Jack Area 1948-2025
Jack Wayne Area, 76, of Topeka, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, after battling mesothelioma for nearly five years.
He was born Aug. 18, 1948, in Soldier, the son of Claude Ray and Blanche Arlene (Haber) Area. Jack graduated from Soldier Rural High School in 1966 and later served in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Everett F. Larson in Vietnam from 1969-1970.
Jack was united in marriage to Mary Lou Frealy on June 1, 1968. Together they shared more than 57 years of marriage and raised two children; she survives of the home in Topeka.
Other survivors include his son Robert (Angie) and daughter Kristina (Nathan); grandchildren Dylan, Kristina, Brianna, Dalton, Brogan, Dayton, Karlyn, Bradyn, Rylan and Liam; and four great-grandchildren.
Jack’s lifelong career was in the upholstery industry. Later, his easygoing and trustworthy nature would lead him to more than a decade selling modular homes before he retired in 2010.
He was the definition of “jack of all trades,” willing and able to fix or do just about anything. Not one to sit still, he always had a number of projects he was working on, even when his illness kept him from feeling his best. He had a true sense of adventure and loved spending his free time with family, most of all his wife. Together, they traveled across the United States and several countries, spending more than nine years as part of the Covered Wagons RV Club.
Jack was a loving husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather. He was preceded in death by his parents, Claude and Blanche Area; sister Wilma Scheetz; and brothers Donald, Richard and Robert Area.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7 at Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. Burial with military honors will follow in Holton Cemetery. Family will greet friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6 at the funeral home.
Memorials may be given to Midland Hospice of Topeka or Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, sent in care of Mercer Funeral Home, P.O Box 270, Holton KS 66436. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com
(PAID OBITUARY)
