By Joe Hadsall

jhadsall@joplinglobe.com

Richard Rountree was remembered as a helpful, hard worker.

His wife, Kathy, was upbeat even when she was stressed out.

Their son, Clayton, had a flair for drawing comics and a great sense of humor.

Co-workers, students and friends in the Joplin R-8 School District on Monday mourned the loss of a student, a teacher and the family in Saturday’s deadly tornado.

The three family members were driving toward Seneca with Kathy Rountree’s mother, Ruby Bilke. The four were killed when their passenger van was hit by the tornado in Newton County.

They were on their way to a wedding in Seneca, said Larry Bilke, Ruby



Bilke’s son. Bilke told The Associated Press that they were trying to arrive early at the ceremony, at which Richard Rountree was to sing.

Kathy Rountree, 47, was a graphic-design teacher at Franklin Technology Center, and 13-year-old Clayton was a student at Memorial Middle School. Counselors were available Monday at both schools, Superintendent Jim Simpson said.

Dave Rockers, director of the technology center, said Kathy Rountree was an upbeat, positive person who was a joy to work with and who seemed to have a camera in hand all the time.

“Every picture we found of her today was a good picture, because she always had a smile on her face,” Rockers said Monday. “We never saw her mad, even when she was stressed.”

Kathy Rountree started at the center in 1995 as an adult instructor and teacher aide. In 1998, she became a full-time graphic-arts instructor, working with high-school and adult students.

Simpson said she assisted often with the school district’s printed materials.

“She and her students made so many of our publications,” Simpson said. “Anything we needed, she was able to get published. We are numb about the reality of this loss.”

Rockers said the news was difficult to take for the school. Many teachers and students were contacted before classes on Monday.

“The students dealt with the death in different ways,” Rockers said. “The staff is still in a state of shock, but we’re all comforted by our memories of her.”

Kathy Rountree also was remembered as a supportive wife, said Ron Hall, general manager of Joplin Supply Co.

Richard Rountree, 52, worked as an outside sales consultant until 2003, Hall said. At that point, Hall said, Rountree decided to take a position as an inside sales consultant, so he could spend more time with his family and work in a music ministry at Forest Park Baptist Church.

The transfer cost Rountree money, Hall said.

“He chose to take less income to be with his family and to help lead music at the church,” Hall said. “Kathy always stuck by Rick, and his decisions were always supported by her.”

Hall said Richard Rountree was a hard worker who made an impression on many people’s lives. He started with Joplin Supply Co. in 1982 as a truck driver and worked his way to a leadership role in the company.

“He was always very positive, willing to listen and help younger people learn something about the plumbing business,” Hall said. “I can’t tell you how many people he impacted in a positive way.”

The couple’s other child, Kali, is a student at Missouri Southern State University.

Clayton was a seventh-grader at Memorial Middle School. Principal Steve Gilbreth said many students talked to counselors to deal with Clayton’s death.

“He was a great, fun-loving little guy,” Gilbreth said. “He had a close circle of friends.”

His death hit the student body hard, said seventh-grader Ariel Aldrighetti.

“Lunch was so quiet today,” she said. “I know his friends miss him a lot.”

Ariel said Clayton was her best friend, and that he enjoyed drawing and reading. Clayton had a knack for getting along with everyone, she said.

“He could be friendly to almost anybody,” she said. “He was one of the sweetest kids I ever met.”

Gilbreth said some students are putting together a PowerPoint presentation about Clayton, to be shown to the student body.

“Kids are resilient, even in light of something as tragic as this,” Gilbreth said. “I believe kids stop and take notice about how fragile life is.”





Funeral



Services for the family members will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Forest Park Baptist Church in Joplin. A visitation is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the church.

A fund has been established at UMB Bank to benefit Kali Rountree, surviving daughter of Richard and Kathy Rountree. Memorial contributions may be made to the Rountree Memorial Fund.