Dateline: Great Bend
Jarrod M. Thurston, age 50, of Great Bend, Kansas and formerly of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away unexpectedly on September 10, 2021 in Olathe, Kansas. Jarrod was born on January 3, 1971 at Wichita, Kansas to James B. and Jolene K. (Berning) Thurston. He graduated from Hays High School in Hays, Kansas in 1989, where he was involved in football, wrestling and track. After graduation, Jarrod competed on the track team at Pratt Community College in Pratt, Kansas and the University of Nebraska at Kearney in Kearney, Nebraska. Jarrod was a professional painter, having worked for Ammon Painting in Kansas City, Missouri, MVP Painting in Grandview, Missouri, and the Board of Public Utilities for Wyandotte County in Kansas City, Kansas for many years, and moved to Great Bend in 2018 to help care for his father. After moving to Great Bend Jarrod continued as a self-employed painter. He was a former member of Painters Union Local #9 of Kansas City, Missouri. He enjoyed studying genealogy and reading history. He was a passionate sports fan and an avid music lover. Jarrod was of the Catholic faith and was a member of Prince of Peace Parish in Great Bend, Kansas.
Survivors include his mother, Jolene K. Thurston of Great Bend, Kansas; one brother, Jason (& Shari) Thurston of Overland Park, Kansas; one sister, Janee’ (& Jesse) Bernal of Wichita, Kansas; five nieces and nephews: Jacey Thurston, Braydon Thurston, JohnPaul Bernal, Gabriella Bernal, and Jude Bernal. Jarrod was preceded in death by his father, James B. Thurston in September of 2020 and his grandparents: Harry and Frances Thurston and Joe and Bernice Berning.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, September 17, 2021 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Great Bend, Kansas with Father Ted Stoecklein and Father Aneesh Parappanattu officiating. Visitation will be at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Great Bend from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Thursday, September 16, 2021, with the family receiving friends from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM and a Parish Rosary at 7:00 PM. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery at Marienthal, Kansas at 3:30 on Friday. The family suggests memorial donations be made in his honor to the Hays High School Class of 1989 or the Jarrod Thurston Funeral Expense Fund. Online condolences may be left for the family and a full obituary notice may be viewed at http://www.chartergreatbend.com.