Johnson County husband, father killed while working beneath car outside Lenexa home

Friends are raising money for the family of Jacob Kiprop Birech, 54, who was killed while working outside his Lenexa home.

Birech died after a vehicle he was working on crushed him in an accident earlier this month, family friend and school nurse Jennifer Wildung wrote in a GoFundMe for Birech’s family.

“Jacob Birech was a kind and loving husband and father, with a very gentle spirit,” Wildung wrote. “He was a peacemaker and a leader. He worked very hard while also furthering his education and was finishing his final thesis towards a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration.”

On April 6, the father of three headed out to the driveway of his Lenexa home to work on his car.

“He had removed the wheels of his car and went under it to repair some damage but accidentally hit the jack causing the car to collapse and crush him underneath,” Wildung wrote.

Birech and his wife, Penina, are parents to Rosehill Elementary School kindergartner Joshua, and Shawnee Mission South high schoolers Phillip and Natalie, who are in their sophomore and senior years.

The online fundraiser collected more than $2,800 in donations as of Thursday afternoon.

The money raised will go toward Birech’s funeral expenses. His family is hoping to take him back to Kenya, his native country, for his burial, Wildung said.