James R. Hummer Jr.

James Roger Hummer Jr. was born December 11, 1957, in Kansas City, Missouri, to James Roger Hummer and Sharon Lee Willis. He died in a tragic motorcycle accident on June 4, 2022, in Rocky Mount, Missouri. He was blessed with loving grandparents, Howard and Lena Willis, who raised James and his siblings. He attended, played football, and graduated from Maysville R1- where he met the love of his life, Kitty Lou Forsythe. The high school sweethearts married September 28, 1976, in Maysville, Missouri. James joined the United States Marine Corps in June of 1976 and honorably served our nation as an Advanced Communication/Navigation Systems Technician for 16 years. He continued his service in the US Army National Guard as a Military Police Officer, retiring as a Staff Sergeant in 2001. During his time in the military, he developed a strong brotherhood with his fellow service members, and has continued many of those bonds to this day. After service as a US Marine, James worked as a Correctional Officer for the Arizona Department of Corrections. He would regale his family and friends with stories from his work as the Commander of the Tactical Team. He valued his work, the lives of those he helped supervise, and treated inmates with respect, while maintaining his professional distance. He again grew bonds of brotherhood with his fellow Correctional Officers, and enjoyed spending time with them outside of work. After 20 years with AZDOC he retired, again, and moved with his wife back to Missouri. In addition to his professional life, James had many hobbies and was always living life to the fullest. He started riding motorcycles in 1978 and continued riding on and off for the rest of his life. James, also known as Spyder, was Vice President of the Missouri chapter of the Shotgun Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club and enjoyed riding any chance he got. He loved working with his hands and worked on restoring cars. He served family and friends by helping with house repairs and the remodeling of innumerable homes. He could always be counted on to lend a hand, share his knowledge, and to pass what he knew down to his kids and grandkids. He also shared his love of computer games with the children and grandchildren - staying up late guarding sigils on UO, pvping on WOW, and completing dungeons on New World, all while making new friends. James was always surrounded by family and friends. His boat, Dilly Dilly, brings many smiles and memories to mind. He took people out skiing and tubing, and also found joy in the quietness of fishing. He would bbq and grill, drink and play games, or find any excuse to have a party. Christmas Eve on Candy Cane Lane was always the place to be. He would grill for family and friends and enjoy the crowds coming to see the lights - he loved bringing joy to others. But the thing that brought the most joy to his life was his wife, kids, and grandkids. He loved being called Papa and wrapped so many people in his love. He was known as Papa to many more kids than just his grandchildren, and he loved them all. He is survived by his wife Kitty Hummer, his children Kenneth (Cynthia) Hummer, Yuma AZ; and Joshua (Heather) Hummer, Yuma AZ; his grandchildren Kitty, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Thomas, Mason, Kingston, Kellee, Kourtney, Emma, and Jude, and his great-granddaughter Dilylah; his sisters Deborah Buhman (Garry Rogge), Maysville MO; Cathy Willis (Annie Church), Savannah MO; and Stevie Willis, Wathena KS and his sister-in-law Sherrie (Billy) Sonderegger, Maysville MO. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Howard Willis and Lena Willis, his parents James Roger Hummer and Sharon Lee Willis, and siblings Annette Debord and Robert Willis. Services will be held Monday June 13th, promptly at 2:00 p.m. at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery, 20109 Bus, MO-13, Higginsville, MO. In lieu of flowers, please honor James/ Spyder with a donation to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org). Cremation arrangements are under the direction and care of the Kidwell-Garber Funeral Home of Versailles.

James R. Hummer Jr.

December 11, 1957 - June 4, 2022

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James R. Hummer Jr.

December 11, 1957 - June 4, 2022

About Us

What We Do

Contact KG/Locations

Grief & Healing

Plan Ahead

Obituaries

Resources

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