Lonnie Lavern Kerns was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on August 27, 1940 to Lawrence Raymond and Clara (Geiler) Kerns and died May 4, 2021.
A lifelong resident of St. Joseph, he married his high school sweetheart, Penney Batley on July 8, 1961. Lonnie is survived by daughters, Kimberly Kay (Gary Pettis) and Kristina Kay (Charles Alldredge); grandchildren, Jonathan Pettis, Erin (Kevin Barnett) Pettis, and April Pettis all of St. Joseph, Amanda (Ronnie Chilcote) Alldredge of Mont Alto, PA, Brittni (Cory Fegan) of Waynesboro, PA, Casey (Stephan McCloskey) of Greencastle, PA, Drew Alldredge and Ethan Alldredge of Mont Alto, PA; great-grandchildren, Zack, Angel, Jason and Jackson Barnett of St. Joseph, Lexie, Kendra, Kory & Tucker Chilcote, Emorie Fegan, and McKynleigh McCloskey of Pennsylvania; and unofficial adopted sons Terry Pettis and Jerry Smock of St. Joseph.
Lonnie was a 1958 graduate of Lafayette High School. He loved to fish and planned and participated in 30 plus years of going to Grand Lake of the Cherokee’s in Oklahoma first with his family and then with the Brown Bear group. He was a golfer and bowler before a major surgery and stroke prevented his participating. In order to stay close to the golfing he became a marshal at the Savannah Golf Course. He also loved his “Monday’s at the Bear” for lunch and the sharing of memories with a great bunch of guys.
A member of Eagles #49 where he was a long-time secretary, sat in all the chairs, 3 years as co-chair of the cancer charity with wife Penney, and was honored in 2016 by the Missouri State Fraternal Order of Eagles by being elected to the Missouri State Hall of Fame. He has continued his membership and is now an “old coot” and “providing good advice” when needed even when it isn’t always gracefully accepted. Lonnie participated on the Southside Fall Festival committee and worked with the parade committee, working at the Kovac Fireworks entrance of the horses entering into the parade.
Lonnie and Penney were active boaters for a number of years, both having become Auxiliary Coast Guard members and loved patrolling the Missouri River as well as Smithville and Lake of the Ozarks. They had many trips on the river with great friends Bob and & Helen and Sam and Opal. They were also square dancers and loved traveling with their dance friends going to weekends of dancing and doing exhibition dances. They were blessed to have traveled and had visited all but 3 states, taken several cruises including a “no captain, no crew” 10 day adventure in the British Virgin Islands and an extended trip to Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
Lonnie worked as hard as he played. After attending Junior College he worked at Swift and Company and served as Union Steward until the plant closed. A new career was in the works when he went to work as an auditor and inspector for what is now Equifax. He moved on to becoming an independent auditor for Valter, Inc. and later to manager and staff auditor for Ohio Casualty (Now Liberty Mutual) in Shawnee-Mission, Kansas. After retirement, Lonnie worked as a school bus driver – a job he enjoyed with all his heart. He loved and worried about “his kids” and enjoyed his high school students as they included him in their banter and discussions on their drive home. He had a long history with the St. Joseph News Press having started at a very young age delivering papers, worked in the business office when attending college, worked stuffing ads and funnies late nights on Saturday’s during college and as a newly married man, and doing re-delivery work after retirement.
At the request of Granddaughter Brittni, Lonnie and Penney became registered ministers through the Universal Church and performed the marriages of granddaughters Brittni & Cory Fegan and Casey & Stephen McCloskey. An honor he spoke of frequently with great pride.
Lonnie loved his family with all his heart – they, in turn, “loved him to the moon and back.” He will be missed by many friends and family who called him friend, a legend, Dad, PamPaw and husband. He is also survived by siblings Zelda (Dwight) Huff and Jesse (Pat) Kerns along with numerous nieces and nephews. He was proceeded in death by his parents, sister Audrey Digenan, Brother Melvin Kerns and brother Gary “Buster” Lawrence. Mr. Kerns medically donated to the Skin Transplant Program.
A Celebration of Life and Public Livestream will be held 3:00 P.M. Wednesday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. The family will gather with friends 1:30 to 3:00 P.M. Wednesday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Following the service, friends and family will meet at the Eagles FOE. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Eagles Auxiliary #49 Charities, 2004 North Belt Highway, St. Joseph, Missouri 64506.
