Mary, If I may, I would like to make a suggestion. Since you know he passed away in 1971, go to www.funeralnet.com and look up funeral homes in Joplin. Either call or write to them and ask if they handled the arrangements. If they did, ask them to send you a copy of the Record of Funeral. Sometimes....there is also a copy of the obit that appeared in the newspaper. With the funeral record, especially from the late 60s to now, there is usually quite a bit of genealogical info contained in the funeral records. Parent's names are usually included, if the informant knew of them. Also, you can sometimes get names and places of residence from survivors. Good luck in your search! ciao, Ron