Jerri Lynn Gordon, 69, of Belton, Missouri passed away Saturday, February 29, 2020 at Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri. Funeral services were held Friday, March 6, 2020 at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, Missouri. Interment in Strasburg Cemetery, Strasburg, MO. Memorial contributions are suggested to My Father's House, 1004 N Pearl St, Paola, KS or Topeka Rescue Mission, 600 N Kansas Ave, Topeka, KS 66608. Mom's primary motivation in life was to make sure everyone had what they needed, and if she could, she would have volunteered here every week.

Jerri was born January 22, 1951 in Shenandoah, Iowa, a daughter of Melvin and Margaret (Nuckolls) Layden . From an early age, Jerri dedicated her life to taking care of others. She had a hand in raising a number of children, only some of which were biologically hers. Whether it was a job that needed done, a garden the needed tending, a person that needed feeding, a costume that needed made, or a problem that needed solving, Jerri worked tirelessly at the task at hand. She never backed down from a challenge or a fight.

Jerri was a fantastic cook. She used her passion in the kitchen to feed people in a country club setting, and later in a nursing home setting. Her love of working with the elderly served her well later in life, when she began working for West Central Community Action Agency. In her years of caring for people in their homes, and later supervising the department, she touched countless lives and provided comfort to many.

Jerri did not lead an easy life, but she met every single challenge with a sternly set jaw and an unfailing sense of humor. Even as Jerri's physical condition diminished, and she lost the ability to do all of the things that had brought her such joy in life, her sense of humor, positivity, and resiliency was an inspiration to all. She will be desperately missed.

Jerri was preceded in death by her mother, Margaret; her father, Melvin; her brother, Richard (Lillian); her brother-in-law, Mike Evans; her daughter, Antoinette; and the love of her life, her husband, Howard Gordon, who brought so much love and joy into her life. She is survived by her children: Anita (Martin) Hurla, Cassie (Paul) Evans, and Matthew Logan; her grandsons: Joshua (Joni) Hurla and Samuel Evans; her granddaughters: Alyssa and Rachel Hurla, Lucille Logan, and Bethany and Emily Evans. Jerri is also survived by her sister, Debbie Evans and her brothers: Robert (Carolyn) Layden, Calvin (Christine Murphy) Layden, and Gary (Mary) Layden, as well as, many nieces and nephews.