Gus E. Leimkuhler, Jr.

Gus was born in a home on Swift Street in North Kansas City on June 30, 1926, to Gus and Elsie Millsap Leimkuhler. He lived briefly during elementary school in Excelsior Springs, MO, but moved back and graduated from North Kansas City High School in 1944. After 23 months in the U.S. Army, he attended and graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia in 1950 with a B.S. in Education. He was hired by the North Kansas City School District to teach seventh grade at Brookwood Elementary School in the fall of 1950. After two years, he transferred to North Kansas City High School, taught English for 10 years, and then served as the Head Librarian for 33 years. He was very proud of the fact that so many of his former students later became lifetime friends.

While in the NKC School District, he served as President of the NKC Community Teachers’ Association for one year and served as the first president of the Greater Kansas City Association for School Librarians. He got lots of joy and a sense of accomplishment from the 10 years that he served as the yearbook advisor at NKCHS as well as the many plays and musicals that he directed during his entire teaching career.

Another love of his was his involvement in the American Field Service program that began in 1956 when the school hosted its first student. He took over sponsorship of the AFS Club working closely with the Adult Chapter in finding host families. During the 1972-1973 school year, Gus and his family hosted Ismail Ozoner from Turkey. In 1975 he was appointed to the first USA Volunteer Board of AFS, headquartered in New York City. Here in Kansas City, he served as the Greater KC Area AFS director for 6 years during which time he was also appointed to the National Board of AFS where he served for 6 years. In 1983, he was awarded the first Stephen Gallati Award from AFS International. Gus enjoyed serving on the Orientation staff of AFS at C.W. Post College for numerous summers welcoming new foreign students to the United States. All of this led to him receiving the Kansas City World Citizen of the Year Award from the International Relations Council of Greater Kansas City in 1988. During the 1990-1991 school year, Gus hosted Alexis Zlocowski, a high school AFS student from Argentina.

Gus also found time to serve the community in other ways not connected to the school district. He was instrumental in opening Old Pike Country Club in Gladstone, MO, and served as its first manager in 1955 and did so for 5 years. He was a member of the Mid-Continent Library Board, the Clay County Red Cross, and Friends of the NKC Public Library Board for many years. He was the first president of the Historical Society of North Kansas City founded in 2000. Another proud accomplishment for him was his 24 years of service on the North Kansas City Hospital Board of Trustees. In 1998, he was selected as the Grand Marshal of the Snake Saturday Parade in North Kansas City.

Lastly, his love for the theatre led him to volunteer at the Folly Theatre when it reopened in 1980 as its Usher Team Leader for 12 years and President for 2 years. He also did similar volunteer work at the Quality Hill Playhouse for several years. In his spare time, you would find Gus traveling to New York City with friends, many of them former students or friends he met along the way of the volunteer activities. He would go to as many plays and musicals as you could fit into 3 or 4 days and enjoy every minute of it.

Gus is survived by his children Jim Leimkuhler and wife Marcia, of Corona del Mar, CA, and Ann Leimkuhler of Carrollton, MO. He adored his two grandsons Bradley and Scott along with Ashton and Jamie, their fiancé and wife respectively, and his three great-grandchildren Riley, Charlotte, and Tucker.

Visitation will be at 10:00 am on October 10, 2022 at Newcomer’s White Chapel Funeral Home, 6600 NE Antioch Road, Gladstone, MO 64119. A private burial at East Slope Memorial Gardens in Riverside, MO will follow.

The family suggests donations in memory of Gus to American Field Service at www.afsusa.org/donate or St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 5047 NW Gateway Drive, Riverside, MO 64150. This church, often referred to as the “Old German Church” by his family members, is where his great grandparents, who immigrated from Germany in 1848 are interred along with numerous family members, including his mother and grandmother.