Jay L. Divis

Jay L. Divis, 29, of Sioux City passed away peacefully in the arms of his wife and surrounded by his family and friends Sunday, Aug. 6, 2006, at a Sioux City hospital after a very courageous battle with cancer.

Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel, with Michael Divis officiating. Burial will be in Graceland Park Cemetery. Visitation will be 9 a.m. until service time Wednesday at the funeral home. Condolences may be sent online to www.meyerbroschapels.com.

Jay was born July 15, 1977, in Sioux City, the son of Dione (Divis) Welker and Stanley L. Florke. He married Dovie E. Lemke on Aug. 21, 2000, in Sioux City.

The diagnosis of terminal cancer was the checkered flag for Jay's dream of building and racing stock cars as he determined to live each day he had to the fullest. Despite the rigors of repeated rounds of chemotherapy, he stunned the local racing community with his work in both building and driving stock cars, garnering top honors in the Roadrunner class for two years running, being proclaimed "The Winningest Driver" by both Blackbird and Interstate tracks. This year he continued to impress as he moved up to the Hobby Stock class, leading in points at both tracks until cancer's black flag took him off the track at last.

He was an avid hunter and fisherman and most of all, a devoted husband and father, including his family in all his activities. He was an inspiration to all who knew him, overcoming devastating illness to seize every day.

Survivors include his wife, Dovie Divis; a son and daughter, Dylan and Kalaya, both at home; his mother, Dione Welker of Sioux City; his father, Stanley Florke of Sioux City; maternal grandfather, Duane Divis of Delmont, S.D.; six siblings, Becky Hudson of Yankton, S.D., Rocky Welker, Maggie Welker, Joe Smith, Phillip Florke and Michael Florke, all of Sioux City; several nieces and nephews; his mother and father-in-law, Rick and Margo C. Lemke of Sioux City; and sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Erin and Jay Dahl of Boone, Iowa, Christina Lemke of Sioux City and Sam Lemke of Sioux City.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents; maternal grandmother; and maternal stepgrandmother.

Pallbearers will be Rocky Welker, Joe Smith, Kent Husted, Doug Ohl, Chad Murray and Donnie Warner. Honorary pallbearers will be Gerald Hagin, M.D., Clint Essig and Pete Jorgenson.

Memorials in his name may be directed to assist in the care and education of Jay's children.