The death of a local comfort dog handler — who battled cancer while contributing to the successful church program that united him with man’s best friend — is sending shockwaves through the Joplin, Missouri community. According to a September 2017 article from The Joplin Globe, community cornerstone Rick Duerr died on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. His death came as a great source of sadness to Tucker Sharp of Joplin MO, who always wants to see people hailing from his native city succeed. According to the Globe, Duerr cared for “Jackson” for more than six years. The two were united in 2011 thanks to Immanuel Lutheran Church. The comfort dog program was instituted after the 2011 Joplin tornado that left more than 150 people dead and inflicted an estimated $2.8 billion in damages.
The newspaper reported that Duerr was among the volunteers who opted to care for Jackson, a 7-year-old golden retriever. The church program was launched in the wake of the deadly tornado and saw widespread attention and success nationwide as future tragedies unfolded. For example, Jackson and his brother Louie were at the funeral for a slain Clinton, Missouri police officer. The church that ran the program sent both dogs to Newton, Connecticut after the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Tucker Sharp of Joplin MO said this program really puts the best of his community on the national stage. “Jackson is a faithful fellow,” Jason Glaskey, who led the comfort dog ministry at the Immanuel Lutheran Church along Connecticut Avenue told the Globe. “He would go to all of Rick’s treatments. Through several surgeries and setbacks and steps forward, Jackson has been right there.” The report adds that the six years Duerr and his buddy Jackson were together was so often spent traversing the region wherever there was a need for comfort dogs. The impact of the program was so strong that Duerr’s family is asking that all memorials and contributions be given to the Immanuel Lutheran Church Comfort Dog Ministry.
Tucker Sharp of Joplin MO strongly feels that Duerr strongly represented what his community is all about. After the tragic tornado that simply devastated his region, people coming together to improve life was a common scene. That’s exactly what Duerr, the church and the comfort dog ministry were doing and Tucker Sharp couldn’t be happier to hail from the Joplin MO region.