Ivan Lynn Smotherman, son of Lester and Bertha (Farrar) Smotherman, was born on March 14, 1944, on the family farm in Teresita, Missouri. He left this world on September 19, 2023, on that same family farm at the age of 79.
On May 16, 1964, he married Delaine and had two children, Ivan Lynn Jr. and Shannon. They were married for 59 years.
Ivan was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Ivan, in 2019; three sisters, Ella Mae, Wilma Lee, and Mary Alice; and two brothers, Crawford and Slats.
Ivan is survived by his wife, Delaine; daughter, Shannon and her husband, Steve; and their two children, Riley and Bryce of Kansas City, Missouri; grandson, Andrew, of Kansas City, Missouri; brothers, Floyd, Robert, Leroy, Henry, and Hutch; and many nieces and nephews, as well as a host of other relatives and friends.
He was raised in Teresita and graduated from Mountain View in 1962. Ivan left for Kansas City after he graduated and lived with Hutch in Shawnee, Kansas. He worked for a concrete company and then worked for Spartans. It was at Spartans where he met his future wife, Delaine, who accepted a dare from a co-worker to go out on a date with Ivan.
Ivan and Delaine spent most of their married life in Overland Park, Kansas. They lived in the same house for 47 years. Ivan loved to hunt, fish, bowl, and play softball when he was younger. Later, he picked up golf. One of Ivan’s proudest moments were holes in one at Oak Country Club in 1997 and one at Mountain View Golf Course after he retired. He loved his family and friends, telling stories, golfing, hunting, and spending time outdoors.
Ivan worked for Union Pacific Railroad for 9 years. He and a friend then started their own asphalt company, Jayhawk Paving. His company closed in 1982, and he then went to work for Harbour Brothers Construction Company in 1984. Ivan was a heavy equipment operator until he retired in 2009.
Ivan built a home modeled after the original farmhouse in 2011. He lived his dream of retiring on the old farm. For a while, he raised cows, gardened, and puttered around the farm. Ivan and Delaine enjoyed taking trips with their dear friends, Mary and Earl. Ivan saw the ocean for the first time when he visited Virginia Beach and Canada when they went to Niagara Falls.
Ivan loved his grandchildren with all his heart. He loved playing with them and sharing his love of the farm when they were little, and was so proud of them as adults.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at Yarber Mortuary, Mountain View, Missouri, with Steve Reese officiating. Visitation will be held Friday, September 22, 2023, from 6-8:00 p.m. also at the funeral home. Interment will be in Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Teresita, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made to the Agape House and left at the funeral home. Condolences may be expressed at www.yarbermortury.com.
