Arthur L Mourning

Arthur L. Mourning — known to family and friends as “Lee Lee” — was a Kansas City man whose life revolved around family, neighborhood, and the people who knew him growing up on the city’s East Side. A graduate of Paseo High School, Arthur remained rooted in the neighborhood where he was raised, building a life surrounded by relatives and neighbors who counted on his steady presence.

He was a father first: Arthur is remembered as the father of six children. Those relationships were central to his identity and to how his family describes him. His sister recalled ordinary, tender family moments — like lighthearted arguments over who would get the last of their mother’s banana pudding — that capture the everyday warmth Arthur brought to family gatherings and holidays. That quiet, human side of him was the measure of his life for those who loved him.

Within his community Arthur was a familiar face: a neighbor who returned to and stayed in the place where he grew up, connected to the rhythms of local streets, churches, and friends. Funeral arrangements reported by local outlets planned a homegoing service at a neighborhood church on December 3, 2016, a detail that reflects how family and community came together to honor him.

Arthur’s sudden death on November 23, 2016 — the evening before Thanksgiving — left a deep void for his children, siblings, and extended family. In the months and years since, family members and community supporters have continued to call for answers and have spoken about the human cost of his loss. Local community organizations that assist families affected by violence later referenced Arthur and his family when describing services for children and families grieving violent loss, underscoring how his family’s experience became part of broader efforts to support neighbors in mourning.

Public information about Arthur focuses on his role as a devoted father and a long-time member of his Kansas City neighborhood. Where records and news reports are limited, the memories shared by his siblings and children — the small, ordinary moments of care, family jokes, and the steady presence of a man known as “Lee Lee” — give shape to a life that mattered deeply to those who knew him. His family’s desire for justice and for a measure of closure has remained part of his public remembrance, but it exists alongside memories of a father and brother whose everyday kindnesses are what those close to him recall first.