William R. Burrichter

William Russell, “Bill” Burrichter, 92, passed away Friday January 17, 2014. A Memorial Mass to celebrate both Bill and his late wife Hazel will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 25th at Christ the King Catholic Church, 8510 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO. Burial in Calvary Cemetery. Reception will follow at the church.

Bill was born on August 11, 1921 in Kansas City, Missouri to William Joseph Burrichter and Marguerite Russell. Bill was a devout Catholic. Over his lifetime, he was a member of Redemptorist, Visitation, St. Francis Xavier, St. Peters, Guardian Angles and Christ the King parishes. He attended Redemptorist and Visitation grade schools, graduating from Rockhurst High School and College.

Except for periods during WWII Air Corps service and a few years in St. Louis, Bill was a lifelong resident of Kansas City. In the early 1950’s, he worked as a sales representative for fledgling Hallmark Cards. Following that, he enjoyed a long career as a realtor with J.C. Nichols, and retired from Reese Nichols at 78. The name “Bill Burrichter” was a familiar sight on For Sale and Sold signs around the Kansas City area for well over 40 years. He counted many of his coworkers and customers among lifelong friends. In his retirement, he worked at Bob Smith Motors for about a decade. This fed his appetite to stay in touch with people and tapped into his gregarious personality. It seemed that he sold a house or car to, or went to church or school with everyone in Kansas City including their kids and grandkids, and he remembered every single one of them. Bill could not walk into a public place without having some kind of connection with someone there. He was the ultimate “people person”.

He was passionate about sports, especially golf. He was a devoted and optimistic fan of the ‘fightin’ Royals and Chiefs. Bill possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of sports trivia, that spanned nearly a century and would generously share it with anyone who would listen.

Bill was preceded in death on June 3, 2013 by Hazel Marie Burrichter, his beloved wife of nearly 65 years. Surviving Bill are five children, Sally Ann Lane (Neil) of Lakewood, Colorado, William Joseph (Maliea) of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Robert Russell Burrichter of Wailuku, Hawaii, Diane Lawrence (William) of Mount Airy, Maryland, and Rebekah Evergreen of Kamuela, Hawaii; Nine grandchildren and their spouses, and seven great-grandchildren. Bill leaves one sister, Barbara Van Buskirk, niece, Nancy Connell (Kevin), nephew, John Van Buskirk (Molly) and their families, also of Kansas City. Brother-in-law Robert Rust of Houston, TX, nephews Robert Rust (Kathryn), James Rust (Susie) of Houston, and sister-in-law Frances Taylor of New Orleans, LA, her grown children: James, Jack, Mary Ellen, Geneva, Elizabeth and their families, and local cousins Margie Russell, Mary Jane Boyle, Sr. Kitty Russell and Mary Margaret Russell.

William Burrichter will be sorely missed and lovingly remembered by his large family and countless friends. The family would like to thank the kind staff of Armour Oaks for their many years of service and support. Bill spent the last seven months in assisted living at Armour Oaks, and the previous ten living independently with Hazel in Armour Villas.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, http://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate, or Catholic Charities.