Jacqueline "Jacque" LaDean Ball

Jacqueline “Jacque” LaDean Ball, age 83, of Jasper, Missouri, passed away on November 8, 2025, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Missouri.

Jacque was born September 24, 1942, in Dade County, Missouri, to Jack and Claude Dean (Divine) McDonald. She attended her years of Grade School at Kenoma, Missouri, and later was a graduate of Golden City High School as a member of the Class of 1960. After completing her primary education, she was also a graduate of Draughon Business College in Springfield, Missouri.

On November 19, 1960, she married the love of her life, Thomas Edward “Tom” Ball, at the Lamar Christian Church. Together, they shared 63+ wonderful years of marriage until his passing on September 7, 2024. Their union and undying devotion created the foundation of a great love of life and family that they cherished beyond measure.

After college, Jacque worked for a time for Big Smith in Carthage, Missouri. Later, Jacque then moved on to work as a secretary in the engineering department at O’Sullivan Industries in Lamar, MO. She finished out the remainder of her working career there, retiring from the company on January 20, 1995. The retirement allowed her to focus on her home and family, especially enjoying the addition of two granddaughters. She just couldn’t get enough time being with them and loved every moment of watching them grow while spoiling them a bit along the way.

She and Tom were active members of the Jasper Eagles Square Dancing Club, where they served as president and vice president. In addition, she helped support the family heavy equipment business of Ball Construction with her husband after her retirement, assisting with accounting, scheduling, and bookwork until her husband’s retirement in 2013. During portions of this time, sons Tommy and Derik both worked for the family business. Jacque loved traveling, attending concerts and the circus, and again most of all, spending time with her family—whom she loved most dearly of all. One could spend a lifetime going through the photo albums she put together focusing on the loved ones in her life and all the places she and her husband and family traveled to see together.

Survivors include two sons, Tommy (Jenny) Ball and Derik Ball, both of Jasper, Missouri; two grandchildren, Carly Ball of Park City, Utah, and Katie (Mitchell) Argabright of Jasper, Missouri; one great-grandchild on the way; one brother, Darrel (Michelle) McDonald of Golden City, Missouri; one sister, Patty Baugh of Lamar; Sister-in-law Janice (Ball) Clements and husband Lyle (Bud) Clements of Jasper, Missouri; sister-in-law Jeannie (Ball) Crocker of Carthage, Missouri; and Cathy (Ball) Long of Nevada, Missouri.

Along with her husband Tom, Jacque was preceded in death by her parents; her sister-in-law, Sylvia (Ball) Norwood and her husband Wilfred (Buddy) Norwood; and her brother-in-law Jim Crocker, the husband of Jeannie (Ball) Crocker.

Jacque now returns to the loving arms of God as well as to the warmest embrace of her husband. They are dancing their way in the hereafter of Heaven to the special music only they could create between themselves……and the music of their love story will carry on for eternity while they rejoin all their loved ones that had gone before them.

A graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Waters Cemetery located northwest of Jasper, Missouri.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at Daniel Funeral Home in Lamar, Missouri.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Waters Cemetery or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, in care of Daniel Funeral Home.