J W "Jay" Fryrear

    Long-time Nevada resident, J.W. (Jay) Fryrear, passed away at home surrounded by loved ones on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at the age of 97.

    Born during a heavy snowstorm on January 22, 1928, on a farm in Johnson County, MO, he was the youngest of four children (Jack Fryrear, Charlene Stinchcomb, and Wanda Kanoy) born to Fay and Vera (Ikard) Fryrear.  Following his father's sudden death when Jay was two, the family moved to his mother’s hometown of Tuttle, OK where she continued to raise her family and teach school. Much to Jay’s dismay his very own mother would eventually be his second-grade teacher.  Having survived that indignity he went on to graduate from Tuttle High School and immediately headed to the oil fields of west Texas to work for his uncle as a “roughneck” on an oil rig. During that same period, he earned his pilot’s license, bought and flew his own plane, and managed the municipal airport in Odessa, TX.

    He joined the US Navy and became a radio operator on a Destroyer operating throughout the Pacific.  Following his service in the Navy and a stint with the US Merchant Marines, Jay returned to his birthplace in Warrensburg, MO to take over the farming operation from another uncle raising cattle and crops.  It was there, through a family matchmaker, he was introduced to Jean Kanoy, a student at Central Missouri Teachers College from Lake Charles LA, whose extended family was also from Warrensburg. They married in February 1953 and a year later, their daughter Clarisse was born and 15 months later, their son, Jim.

    In 1964 Jay and his family moved from Eldorado Springs, MO, where he operated the MFA Fertilizer Plant, accepting an offer from the W.F. Norman Corporation in Nevada, MO becoming their accounting officer and later corporate secretary. He enjoyed a long, happy career with the company where his knack for precise planning and execution in everything he did was put to good use.  A proud accomplishment included his design and patent of a temporary grave marker used extensively, even marking the gravesite of Jacqueline Kennedy.

    In his free time Jay was both a master gardener and craftsman extraordinaire, designing and building unique creations large and small from a diverse assortment of methods and materials.  His ability to visualize and then create beautiful objects never ceased to amaze. He was a true “Jay-of-all-trades.” His skills and hobbies included sewing, weaving, baking, canning, fishing, aviation, woodworking, and playing his own hand-crafted dulcimer. He enjoyed his hobby and Christmas tree farm where community members could pick and cut their own tree, complete with pony-and-wagon ride. His community mindfulness didn’t stop there –he baked loaves of bread for the food bank during COVID, he designed and built library cabinetry for a local church, and he was a committed blood donor.

    In 2000 Jay lost his wife Jean after her long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. The following year he began spending winters in south Texas and in 2003 met Phyllis Smith of Morris, IL, who also wintered in Rio Hondo, TX following the death of her husband.  They became friends and quickly bonded over common interests and soon were devoted life-long partners who, when not together, communicated multiple times daily until the very end.

    Jay will be remembered as a talented and creative person with a bright and thoughtful mind. He was resourceful and savvy, having come from modest beginnings and surviving the Great Depression. Despite being born 9 decades ago he kept current with technology even getting an iPhone before his grandchildren. He wore many hats in his life, literally and figuratively, in the later part of his life it was obvious his favorite hat was being “Grandpa.”  Jay will continue to be admired and missed by all that had the pleasure to know him.

    Jay was preceded in death by his wife, Jean. He is survived by his partner, Phyllis Smith of Morris, IL; his daughter, Clarisse Teepe-Fryrear of Nevada, son Jim (Stacie) Fryrear of Kirkwood, MO, grandchildren Thijs Teepe (Beth), Emily Teepe (Joe), of Colorado Springs, CO, Allison (Mark) Wolff, Jennifer (Jake) Walsh, of St. Louis, MO, Natalie (Cole) Thomas of Indianapolis, IN, and six great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made in his name to the Nevada R-5 Foundation for the Jean Fryrear scholarship fund in care of Ferry Funeral Home.

     A graveside service will be held at later date in Warrensburg, MO.

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