Jaryn Levi Yarnell's Obituary
Jaryn Levi Yarnell, aged 19, passed from this life in the early morning hours of December 15, 2023. He was the beloved son of Michael L and Tara Yarnell, of Erie. Jaryn graduated from Fredonia JRSR High School on May 13, 2023 and had just finished his first semester of college at Neosho County Community College.
Jaryn loved people, especially children, the disadvantaged, or the misunderstood. He was a peer tutor during High School and loved the students he worked with, maintaining friendships with them beyond his graduation. He was a brilliant mathmatician, and was currently enrolled in Neosho County Community College as a math major. He had intended to continue with his education at Pittsburg State University and was pondering a career in mathematics, special education, or psychology.
Jaryn embraced life with gusto. More than anything in life, he wanted peace, calm, and for people around him to be happy. Jaryn loved all things soccer from playing it, watching it, playing PS4 Fifa, and “buying and selling players” to make perfect teams. He loved to work through the fibonacci sequence and spent hours doodling equations. He had a quick wit, a dark humor, and a mischievous smile.
Jaryn had patience that exceeded that of most people and he forgave wholly and without reserve. He didn’t have an easy life, but he would be the last person to express that. His goal in life was to constantly move forward, work on relationships, and enjoy living. He could find the good in almost any situation and believed that everyone, even the most evil, had some good in them somewhere.
Jaryn loved the sun rises, night time walks in the late evening, soccer, music, his nephews and nieces, and his beloved dog, Gaston. In the last years of Jaryn’s life, he expressed love unabashedly, and spent much time snuggling and playing with Gaston and having movie marathons with his mom, Tara. He had many friends and enjoyed cruising the back roads, laughing, and just being a “normal teenager.” (his words). Simple things like going for drinks at Petes, kicking his soccer ball around, eating popsicles by the dozens, learning Russian, burning incense, and the mountains, brought him great joy.
Jaryn is survived by his parents Michael L and Tara Yarnell, his siblings, Michael A Yarnell & wife Jessica, their children: Joseph, Jase, Rhett, and Sadie, all of Erie, Hannah Yarnell & partner Angelo Felix of Kansas City, Aaron Yarnell & wife Kersia of Erie, and Zachary Yarnell and wife Kandi and their daughter, Aspyn of Divide, Colorado and grandparents, Rex & Denise Houghton and Sharon Yarnell, all of Erie, numerous aunts and uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by a grandfather, Leland Yarnell, earlier this year.
He was also survived by his birth mother, Deborah Burton and husband Philip (Fredonia), and birth siblings Jessica Yarnell, Hannah Clark, Justus Knox and wife Sarah, and their daughter, Zola; Javn Knox; and Joseph Knox-Yarnell.
Jaryn was previously adopted by and is survived by Forrest & Renee Knox. That adoption dissolved and he spent time in his biological sister Jessica’s home, before being adopted by Mike and Tara as an adult. He is also survived by Forrest & Renee’s nine children: Leah Arnold (Neodesha), Joanna Tindle (Ferndale, CA), Abigail Fox (Fredonia), Rachel Napier (Neosho, MO), Hannah Knox (Coffeyville), John Knox (Andover), David Knox (Edmund, OK), Lydia Lewis (Chanute), and Joel Knox (Nurnberg, Germany), their spouses, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Jaryn will be forever missed.
Visitation for family and friends will take place on Wednesday, December 20th from 4-6 pm at Countryside Funeral Home in Fredonia. Funeral Service will be held Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 3:00 pm at Countryside Funeral with visitation 1 hour prior to service time. Memorials for the Fredonia JRSR High School Counselor’s Fund may be left in care of the Countryside Funeral Home, Fredonia, KS.
Online condolences may be left at www.countrysidefh.com. Services are under the direction of Countryside Funeral Home 420 S. 20th, P.O. Box 247, Fredonia, KS 66736
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