Jeremy Michael Lavery, 30, of Garden City, MO, passed away on August 7, 2018 at 6:22 a.m. A visitation will be held from 2:00-4:00 p.m. with memorial services to follow on Saturday, August 11, 2018 at Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, MO. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the Baby Lavery Fund, c/o Atkinson Funeral Home. Checks should be made payable to Chris Lavery and/or Hannah Conner.
Jeremy was born June 15, 1988 in Kansas City, MO, the son of Chris Keith and Ginger Ann (Chapman) Lavery. Growing up, Jeremy enjoyed learning how to hunt and fish from his dad. In 2007, he graduated from Archie High School and went on to attend the Welding Institute in Nevada, MO. On August 17, 2009, Jeremy had the best day of his life, welcoming his daughter Zoey Mae to the world. Zoey says her favorite memory with her dad is, “Whenever dad got me my first fishing pole.” Obviously he passed down his love for hunting and fishing to Zoey.
For the last 8 years, Jeremy used his creative, hardworking skill sets as a commercial plumber. His current boss said, “He was such a great guy, great employee, great kid. He was a phenomenal asset.”
On April, 11, 2015, Jeremy met the love of his life. When Jeremy met Hannah, he said he couldn’t get his phone out of his pocket fast enough. Jeremy’s family agrees that Hannah brought out the best of Jeremy the last three years. Throughout all of this, Jeremy always had his best friend, Josh Hocker, by his side.
It’s difficult to find a picture of Jeremy without him holding a fish as hunting and fishing were his favorite hobbies, but he also enjoyed many other things in life. If Jeremy was drinking anything mango flavored or eating deer meat, fish, or McDonald’s cheeseburgers, he was a happy camper. His favorite movies were “Deadpool” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”… “Care for some gopher Everett?” Jeremy’s favorite place was on the water. He wasn’t picky, any lake, river, or pond was perfect. Jeremy’s favorite color was green, just like his dad.
At Lavery family gatherings, you would find Jeremy quoting “Dumb and Dumber” and “Ace Ventura” with his sisters, and singing some David Allen Coe or Hank Williams Jr. around a campfire. When asked to describe Jeremy, all of his friends and family have used the same six simple words: “He had a heart of gold.”
Jeremy was preceded in death by his grandfather, Rex Chapman and best friend, Danny Wagner. He is survived by his parents, Chris and Ginger Lavery, Archie, MO; his girlfriend, Hannah Conner, Garden City, MO; daughter, Zoey Mae Lavery, Garden City, MO and unborn child due February 24; three sisters, Rebecca Henson (Tyler), Maloy, IA, Shelby Bottiger (Jordan), Stanberry, MO, and Taylor Schultz, Archie, MO; 2 nephews and 1 niece, Tanner, Cannon, and Kerigann; grandparents, Robert and Joyce Lavery, Lake Annette, MO, Donna Plumb, Archie, MO, and step-grandmother, Nancy Lindly, Buckner, MO; aunts, Anita Bolin (Bill), Belton, MO, and Sonya Chapman, Holden, MO; uncles, Ron Lavery (Brenda), Freeman, MO and Robert Zimmerman, Drexel, MO; best friends, Josh Hocker (Leanna ‘Leon’) and sons, Garden City, MO, Steve Jackson (Jessica) and children, Garden City, MO, Daniel Lemka (Jessica) and children, La Tour, MO, Jimmy Smith (Markie), Archie, MO, as well as other extended family, a large group of friends, and his co-workers.
