Patricia "Jody" Harrison, 60, of St. Joseph, MO, passed away November 10, 2025.
There are some people whose love feels eternal, people who leave pieces of themselves in everyone they’ve ever cared for. Jody was one of those people. Her love wasn’t just something you felt; it was something you carried with you. It became part of who you are.
Jody lived a life marked by hardship and loss, more than most could endure, but she met every trial with the same fierce spirit that defined her. She was strong, yes, but her strength came from something deeper than survival. It came from love. It came from her unshakable instinct to care for others, even when her own heart was breaking. She carried more sorrow than anyone should, but somehow, even with everything she lost, she still loved fully, fearlessly, fiercely.
She had a way of making everyone feel like family. Whether you were one of her children, a grandchild, a cousin, a friend, or simply someone who crossed her path; she saw you. She welcomed you. She made space for you in her world and in her heart.
Jody’s love wasn’t the polished, picture-perfect kind. It was real, messy, fierce, and unforgettable. She raised damn good kids. The kind of kids who stand up for people, who work hard, who love deeply, who are never afraid to speak their mind because that’s what she showed them. She didn’t hide life’s hard edges from them. She taught them how to face it head-on, how to get back up, how to take care of their own. She didn’t just raise them; she prepared them for the real world and it shows. She taught them resilience, empathy, and how to find laughter in the pain. She did it so well that her spirit now lives in their strength, their compassion, and the way they love the people around them. She poured that same love into her grandchildren; they were her light, her pride, her reason to keep going. Along the way, she took in so many others who needed her. Jody didn’t have to know you for long to love you deeply. That’s just who she was. She was a mother to anyone who needed one, a safe place for lost souls to land.
Jody was wise in the way only someone who’s lived can be. Her words carried weight because they came from experience, not judgment. She could be blunt, she could be stubborn, but underneath it all was an endless well of compassion. She’d give you the shirt off her back without thinking twice. She’d feed you, listen to you, fight for you, and she’d do it with that mix of humor and truth that made her impossible not to love.
She had beautiful curly hair that shimmered in the sunlight, just like her spirit. Wild, radiant, and free. Her laughter filled rooms, softened hearts, and it lingered long after she left.
And now, though her physical presence is gone, her spirit remains everywhere. When you see a butterfly dancing in the wind, think of her. When you see a rainbow arching across the sky, think of her. When the sun begins to set and the sky turns to gold and pink and violet, know that it’s her.
Jody’s legacy is love. Her story lives on in her children, her grandchildren, and in every person who ever felt her warmth.
Rest easy, Jody. You were one of a kind.
You’ll live on in the butterflies, the rainbows, the sunsets, and in all of us who were lucky enough to be loved by you.
Always and forever.
Survivors include her husband Mickey Harrison, Sr.; sons Mickey Harrison, Jr., Michael Harrison; daughter Nicole McKinney; grandchildren, Joseph Lofland, Harrison Lofland, Patricia Simpson, Aaron Snodgrass, Stella Harrison, Ruby Moon Harrison; sisters, Susan Keller, Linda Steele; brothers Cameron Wayne Merritt, Harold Wayne Merritt; other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; son Nathan Scott Taylor, Sr.; grandson Nathan Scott Taylor, Jr.; and sister Kathy Prewitt.
Services will be Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 6:00 pm at Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel.
