Jay Werth, 34, died June 20, 2016 at his home in Great Bend. He was born May 5, 1982 at Great Bend, the son of Arlen and Sheila (Barnes) Werth.

A lifetime Great Bend resident, Jay was a handyman and home renovator by trade, but an artist and a philosopher of permaculture at heart. He had a distinct passion in sharing, stimulating, and educating others, his true principles in regards to the beauty of natural ecosystems. Jay's goal was to have them embrace those same ideals and love of nature and conservation.

Survivors include his father, Arlen Werth and his wife Gay of Great Bend; his mother, Sheila Werth of Lawrence; companion and mother of his children, RaeGina Werth, Great Bend; two daughters, Sareal Werth and Sophie Werth of the home; step daughter, Kiley Heine, Victoria; two brothers, Lance Werth of New York, N.Y., Sean Werth and wife Jennifer of Lawrence; one sister, Andrea Werth and husband Karl Decker of Golden, Colo; two nieces and nephew, Andrea Nicole, Janice Werth, and Kendall Werth.