Memorial Services for Emily Jaycene McIntosh, Age 40 of West Plains, Missouri will be held on Tuesday, May 26th, 2026 at The St Mary’s Catholic Church, West Plains, Missouri, beginning at 10:00 AM. Arrangements under the direction of The Barker Funeral Home, Salem, Arkansas. Memorial donations may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church; P.O. Box 67, West Plains, Missouri 65775.
Emily Jaycene McIntosh, 40, of West Plains, Missouri passed away on Tuesday May 19, 2026 at West Plains, Missouri. Emily was born March 2, 1986, in Mountain Home, Arkansas to Ernest McIntosh, Jr. and Carrie Lee (Moore) McIntosh.
When scripture speaks of the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, it paints a picture of a life shaped by God’s presence. Marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are not just virtues to admire; they are the quiet evidence of a heart surrendered to Christ.
For those of us blessed to know Emily, these words do not feel abstract or distant. They feel familiar. They feel like her.
Emily lived these fruits so naturally that you didn’t have to look for them. You simply experienced them. Her love was steady, her joy contagious, her peace calming, her patience unwavering. Kindness flowed from her without effort. Goodness shaped her choices. Faithfulness anchored her life. Gentleness softened every interaction. And self-control guided her with grace and humility.
Her life was the confirmation of what so many have written in their comments and memories– but more than that, her life itself was the testimony.
Emily graduated from Viola School in 2004. She attended college at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri. She was a journalist for The News and worked as a paraprofessional at Calico Rock School before being hired at Viola, where she was a beloved first-grade teacher for 13 years.
Emily was active in her Catholic faith. She was an altar server in her youth and a lector at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church in Mountain Home, Arkansas. When she moved to West Plains, she became active in St. Mary Catholic Church. She was a lector, secretary of the pastoral Council, and taught the most recent First Holy Communion Class. She started the Lectern Project for Needy Children.
Emily was our tech support. She was our go-to person for smartphones, smart TVs, and smartwatches. This means she was smart and we weren’t so smart.
Even though Emily could not have children of her own, she was a mother figure to each child she taught. Her five nephews, Michael, Mason, Levi, Travis, and Duncan, miss their Aunt Emily and the treats she always had for them.
There were many people in her life who loved her dearly—her family, friends, colleagues, and students above all. She was a devoted teacher, but to her Mom and Dad, her sister Crystal and her Husband Steven, and her brother Luke and his Wife Stephanie, she was their beloved daughter and sister.
When we think of the Fruits of the Spirit, it is easy–so easy–to see Emily’s face. She didn’t just talk about these virtues. She lived them. She embodied them. She leaves behind a legacy that will continue to bear fruit in the lives she touched.
She is survived by her parents, Ernest and Carrie McIntosh of Elizabeth, Arkansas; brother, Luke McIntosh (Stephanie) of Bolivar, Missouri; sister, Crystal Locklear (Steven) of Salina, Kansas; five nephews; many other relatives and friends.
She is preceded in death by her sister (Bridget McIntosh), Nephew (Adam McIntosh), and all grandparents.
