Jeremy R. Barsness

Jeremy R. Barsness

October 22, 1973-September 6, 2021

URBANDALE-Jeremy R. Barsness, 47, of Urbandale, passed away on Monday, September 6, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center from complications of pneumonia and pulmonary embolism.

Jeremy was born on October 22, 1973, in Anchorage, Alaska. He grew up in Mason City, Iowa, and attended Holy Family Catholic School, Newman Catholic High School and Mason City High School. Jeremy met his future wife, Kim, in Mason City where, despite her dad chasing him down the block one night after catching him throwing rocks at Kim's window to get her attention, she still managed to get out of the house for their first official date to the movie Mannequin. Kim could often be found in study hall scribbling "Mrs. Jeremy Barsness" on her paper-bag book covers, or in detention for writing and passing URGENT-VERY-IMPORTANT-READ-ME-NOW notes to Jeremy between classes. They met up again later in life and married in 2008. Jeremy was sure he was the reason his father-in-law lost all his hair early on, but he definitely made up for his "punk kid" phase through the years.

After his graduation from Iowa State University, Jeremy continued to work as a counselor for individuals with addiction issues. He was a chemical dependency counselor with YSS Family Counseling and Clinic in Ames, Iowa. Jeremy was passionate about what he did. His life experiences and his no-BS but 100% genuine approach drove his sessions with his clients. Jeremy would take calls at all hours, with a "Hey, what's up, man?" or a "What's going on? Are you using now?" barely out of his mouth before he was out of bed in the middle of night and in his home office talking to a client or a former client who needed support. On more than one occasion, Jeremy came home from work with a note or a card from a client who thanked him for saving their life. He was humble, but proud of the work he did-what an amazing legacy to leave.

Jeremy loved his family fiercely. He and Kim knew they were soul mates. That all their experiences from when they were each other's "first love" as kids until they reconnected were just part of the journey to where they would end up building their life together. For all his "tough guy" exterior, Jeremy was a cheesy dude-and such a typical dad. His proudest accomplishments were teaching Caleb to ride a bike with no training wheels…and then teaching him how to drive a car. Or threatening to run down any boy who wasn't respectful to Melanie…karma comes full circle.

Family time was important to Jeremy. He and Melanie liked to pretend they had actual errands to run when they really just wanted to go to the comic/toy stores. He had fun playing video games and being with Caleb. He was so proud of the man Caleb is becoming. Jeremy liked hanging out with Kim and the kids at home, watching movies, playing cards and just talking. Kim and Jeremy would sit on the deck in the early morning hours and talk about anything and everything. Four a.m. was their favorite time of day.

Jeremy enjoyed travel. When the kids were little, this meant annual excursions to hotel water parks, and later, beach vacations with the family and several trips with the extended family. Jeremy used to joke that the Walters family threw a party for everything. "So. Much. Togetherness," he would say. Yet he loved every minute. Well, maybe not every pinata or bingo game or princess/pirate party. But he loved and appreciated the sense of extended family, particularly after he lost his parents.

He was an avid collector of action figures such as Marvel, DC, Mezco Toyz and more. Although his wife jokingly called them "WAY, WAY" overpriced Polly Pockets, he got a ton of joy out of his collection and scouting out eBay and his collectors' groups for rare finds. Jeremy's love of action figures and comics stemmed from an early age. Some of his happiest memories are of his mom teaching him to read at a young age using comics, because they kept his attention and fueled his joy of reading.

Jeremy was so loved. He is survived by his wife, Kim; his children, Melanie and Caleb; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lynn and Patrick Walters; his sister-in-law Katie (Chad) Blazicek and their children, Zoe and Dax; his brother-in-law Kevin (Becca) Walters and their children, Genevieve and Truman; and his brother-in-law Kristopher Walters. Jeremy was preceded in death by his grandparents, parents and sister Emily.

Jeremy will be missed by his dogs, Fillmore and Edith. Their sloppy kisses made him happy. Chewing on some of his action figures-not so much.

If you are comfortable, vaccinated and wear a mask, the family welcomes you to join in the visitation and memorial service at Lutheran Church of Hope on Friday, September 10. The visitation will be from 10:00-11:00 am with a service to follow at 11:00 am. The service will also be livestreamed for those who cannot make it. Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home and Crematory has details online.

To honor Jeremy's life, please consider a donation to a treatment facility or program, such as YSS Family Counseling and Clinic in Ames or Prairie Ridge in Mason City.