John Edward Kern.....Age 77

VISITATION:6-8PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015 AT EDDY-BIRCHARD FUNERAL HOME

GRAVESIDE SERVICE: 2PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015 WAGSTAFF CEMETERY, WAGSTAFF, KANSAS.

MEMORIALS: OSAWATOMIE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Memorials may be sent in care of:
Eddy-Birchard Funeral Home
P.O. Box 430
Osawatomie, Kansas 66064

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John Edward Kern age 77, of Paola, Kansas died Monday, January 12, 2015 at the Olathe Hospice House in Olathe, Kansas.

John was born in Miami County in Rural New Lancaster, Kansas. He was the eldest of three children born to Floy Leroy and Katherine Loraine (Rupp) Kern.

He was a lifelong resident of Miami County and attended school at Somerset, Wagstaff and Paola, graduating from Paola High School with the class of 1955.

He worked on the family farm helping out his family for most of his life. But by trade he was an automobile mechanic and had his own business for many years. He specialized in Volkswagens but worked on all kinds of automobiles
.
John also loved motorcycles and had many different kinds, but on May 17, 1974 he started up his Moto Guzzi motorcycle and went to pick up the love of his life Patricia Louise “Pat” West. The couple took off to Miami, Oklahoma and returned home happily married. They would have celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary this May.

John and Pat made their home on part of the family land and raised three children there. John loved their home and it is where they still call home to this day.

He was crazy about old classic cars and enjoyed restoring them and showing them at car shows all over Kansas and Missouri. John has nine classic cars but a few of his favorites are his 1932 Ford, 1959 Studebaker and his 1934 International Pick Up. John also loved antique tractors and participated in many tractor pulls around the area.

John loved his family, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them. He loved to read and was quite fond of American History books. He read as many as five books a week until his eyes began to fail. He like to take walks outside and sometimes he would have company with his daughters English Mastiff “Lilly”, or maybe one of the children. He was not always a cat lover however he did acquired a cantankerous one from his granddaughter Jill, he called “Cat” and sometimes a few other choice names. But they did became good buddies and “Cat “already misses him.

He was a member of the Classic Cruisers Car Club of Miami County, the Miami Co. Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Assoc. Inc. and a former member of the Power of the Past Tractor Club of Ottawa, Kansas.

John was preceded in death by his parents, one infant sister Phyllis Kern and son John R. West.

He is survived by his wife Pat of the home, two daughters: Dawn (Rick) Uzzell of Osawatomie, KS and Melissa (Mitch) Jeserick of Ranson, West Virginia. One brother: Gary (Gloria) Kern of Paola, KS, nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one on the way, along with many other family members and friends.