Archives of Community

meet along the way: Donna Gales

By Diane Beck This story was first published as “Faces of Southeast Missouri: Donna Gales” in the January 2024 issue of The Best Years. Donna Gales earned a degree in floral design from the American Institute of Floral Design and went on to become head spokesperson for the American Floral Society (AFS), traveling around the […]
1 year ago

meet along the way: Sue Jones

This story was first published as “Community Cookbook: Fruitcake Recipe, by Sue Jones from Jackson” in the December 2023 issue of The Best Years. By Jasmine Jones Sue Jones spent her childhood on a farm located off of Highway 72 in the Fruitland/Jackson area. Those years on the farm were full of wholesome adventures: Jones […]
1 year ago

Focus in the Moment: Self-defense with black belt Veronique Bayer

By Karey Schaitel When Veronique Bayer was 8 years old, she begged her parents to take her to the martial arts studio near their house. Her dad agreed to take her to taekwondo classes if she agreed not to quit until she received her black belt. “Eight-year-old me did not really understand what I was […]
1 year ago

meet along the way: Dr. Sheila Long

By Jasmine Jones This story was first published as “Faces of Southeast Missouri: Dr. Sheila Long” in the November 2023 issue of The Best Years. “Think outside the box.” It’s a phrase Dr. Sheila Long says she tells her students constantly, a phrase that embodies her own teaching methods and daily life. Long is an […]
2 years ago

meet along the way: Anna Marie Berkbuegler

This story was first published as “Faces of Southeast Missouri: Anna Marie Berkbuegler” in the October 2023 issue of The Best Years. Anna Marie Berkbuegler has been all the way up and down the Mississippi River as a cook on a riverboat. She has traveled on the Ohio River, from Pittsburgh on down. And she […]
2 years ago

meet along the way: Rosemary Berry

By Jasmine Jones This story was first published as “Community Cookbook: Cooked Cheese, by Rosemary Berry from Fruitland” in the October 2023 issue of The Best Years. Rosemary Berry says it’s been an “interesting life.” She was raised in Sedgewickville, Mo., but as the wife of an Air Force pilot, she lived all over the […]
2 years ago

meet along the way: Pat Schaaf

By Jasmine Jones This story was first published as “Community Cookbook: Pat’s Pastries recreates nostalgic small-town bakery experience in the August 2023 issue of The Best Years. Pat Schaaf says when you make pastries from scratch, they will never be perfect. She says you could roll the dough out precisely, measure everything and use a […]
2 years ago

meet along the way: Gracie Aguirre

By Jasmine Jones This story was first published in the September 2023 issue of The Best Years. Gracie Aguirre grew up in Durango, Mexico, where she says everyone knew everyone. As a child, Aguirre enjoyed “rolling all over town” on her bicycle and playing volleyball, but she spent most of her after-school hours working at […]
2 years ago

meet along the way: Becky Brown

By Amanda Flinn This story was first published in the August 2023 issue of “The Best Years” as “Faces of Southeast Missouri: Becky Brown.” Becky Brown grew up on her family’s farm near Olive Branch, Ill. While the farm harvested wheat, corn and soybeans, her grandfather’s garden was her personal favorite. As he walked through […]
2 years ago

meet along the way: Shirley K. Davis

This story was originally published as “The Pie Angel: Local woman blesses people with homemade food and hospitality” in the May 2023 issue of The Best Years. It seems everyone who knows Shirley K. Davis has a story about the ways the “Pie Angel” has touched their life. For example, she cooked for disaster relief […]
2 years ago