Joseph Neal Sawyer, Jr.

Joseph Neal Sawyer, Jr. of Prairie Village, Kansas, went to his Heavenly Father on September 12, 2023. Neal was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Neal Sawyer, Sr. (Virginia Austin Sawyer). He was born on September 27, 1938 in Kansas City, Missouri.

As a child, Neal could often be found swimming or playing golf, and he cherished his siblings from his youth to the end. Neal loved the Boy Scouts, and was a proud Eagle Scout and a member of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.

Neal attended Southwest High School and the University of Missouri at Columbia where he majored in History and graduated with honors and with distinction. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and the Varsity Golf Team. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1963 where he was a member of the Yale Law School Men's Choral Group.

While at the University of Missouri he fell in love with Katherine Louise from Davenport, Iowa. They married four years later when he was in his last year of law school.

Neal and Kathy spent two years in the U.S Army at Fort Hood, Texas where he was a First Lieutenant Artillery Officer in the Second Armored Division and was an aide-de-camp to a General. He cherished his army experiences and was proud to serve his country.

Neal loved his three precious daughters Amy, Anne and Emily. He loved taking Kathy and the girls on many adventures from the mountains to the seashore. He especially loved their times together in Creede, Colorado, Harbor Springs, Michigan and Sanibel Island, Florida. He cherished times with his family and friends enjoying golf and swimming at the Kansas City Country Club, where he was a member most of his life. He also loved being a soccer coach for the girls and their friends.

Neal started his law career with Shook Hardy. He later became an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Jackson County, Missouri. He continued to practice law in the firm of Cleary, Krigel, Nee and Sawyer. He became inside Counsel for American Hospital Supply Corporation in Chicago. He returned to Kansas City where he was General Counsel for the Vendo Company before returning to private practice.

Neal had a lifelong love of his Lord and family and country. He was a member of the Village Presbyterian Church and a faithful member of the Men's Wednesday Morning Bible Study Group. Neal was a Stephen Minister, a service that he loved.

Neal is survived by Kathy, his wife of 61 years, Amy Sawyer Daniher (Bill) of Redwood City, California, Emily Sawyer Jones (Bob) of Alexandria, Virginia, and Anne Sawyer Knepshield (Mark) of Dallas, Texas. He leaves behind eleven perfect grandchildren: Caroline, Mary Katherine and Will Daniher, Ashley, Charlie, Sawyer, Katherine and Jack Jones and Sawyer, Hudson and Edward Knepshield.

Neal is also survived by his sister Suzanne Sawyer Koontz (Paul) and his younger brother Robert Noel Sawyer (Jennifer) and many nieces and nephews whom he loved. Neal was preceded in death by his twin brother, David Austin Sawyer.

Above all else, Neal will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather with a big heart, a contagious sense of humor, a sincere kindness and strong sense of fairness to all. He was a true gentleman.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at the Village Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Stephen Ministry at the Village Presbyterian Church, https://giving.villagepres.org/memorial-gift.

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