Alton A. Vannice

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- Alton A. Vannice, 70, of rural Hannibal, finished his battle with Parkinson's disease at 5:31 a.m. Friday (May 13, 2011) in the Beth Haven Nursing Home.

Alton was born Feb. 6, 1941, in Hannibal, to Leonard H. and Eva L. Hunt Vannice. He married Joyce D. Baxter Nov. 25, 1959, in Taylor.

Alton was a 1959 graduate of Palmyra High School where he was very active in FFA. He was a lifelong farmer and stockman and was active in both the community and as a supporter of agriculture. Alton, Bill Andreson and Maurice Happel purchased Vaughn and Burge Implement which became Marion County Implement and moved south of Palmyra on ground that was part of the Vannice farm. He served on the Marion County Farm Bureau for more than 51 years, with 25 years as president and was a 15-year member of the Palmyra R- I Board of Education, elected in 1978 and serving as treasurer from 1979 to 1993.

Alton was instrumental in the modernization and expansion of the Marion County Rural Water District, serving on the board for 17 years and as president from 1994 to 2006. He served as the Alternate Director of the Clarence Cannon Wholesale Water Commission from 1997 through 2004. Over his farming career, Alton also served on various committees of the Missouri Soybean Association; as a farmer-cooperator with FAPRI (University of Missouri), on the board of directors for Hannibal Production Credit Association, and served on the University of Missouri's Pennewell Farm advisory committee. He received the Palmyra Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer Award, University of Missouri Extension Farm Management Award on both the county and state levels, and Northeast Missouri and Missouri Beef Cattle Improvement Association Outstanding Commercial Beef Producer Award. He was a lifelong member of Palmyra United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce; daughter and son-in-law, Diana and Stanley Stephens of Hutsonville, Ill.; son and daughter-in-law, Greg and Rhonda Vannice of rural Hannibal; six grandchildren, Donna Drebes of Carbondale, Ill., Denise Drebes of Quincy, Ill., Laura VanNice, William VanNice, and Crystal Doil, all of Hannibal, and Leslie Doil of Quincy; brother-in-law, Earl Darnell of Palmyra; and nephew, Ervan Darnell of Fremont, Calif.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Evelyn Darnell; infant son Jeffrey; and infant brother, Alymer.

SERVICES: 10:30 a.m. Monday in the Lewis Brothers Funeral Chapel, Palmyra, conducted by the Rev. Eric Anderson and the Rev. Dewayne Larenson. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery, Palmyra.

VISITATION: 4 to 6 p.m. today in the funeral home.

MEMORIALS: Palmyra R-I FFA. Scholarship Fund or Marion County Farm Bureau Scholarship Fund.

ARRANGEMENTS: Lewis Brothers Funeral Chapel, Palmyra.

WEBSITE: www.lewisbrothersfuneralchapel.com.

Condolences may be expressed online at www.whig.com.