Alona Kay Battles

On Saturday April 18th, 2026 Alona passed over to I believe, be with her husband John and family/friends. She will be laid to rest Saturday April 25th at Little Brushy Creek Cemetery in Wappapello, MO at 2pm.

I grew up neighbors with Alona Kay, I knew her for 40yrs. Some of my earliest memories at home are hearing her yell across the backyard “John David telephone!” She was the backbone and matriarch of the Battles family. I watched her dogs when they left town, would rake their leaves for some spending money, went to the lake with the family and eventually married her granddaughter Jessi. Alona was always so kind to my family, we could have not asked for a better neighbor, friend and eventually family member.

Some things people may or may not know about Alona Kay. She was born during WWII October 27th, 1944 in sunny San Diego California. Due to health complications a doctor told her parents early on that she would not likely live into her adulthood and would definitely never have children. They recommended her be institutionalized. She then moved to Malden, MO in the southeast where she went to and graduated highschool.

She met a duck hunter named John David Battles, they were married in July 1963. While there were concerns they would not be able to carry on the Battles name, those concerns were quickly diminished when they had not one but two sons (Scott & Shawn). She worked hard and was always involved with her family. Nobody actually knows how she survived raising the “Battles Boys”, but she did it. While she never had a daughter, in March 1986 her granddaughter Jessica was born. Then in April 1991 her grandson was born, a fourth generation John David Battles! Her and John made sure to travel with their grandkids and be present at most of their competitions and school events. I personally witnessed their unending investment of time, energy and love they poured into their grandkid’s lives. She watched her grandkids graduate highschool/college, get married and have children of their own.

She was able to enjoy retirement and age with grace; something we all hope for. She got to watch her great grandchildren start their lives and would sneak them sweets like any GG would do. She beat the odds and lived a wonderful life, surrounded by those who truly loved her. She is an example that loving your family and friends is not a few large declarations at once, but a consistent love that is given daily over a lifetime. We are all very fortunate to have had Alona Kay in our lives, we laughed and were loved more than most.

In her last few days on Earth she was saying “John David just wait”, he is not waiting anymore.