A visitation for Richard will be held Tuesday, February 6, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Chapel Hill - Butler Funeral Home, 701 North 94th Street, Kansas City, KS 66112, followed by a funeral services at 12:00 PM.
Richard will be laid to rest in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.
Serving as pallbearers are Dave Thomas, Eric Marsh, Andy Thomas, Bill Turner, Shane Massing, Jr. and Glen Thompson.
Surviving family of Richard are his wife, Jean Thomas, son Dave Thomas and spouse Marty Thomas, daughter Lisa Turner and spouse Bill. Richard has 6 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.
Richard persevered through challenging times. He was diagnosed with Polio when he was 8yrs and was placed in an iron lung for a period of time. He was told he was lucky to walk at all and had to wear braces on his legs for about a year. He suffered from post-polio syndrome for the rest of his life which caused issues with his legs.
Richard was a long-time employee of BPU for 40+years, where he retired from in 2004. After retirement Jean and Richard traveled. Their favorite thing to do was to go on a cruise; they went on 21 cruises.
They travelled the world enjoying, Russia, Germany, Virgin Islands and many others. They also loved going to Panama City beach where they spent several winters.
Richard was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018. He was later diagnosed with colon cancer. His cancer then spread into both lungs. Cancer took his life in 2024.
