Rev. John S. Kissee, age 94, of Kansas City, KS and previously of Leavenworth, KS went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Monday Sept. 16, 2019. Visitation will be at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Memorial Service at 7:00 p.m., both Monday Sept. 23, 2019 at the Bonner Springs Church of the Nazarene. Interment will occur at a later date in his family’s plot in the Roller Cemetery near Rogersville, MO. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Compassionate Ministries of the International Church of the Nazarene.
John was born on December 12, 1924 in Rogersville, Missouri, one of ten children born to Rev. Richard & Myrtle (Umphres) Kissee. John’s father pastored in many small country churches, so the family moved around quite a bit in southern Missouri, southeast Kansas and even Idaho. At 18, John entered the US Army Air Corps, serving 2 tours of duty during WWII as a top turret gunner on a B-17 in England and Germany and then dropping supplies into Belgium after the war. Upon returning from the service he enrolled at Pasadena Nazarene College in Pasadena, CA. and during that time he met the “Love of his Life” Sara Jane Best and they were united in marriage on June 23, 1951 in Big Bear Lake, CA. After nine years of working various jobs, John went back to college to obtain his theology degree from Simpson Bible College in San Francisco, CA. John pastored churches in Oregon, California and Missouri. In his retirement he and his wife traveled Western and Midwest states producing Vacation Bible Schools at many churches, eventually retiring to Leavenworth, KS.
John was preceded in death by his parents and eight of his siblings; Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Marvin, Anderson, Betty, Majorie, Harrol Carl and Wiley.
Survivors include his wife Sara Jane Kissee of the home; two daughters; Patricia Walsh and her husband Michael of Belton, MO. and Kathrine Pankey and her husband Dr. Ronald of Fish Kill, NY.; four grandchildren; Matthew Walsh (Cathy), CJ Pankey, Micah Walsh, and Sara Bass (Justin); eight great-grandchildren; one brother Vernon Kissee (Cheryl) of Reno, NV.; as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.