Ayden Ethridge Obituary, Death – Together they are known as Wayne Ethridge and Jill Ranee Gillett. Ayden passed away on January 16, 2023 in the Kansas City location of the University of Kansas Medical Center. Ayden spent his childhood in Chanute, Kansas, before relocating to Fredonia, Kansas when he started first grade. Ayden attended Fredonia Junior and Senior High School, where he participated in the band, played football, ran cross country, and was an avid member of the Quiz Bowl and Dungeons and Dragons Clubs. Ayden was exceptionally good at making new friends, enjoying life to the fullest with a loving heart and gentle soul, and drawing a crowd wherever he went because of these qualities.
A transplanted heart was successfully given to Ayden on February 16, 2016. Ayden was accompanied by Jenna Michelle Lindsten Schmidt, the person who donated her heart to him. Because of Ayden’s transplant and the miracle that it brought about, many people now have a better understanding of organ transplantation, and they have given the world the gift of love that can only be created via organ donation. Because to the gift from his donor, Ayden was able to participate in a lot of the activities that come with being a teenager. After receiving a transplant, Ayden survived for almost seven years, during which time he made the world a better place simply by being there. He received his high school diploma from Fredonia Jr./Sr. High School and did his undergraduate work at Neosho County Community College.
A cornea was successfully harvested from Ayden for donation. Ayden had a strong belief in generosity, and he asked that his body be given to medical research so that his heart and grafts might be analyzed to improve the success rate of organ donation for younger patients. When he was just a teenager, he made this choice all on his own. Ayden changed his name to Alexis, and in the later years of his life, he insisted on being called Alexis rather than Ayden. Ayden loved his community unconditionally and accepted everyone without prejudice. Ayden is survived by his grandparents Larry and Bernice Ethridge of Chanute, Kansas, as well as his parents Travis Wayne Ethridge and Jill Ranee (Gragert) Gillett of Fredonia, Kansas. Ayden was born in Chanute, Kansas. His parents are Travis Wayne Ethridge and Jill Ranee (Gragert) Gillett.
Stephen M. Gragert, Oxford, Kansas, Jean Gragert, Oxford, Kansas, Great- Grandmother France Louise Walker, several aunts, uncles, and cousins are all a part of this family. Many of Ayden’s friends, including Koby Anderson and Cory Newkirk, as well as Ayden’s cousin Blake McDermott, moved in with his parents and lived there while Ayden was growing up.
Ayden had a large number of housemates and best friends who became like brothers to him. A Memorial Party, the details of which will be decided later. Donations in his memory can be sent to the Heart Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center, the Ward Heart Center at Children’s Mercy Hospital, or the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Kansas City.