Jared Christopher Vinzant

Jared Christopher Vinzant was born January 5, 1990 at St Lukes Hospital, Kansas City Mo to Jessica Akins Vinzant and the late Nyles R Vinzant Jr.

He is preceded in death by his Dad, Nyles Vinzant; his maternal grandparents Achel James “A.J.” and Mary Akins; and his paternal grandfather Nyles “Rudy” Vinzant.

He lived in Olathe, Kansas while growing up. He attended Ridgeview Elementary, Heritage Elementary, Indian Trail Jr High and graduated in 2008 from Olathe South High School. He took classes at Johnson County Community College and the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

Jared wanted to follow in the footsteps of his Dad, Grandfather and Cousin by serving our country. He enlisted in the US Army in 2011. He attended basic training at Fort Jackson, SC; AIT at Fort Sam Houston, TX and was assigned to the 864th Engineering Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McCord. Serving as a combat medic made him feel valued and appreciated and gave him self confidence. He loved being called "Doc" . The time he spent serving his country beside his military brothers and sisters were some of the happiest moments of his life.

Jared had a big heart and loved big. He loved his family and numerous friends. He was generous with that love. If you were lucky enough to be on the list of people he loved he always made sure you knew that.

Jared adored and loved his niece Alexis (Lexi). His name for her was Bella. Jared cried when he saw her ultra sound picture and realized he was going to be an Uncle. He always wanted children of his own and continued to hope that would happen one day.

Jared had a love for baseball and played for several years beginning when he was 6 yrs old. He looked forward to every spring and was always excited when baseball practice started. His favorite movie was The Sandlot and watched it frequently even as an adult. Jared also loved watching the Chiefs and was extremely excited when they won the Super Bowl. Jared's love for Kansas Jayhawks began when he was 5 yrs old. He even turned his Missouri born Mother into a Jayhawks fan. Everyone who knew him knew you shouldn't text, call or show up at his door when the Jayhawks were playing.

Jared's favorite companion when he was alone and feeling down was his beloved dog Moose. (Named for a member of the 2015 Royals World Series team). Moose was always by his side providing comfort. Jared had dreams of buying land and raising German Shepherds.

Jared loved music and had several bands he counted as his favorites. He collected band t shirts and had so many they would not all fit in a dresser. He also shared with his Mom a fondness for Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty.

Jared struggled in recent years with his relationship with God. Recently he had begun to rebuild that relationship and was feeling a stronger belief in a higher power. He had begun attending church services and felt at times the sermon that morning was especially for him.

Jared had an infectious smile and could light up a room with it. He always had an easy time making friends. He loved to laugh and had a huge sense of humor. When he laughed, it came from deep inside him. It made you smile just to hear it.

Jared's life and who he was cannot be summed up in a few paragraphs. Although we know he is at peace, his passing has left a void in his family’s and friends’ lives that cannot be filled. There will not be a day that goes by that we will not think of him and miss him greatly. Thirty two years was not enough for us to have with him. He will missed by all who knew and loved him. We know that when it's time for us to join him he will be waiting with one of his big comforting hugs and his beautiful smile.

You are loved Jared, now and always. You are not truly gone, you will continue to live on in our hearts and in our memories of our time with you.

Cremation. A Memorial Graveside Service with Military Honors will be held 1:30 p.m., Thursday, April 28, 2022 at the Leavenworth National Cemetery, Leavenworth, Kansas.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 30, 2022 at the VFW Post 7397, 9550 Pflumm Road, Lenexa, Kansas 66215.

Family suggests memorial contributions may be made to Mission 22 - Treatment for PTSD for Veterans.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri.