Marion Leroy Gillespie

Roy was born on November 25, 1923 at home on the family farm near Eversonville and Chula in Livingston County, Missouri. Roy was the son of Lester Lloyd Gillespie and Nettie Frances Anderson Gillespie.

64 years, 8 months and 12 days before he passed, Roy married Betty Louise Sturgeon Gillespie on February 8, 1952 at Rock Hill Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO with Reverend Pinkerton officiating.

A life-long Missourian, Roy graduated from Wheeling High School and received his bachelors of science in Business Administration from Missouri Valley College. Roy earned his masters degree in education from the University of Kansas City, now operating as the University of Missouri Kansas City. Roy participated in several continuing education full-summer institutes during the 1960s focused on the teaching of mathematics.

During college, Roy was a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi greek fraternity.

Roy’s undergraduate studies at Missouri Valley College were interrupted by World War II training and service in the United States Naval Air Corps. Roy was trained as a naval aviator at various naval air training stations across the country, including Whidbey Island, Washington; Corpus Christi, Texas; Bakersfield, California; Jacksonville, Florida; Saint Mary’s College, California; Livermore, California; and Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Roy spoke frequently about evolving as a pilot first assigned to bi-plane stearman trainers, up to and including water landings and takeoffs in flying the famed PBY Catalina. He achieved the ranks of Ensign and Lieutenant Junior Grade (JG).

Mr. Gillespie’s professional career centered on 37 years as a teacher of mathematics, retiring from the Kansas City Missouri Public School District. His rotation of classrooms included service at Bogard schools, Central High School, Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission North, Northeast Junior High School, Martin Luther King Junior, and Westport High School. For a few years he also taught drivers education.

Prior to his teaching career, Roy worked at Ford Motor Company in the aircraft division as a bookkeeper on the B47 wings project, and at Bar-Rust-O as a metal plater.

Following his teaching career, Roy ran a full-time house painting business focused on restoring the exteriors of homes across the Kansas City region, but especially the Brookside, Waldo, Leawood and Mission Hills neighborhoods. Roy had started painting with other teachers in 1960, and eventually taught those skills to his sons as they worked weekends and summers. Roy painted for the better part of five decades.

Mr. Gillespie volunteered with the Boy Scouts in teaching merit badges including First Aid and Meteorology. Mr. Gillespie attended H. Roe Bartle Scout Camp in Osceola, Missouri for several years, being recognized as a Warrior in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.

Family survivors include: his wife of 64 years, Betty Louise Gillespie, who resides at the family home in Brookside they purchased 51 years ago; two sons, Michael James Gillespie of Kansas City, and Kelly Patrick Gillespie of Jefferson City; daughter-in-law Diane Kay Thompson Gillespie of Jefferson City; and granddaughter Sarah Patricia Gillespie of Columbia, MO. Roy is also survived by his two sisters, Betty Jean Douglas of Chillicothe, and Jane Ann (aka Jayne Anne) Cooper (husband Rick) of Chillicothe, Roy's cousin by marriage Lois Gillespie of Chillicothe, and many nieces and nephews.

Roy was preceded in death by: his daughter, Patricia Diane “Patty” Gillespie of Overland Park, Kansas who passed in 2012; and his favorite first cousin, William Norman “Bill Dan” Gillespie of Chillicothe who passed in 2007.

Roy deeply loved teaching math to youngsters, and challenged himself to make these skills relevant to their futures. His final prized pupil was his granddaughter; as they evolved from running the cash register at his make believe grocery store, to Sarah’s quest through college calculus, statistics and cost accounting.

Roy was adept at charting genealogy of the Gillespie and Sturgeon families. Roy was serious about history, and loved to read almost as much as he loved to eat and tell stories. Roy also enjoyed camping and traveling, owning travel trailers for many years. Roy also enjoyed following all sports, and was thrilled to talk about that long ago season when the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV, and the 1985 and 2015 seasons when the Royals won the World Series. Basketball was the enduring sport that brought back his memories of his personal talents during his youth, and Roy's town ball days playing for Bogard, Missouri..

Visitation and internment is at Mount Moriah, Newcomer and Freeman Funeral Home in Kansas City on Saturday, October 22nd. The family asked Chaplain Harvey Smeltzer to officiate the graveside services. Roy’s great-grandfather Harvey Gillespie, born in 1840, was half-Irish and half-Cherokee, and he moved his family to Missouri from Kentucky around 1870.

The family wishes to thank his longtime doctors, Dr. Steven Stiles and Dr Allen Gutovich for keeping Roy a very healthy and young ninety-two year old. The St Luke’s Hospice comprehensive team approach provided the most robust care to Roy, and extended their professional, positive and caring attention to any and all of Roy’s final needs and requests.

Roy lived for 33,933 days. His family and friends have much yet to learn from this devoted teacher, as Roy stories will be told for years to come.

Visitation will be from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 22, at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri followed by a Graveside Service in Mt. Moriah Cemetery.

Arrangements under the direction of Mt Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO.