On December 22, 2022 at 3:45pm, God decided that our beautiful Sydney Lee Prine, or Taloola Syddy Lee Lee as we liked to call her, was too good for this earthly world and called her home. Sydney was born March 9, 1999 in Laurel, MS, but was raised in Holton, KS.

Her life was full of joy, love and support for others. Sydney lives on through the lives of others with her wonderful gifts. On Christmas Day, Sydney- favorite day of the year, three families received lifesaving organs as a result of Sydney- selfless nature.

She attended Holton High School where she played volleyball with a fierce passion for the hometown Wildcats. She then went on to play at Highland Community College and the University of Saint Mary. Her love for volleyball began at a young age and took her from not even being able to walk and chew bubblegum to being a feared hitter no one wanted to face on the court in college. When this goofy, beautiful 5’6” girl walked up to the net to hit, no one was ready for the sneaky hops that she had in store for them. It quickly became known that Sydney could jump out of the gym with ease and when she hit the ball, lightning would strike and thunder would boom.

No matter the achievements Sydney had on the court, her best celebrations were always from the sidelines for those of her beloved teammates. Sydney never looked upon herself as better than anyone else and always put others first. She never hesitated to embrace the young new players and mentored them to be the best they could be, helping them achieve their own dreams. Her biggest joy in life was spreading smiles, love, and laughter.

Most recently, Sydney started her dream job of teaching preschool at Learn-A-Lot Academy in Kansas City, Missouri. She soon realized in her short time there, that this was her calling, and quickly fell in love with the children in her care. No matter how short her time was with them, her “littles” as she would call them, were the best part of her day and they loved their “Ms. Sydney”.

Sydney was welcomed home by several loved ones. She leaves behind even more family and friends that love her deeply, including her mother, Ginger and father, Tim, sisters, Haley, Sarah, and Tyler and the best big little brother Eli, and countless beloved grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A Celebration of Sydney- life will be held 2:00 p.m. Friday, December 30, 2022 at Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. The family encourages everyone to bring their favorite memories of Sydney, to share on paper or to share with all. They would also like everyone to dress casually. They will greet friends following the celebration until 4:00 p.m.at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to the Sydney Prine Memorial Fund to be designated later, c/o Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com