As the residents of Joplin continue to sift through the piles of rubble that once were their homes, the community takes a moment of pause to remember those who were lost. Now a week after the devastating EF-5 twister destroyed a 6-mile by 2-mile swath of the city, the search for the missing continues, and survivors work to pick up the pieces.
The public is invited to attend the memorial service, which is at the Taylor Performing Arts Center on the campus of Missouri Southern State University. No tickets are
required for admittance to the venue that opens at 11:30.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will deliver a message at the service, which will include clergy from the Joplin area and a local choir. President Barack Obama will offer brief remarks.
Once the Taylor Auditorium is full, overflow seating will be available at several campus facilities, including the campus tennis courts, Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall, Black Box Theater in Taylor Hall and Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center where a live broadcast of the service can be seen. Up to 5,000 people will be accommodated for the event designed for citizens. In addition, mental health services will be available at Hearnes Hall.
A city-wide moment of silence happens at 5:41 p.m., which is the exact time the tornado hit one week ago. At that time, a song written for and given to the city of Joplin by a Nashville songwriter will be aired on Missourinet affiliate KZRG — www.1310kzrg.com.
A total of 87 individuals have been confirmed as deceased and their next-of-kin notified following the tornado that devastated Joplin on May 22, according to the Department of Public Safety. The deceased victims whose next-of-kin have received notifications of their deaths are:
Miguel Alvarez, 28, Joplin
Sarah L. Anderson, 47, Joplin
Grace Aquino, 46, of Joplin
Robert W. Baker, 54, Joplin
Robert E. Bateson, 45, Joplin
Dorothy T. Bell, 88, Joplin
Regina M. Bloxham, 55, Joplin
Lathe E. Bradfield, 84, Joplin
Leo E. Brown, 86, Joplin
Hugh O. Buttram, 85, Joplin
Tami L. Campbell, 28, Joplin
Arriyinnah S. Carmona, 8, Joplin
Moises Carmona-Navarro, 42, Joplin
Shante M. Caton, 10, Joplin
Trenton Caton, 6, Pierce City
Raymond Chew, 66, Joplin
Carolane J. Collins, 62 Eagle Rock
Clyde Coleman, 72, Galena, Kansas
Lois A. Comfort, 66, Webb City
Keenan K. Conger, 49, Joplin
Vicki L. Cooper, 59, Joplin
Adam Darnaby, 27, Joplin
Nancy E. Douthitt, 94, Joplin
Ellen Doyle, 75, Joplin
Richard A. Elmore, 70, Joplin
Randy E. England, 34, Neosho
Betty Fisher, 86, Joplin
Marsha A. Frost, 32, Joplin
Sebastian C. Frost, 10, Joplin
Charles K. Gaudsmith, 21, Carthage
Billie J. Gideon, 77, Joplin
Paul E. Haddock, 63, Joplin
Caley Lantz Hare, 16, Joplin
Dorothy V. Hartman, 91, Joplin
Glenn W. Holland, 60, Joplin
Charlotte Hopwood, 84, Joplin
Hayze Howard, 1, Webb City
Harli Howard, 5, Webb City
Thomas Russell Howard, 29, Webb City
Melisa R. Johnson, 50, Carthage
Cheryl L. Jones, 39, Altamont, Kansas
James D. Kendrick, 63, Joplin
Bruce A. Lievens, 48, Joplin
Rachel K. Markham, 31, Joplin
Nancy Martin, 52, Miami, Oklahoma
Jesse L. McKee, 44, Neosho
Randall E. Mell, 49, Joplin
Ronald D. Meyer, 64, Joplin
Ray Donald Miller III, 49, Joplin
Doris Montgomery, 83, Joplin
Edmond V. Mullaney, 82, Joplin
Sharyl Nelsen, 34, Joplin
William R. Norton, 18, Joplin
Dennis M. Osborn, 34, Seneca
Charles E. Oster, 77, Joplin
Shirley Ann Parker, 68, Joplin
James B. Peterson, 27, Joplin
John H. Petty, 37, Neosho
Natalia M. Puebla, 17, Neosho
Shelly Marie Ramsey, 42, Neosho
Loretta Randell, 54, Joplin
Troy Raney, 39, Joplin
Virgil T. Reid, 77, Joplin
Johnny Richey, 52, Joplin
Vicki Robertson, 66, Joplin
Keith D. Robinson, 48, Joplin
Virginia Mae Salmon, 80, Joplin
Tonya L. Sawyer, 41, Fort Scott, Kansas
Frances A. Scates, 70, Joplin
Gladys J. Seay, 83, Welch, Oklahoma
Daniel W. Shirley, 48, Joplin
Judy Smith, 71, Joplin
Nicholaus A. Smith, 23, Joplin
Shyrell L. Smith, 68, Pittsburg, Kansas
Steven J. Stephens, 28, Joplin
Kayleigh Teal, 16, Pittsburg, Kansas
Heather L. Terry, 36, Joplin
John Thomas, Jr., 40, Joplin
Sandra K. Thomas, 55, Carthage
Margaret Tuit, 92, Joplin
Michael E. Tyndall, 33, Joplin
Darian D. Vanderhoofven, 45, Joplin
Joshua D. Vanderhoofven, 1, Joplin
Miles Wells, 49, Webb City
Tiera Whitley, 20, Fulton, Kansas
Zach Williams, 12, Joplin
Charles W. Writer, 74, Joplin
