Jason Houdyshell

Jason P. Houdyshell

December 20, 1981 – March 3, 2023

Jason Paul Houdyshell, 41, passed away on March 3, 2023 at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kansas. He was born in Wichita, Kansas to Larry Houdyshell and Carol Funk Houdyshell and was the 3^rd of three children. His brothers were Aaron and Derek Houdyshell. Jason attended Wichita South High School.

Jason was a bright light: curious, creative, funny, out-going, caring, helpful and hardworking. He had many friends and his coworkers always commented on his hard work and dedication. His family and friends loved him dearly.

Jason spent nearly 20 years in the grocery business with 12 of them at Aldi. He was a hard worker and his customers loved him. During the holidays his customers would ask his advice on how to cook the turkey and for good side dish ideas. His love for food and cooking was a great resource for him in his grocery career.

He left the grocery business in 2020 and started his own independent reseller business. Jason had a knack for buying the most interesting and unusual items for his eBay inventory and they would sell. Once again customer service was key and he was very conscientious about getting good ratings and customer feedback on eBay.

Jason loved music and art. When he was younger, he would draw cartoon characters, monsters, and Masters of the Universe characters. As an adult, when his brother Aaron died, he designed the front of the funeral program. On a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, he insisted on visiting every gallery in the Square. His love of vinyl recordings was just as passionate, spending many hours in record stores searching for additions to his eclectic collection.

Sports were huge for Jason! He loved KU, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals and had all the gear to show his strong support. His dad instilled in him his love of sports and coached many of Jason’s youth sports teams which included soccer, baseball, football, and basketball. One of Jason’s greatest joys as an adult was attending the games in Lawrence and Kansas City with all his friends.

Of all of Jason’s interests, cooking was where his heart was. His creativity spilled into all areas of his life including cooking. Sharing a meal with friends and family that he had prepared was Jason’s way of showing love. He wanted everyone to thoroughly enjoy the meal. Every Christmas he spent the entire day with his mother cooking meals themed around various international cuisines. It was a real bonding event from shopping at unique specialty markets to preparing the meal and sitting down together to eat.

Preceding him in death were his father Larry Houdyshell, brother Aaron Houdyshell, George and Idella Pringle Houdyshell (paternal grandparents), and Ralph and Margaret Unruh Funk (maternal grandparents).

Survivors include mother, Carol Houdyshell of Wichita; brother, Derek Houdyshell (Daisy Kuchins) of San Ramon, California; niece and nephew, Haley and Lawrence Houdyshell of San Ramon, California; uncles, aunts, cousins and many dear friends. 

There will be a Celebration of Life on May 6, 2023 from 6pm to 9pm at B&C BBQ located at 355 N Washington St, Wichita, KS 67202.  Family and friends are invited to come and share fond memories and stories. The family encourages attendees to wear their favorite KU, Chiefs, or Royals gear to celebrate Jason.