Kansas City Funeral Directors

Partha Kasturi

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Dr. Partha Kasturi

Dr. Partha Kasturi, PhD , a dedicated father, loving husband and an outstanding research scientist passed away unexpectedly on June 2nd due to massive heart attack. Partha was an associate professor at the department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Partha was an outstanding researcher with diverse training in agricultural sciences, microbiology and transporter proteins. His highly cited research was on mitochondrial diseases and he had published several papers in high impact factor journals such as Nature and JBC.

Being an avid runner, Partha loved to run on many trails in and around Lenexa and Shawnee. In addition to being a uncommonly gifted marathon runner, was also an prolific Indian Carnatic classical music vocalist.

Partha leaves behind his dear wife Geetha and his loving daughter Karishma (age 9), his Mother and Father in India, brother Kasturi and family, sister Rekha, Suresh and family, Vasantha and family, Vasu and family, Naren and family, Prasanna, Seema and family, Eshan, Para and family, Krishna, Rashmi and family, Suresh and family and host of friends and relatives. Clearly, the void left by Partha will never be be filled and an entire community is mourning and in a state of shock which will take a long time to recover from.

Partha, you will be missed dearly by all of us!

Visitation is on June 5th from 12-1.30 PM. Kansas City Funeral Directors 4880 Shawnee Dr, Kansas City, KS 66106

Private service and last rites will follow after that.

Edward Marcus Hernandez

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EDWARD MARCUS HERNANDEZ

Ed passed away quietly late in the evening of June 01, 2019. He was born May 04, 1957 to Vicenta and Victor V. Hernandez. He worked at the Marriott Hotel, Isle of Capri and retired from KU Medical Center. Ed was an avid Royals and Chiefs fan. He loved to participate in sports, especially basketball and fast-pitch softball.

He is preceded in death by his mother Vicenta (Montez) Hernandez. Ed is survived by his loving wife Phyllis of the home; father Victor V. Hernandez; 2 sisters Gloria Villegas (Ralph) & Victoria Rodriquez; 2 brothers Raymond Hernandez & Victor Hernandez (Rose); many nieces,
nephews, numerous family and friends.

Jason E. Piercy

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Jason E. Piercy, 41, of Roeland Park, Kansas passed away peacefully at his home on May 23, 2019. He was born October 30, 1977 to parents Johnnie E. Piercy and Kimberly L. Detmer.

Ralph Alan West, Sr.

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In loving memory of Ralph Alan West who passed away on May 24, 2019.  Ralph was born on September 23, 1960.  He loved being a trailer mechanic and repairing things which turned into a career for thirty years.  Ralph had a strong love and loyalty to family.  He started his own marrying Anna Nida West in March of 1980 and they had two children, Doris & Ralph.  He would later marry Diane Williams West in February of 1995 until her passing in 2005.  In 2007, he started a loving relationship with Blynnetta Lutes until his unfortunate passing. 

Ralph is preceded in death by his father, Carl; mother, Doris; brothers: Danny, Kenny, Lonnie, Carl, Jr,; Kevin, & Tommy;  He is survived by daughter, Doris; son, Ralph; 11 grandchildren; brothers, James & Dale; sister, Daylene; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, May 31 at Kansas City Funeral Directors, 4880 Shawnee Drive, Kansas City, Kansas.  Visitation will start at 2:00 pm and service will begin at 3:00 pm.

Dylan Joseph Garnett

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Dylan Joseph Garnett, 19, of Shawnee, KS, went home to his Lord May 14, 2019. Visitation will be held Thursday, May 23rd at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, 5501 Monticello Road, Shawnee, KS, from 4:30pm to 7:30pm, followed by a rosary. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30am on Friday May 24th at Sacred Heart, followed by interment at Resurrection cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Camp Tekakwitha Scholarship fund, the St. James Academy Amici Fidelis scholarship fund or to the St. Lawrence center at KU. Addresses below.

Dylan was a Catholic man of God, a son, brother, devoted friend, and an inspiration. He was, and is, the very embodiment of joy and love.

He was born in Morgantown West Virginia as an amazing gift to his parents and siblings, more then they could ever imagine. Even at a very young age, he was independent and driven. When he was offered assistance with a task, he would respond with, “No! My do it!” It wasn’t long before his father started to refer to him as “Dyli-do-it.” He wanted to be part of every activity and would want to come along on any errand or trip. To him, it was an adventure. And that spirit of adventure, discovery and excitement would flow through the entire family. Any activity, any endeavor with him was pure joy, all because of his outlook.

His family moved to the Kansas City area when he was 4 years old and he attended Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School from kindergarten through eighth grade. This was the start of his formal faith formation. As a small child, he would rarely nap for fear of missing out on something fun. His teachers would always comment on his joyous attitude at school, and at home he was the delight of his family. Often, he was the only one who could make his eldest brother laugh.

At Saint James Academy, he began to demonstrate the kind of man he would become. He showed his competitive nature in Scholar’s Bowl, his artistic nature in his poetry and in the Men’s Choir, and his leadership as a House Captain. He was always ready to lend a helping hand or volunteer for a worthy cause. His experiences at Camp Tekakwitha as a camper and a counselor, along with the faith formation at Saint James, solidified a strong devotion to his Catholic faith. During these years, he discerned a strong devotion to Saint Joseph and believed that being a good husband, father and role model as a man was his calling. This vocation for a holy marriage became his deepest desire. He became a powerful and joyful friend, mentor and role model to many.

He attended the University of Kansas as a Finance major in the Business Leadership Program. He was very active at the Saint Lawrence Catholic Center there and was devoted to daily mass, prayer and adoration, and the prayer group RISE. He loved sports, enjoyed his classes and always had time for his friends. He spent a semester abroad studying in Spain to improve his language skills in the pursuit of a Spanish minor and traveled extensively.

As a brother, he was someone who always strove to be better. Although talented and skilled when growing up, Dylan was not the one who got the best grades, or won the most videogames we played together. However, he always worked to better and improve himself; to show that even as the baby, he was someone who was worthy of respect. He worked tirelessly when exercising, taking care of his appearance, making and maintaining his friendships, and studying in school. By the end of his journey, he was someone that we saw as having the most fun and the brightest future. Dylan had strong goals and desires, and he took every step to achieve them. He was a true role model to even his own elder brothers. Even though he had his faults like anyone else, he was funny, caring, hardworking, and most of all, goofy.

To his family, he remained the core of joy and love. He was light in every circumstance. He loved travel, experiencing new things, spending time with his friends and just “being” with his brothers. If a friend called, he would often leave suddenly and rush to help with any crisis. He lived a life devoted to God and exercised a “ministry of presence” - being fully present to the people God placed in his path. He strove to give them love, laughter and guidance and to live a manly faith that he believed would change the world – one person at a time. He touched so many lives in the short 19 years that he was with us, that his passing is deeply and broadly felt. To his family, he is and always will be an irreplaceable gift. May Saint Joseph be with him and may he rest in the arms of Jesus and Mary forever.

With eternal love,

Your father, David; your mother, Renée; and your elder brothers, Ian and Brennan.

You are a gift to us and will be horribly missed, our precious Dylan.

St. James Academy Amici Fidelis Scholarship Fund, 24505 Prairie Star Parkway, Lenexa, KS 66227

Camp Tekakwitha Scholarship Fund, 12615 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS 66109

KU St. Lawrence Center, KUCatholic.org