted homemaker, a talented seamstress and loved crafts. Holidays and birthdays were festive with her talented special touches. Esther was the eldest girl and her sister Sylvia was the youngest. Their closeness was much like a mother and daughter as they shared many happy times together. A story retold by Aunt Sylvia brings back childhood memories: Esther became a Christian at a young age and mentioned she went to church every Wednesday night to Bible Study, back to church on Saturday night, Sunday school on Sunday and back to church on Sunday night. During her early years, few people had cars and in order for her to get to church, she walked a mile and a half down a railroad track. She enjoyed the walk as she and two brothers sang gospel songs very, very loud on their way home in order to scare away snakes. An occasional snake never stopped them from attending church because faith was the foundation taught to them by their parents. Her strong religious belief gave her strength through difficult times as she transitioned with technological worldwide changes and family changes. Esther was a gracious and considerate lady and prided herself as being truthful and respectful of others. The loss of her vision and hearing made it impossible to continue some of the things she enjoyed. However, she retained her love of gospel and country music and listened to the Bible on tapes. Esther’s small Chihuahua, named Candy, become ill around the time Esther began to decline. They shared a strong bond in life and now we know they are together again in Heaven. Your daughters love you Mother and Candy and May God watch over you both until we meet again. Graveside funeral service will be 2:00p.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Selmore Cemetery, Ozark. Visitation will be held one hour prior to burial in Barnes Family Funeral Home, Ozark. Online condolences may be shared at www.barnesfamilyfunerals.com.