George A. Kerns, age 77 years, or Urich, Missouri passed away Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at his home. George requested no funeral services be held.His ashes will be interred at Norris Cemetery near Hartwell at a date to be determined, with a private ceremony.
Fond memories and condolences may be left online at www.vansant-millsfuneralhome.com.

George Albert Kerns was born April 30, 1939, east of Garland to George Emmanuel "Buck" Kerns and wife, Mildred Violet Grasher. His father did work for various farmers in the area, and the family moved several times during his youth, until they purchased a farm south of Hartwell. He grew to manhood on their farm, across the road from his mother's parents.

George's grandfather, Albert Oscar Grasher taught him to shoot a gun, and his uncle Lyle Benton Grasher taught him to hunt and fish. George and his brother Bobbie enjoyed both activities, which as children were more than sports. They cut fishing poles and dug worms which they sold to fishermen on South Grand River and the Drainage Ditch. As they grew older, they gigged carp and buffalo, which they sold to area households to earn spending money. They hunted for food for their family table, and especially enjoyed hunting ducks, which they learned to call with just their voices. They prided themselves on their ability to set a flock of ducks down just where they wanted them.

The brothers, born 15 months apart, were no strangers to hard work. They started working with their father as soon as they were big enough. George never liked horses, as he could remember having to go out to the pasture as a small boy, to get the horses up to be harnessed so their father could go to work. He said the work horses looked as big as elephants galloping towards him when he was posted to keep them from going the wrong way. One of the jobs George helped with was shoveling horse manure from the horse barns in the area.
When George was in the 8th grade in school, he wrote an essay about shucking corn. He mentioned how the dust got inside your clothes and itched, and how much it hurt to be hit in the side of the head with an ear of corn.

George was graduated from Clinton High School in 1957, in the top 10 percent of his class. He was on the track team, with the mile run a specialty. He and his teammates set a Clinton High School record for the mile relay, which stood for about 10 years. He won several medals for the mile run.

Soon after graduation from high school, George went to work for the Missouri State Highway Department, where he worked for 40 years. He had planned to attend the University of Missouri in the fall, but was in a serious automobile accident, and was unable to attend at the beginning of the fall semester. He entered MU at the winter break, but had lost interest and quit after one semester.

As a summer trainee for the Highway Department, George was stationed at Carrollton, and later worked out of the Warrensburg, Clinton (twice), Warsaw, Kansas City, Lee's Summitt, and Liberty construction offices. He enjoyed survey crew work, and also worked on bridge construction, paving, and asphalt plants.

In March 1961, George enlisted in the Army Reserve unit in Harrisonville. He was sent for basic training to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and later went to Ft. Knox, Kentucky, where he trained as a tank driver. When his Army Reserve unit was disbanded, he chose not to join the National Guard, and was placed on inactive ready reserve for several years.

George proposed to Margaret Ann Kepner, and they became engaged in 1959. After she completed high school and he finished his active duty, they were married Sep. 21, 1961. They made their home in an apartment in Harrisonville until December 1962, when they moved to Clinton. In 1963 they bought a house there, where they lived until 1975. In 1965 they bought the farm where Margaret was born. They built a metal building there, and George enjoyed gardening and "puttering around" on the farm. Their lake was built in 1974 by Gary Scott, and his brother Arthur Scott built them a house in 1975.
George and Margaret enjoyed hunting and fishing, and later traveled with friends Bob and Jean Norcross, Bob and Mary Demming, and Junior and Jean Anderson. They also enjoyed watching football and basketball games and nature shows on TV. They bought a speedboat, and enjoyed camping and water skiing on Lake Pomme de Terre for several years.

In 1990, Margaret's niece, Mary Ruth Kepner, came to live with them, and stayed there a few months after her son, Perry Andrew Kepner was born. After Mary was married to Jon Schmoll, Andy was a frequent visitor in their home. George referred to him as "my boy." Three years later, Andy's brother, Jeffrey Maylen Schmoll was born, and was also a frequent guest. They became the grandchildren the couple didn't have.

After many years of taking care of Bob Demming's duck lakes and blinds, he sold George and Bobbie shares in the Demming Duck Lodge property, which, after Bob's death, became theirs. In more recent years, both George and Bobbie stopped shooting, and spent the duck seasons calling ducks and entertaining guests. After Bobbie's death, George refused to go to the duck blinds. He enjoyed visiting his nephew David Kerns at the lodge, and reminiscing about old times.
George suffered from congestive heart failure, and was hospitalized several times during the last six years of his life. He was also plagued with cellulitis in both legs. His sister Betty devotedly stayed at the hospital with him each time he was admitted, and was instrumental in his care when at home. Dr. James Clouse was diligent in his care of George, for which the family sincerely thanks him. After many struggles, George died peacefully in his sleep early Tuesday morning, July 12, 2016 at his home near Urich. Starting in early February of this year, he employed several people in different shifts to take care of him and his wife day and night. Golden Valley Home Health and Twin Lakes Hospice furnished valuable help during his last months. The family thanks all those who helped with his care, and particularly the Urich First Responders who picked him up after numerous falls. George was formerly vice-president of the Norris Cemetery Association, and his ashes will be buried in that cemetery.

George is survived by his wife Margaret, of the home, and three sisters: Betty Ann Kerns and husband Dwayne McKee of Independence, MO; Nina Lynn Newbill and husband Charles of Overland Park, Kansas; and Gina Kay Moreno and husband Reno of Lee's Summitt, MO; also three nieces and two nephews. He was preceded in death by both parents, his brother Bobbie Lee in 2015, and a niece, Deborah Ann Kerns, in 2016.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home of Clinton, Missouri.