Albert Michael Babich

Al Babich was an uncommon man, so he deserves an uncommon obituary. He may have had numerous educational and career achievements, but that wasn’t what defined him. He was defined by his love for God and for his fellow man. Jesus said: “I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Al mentored inmates at Leavenworth Penitentiary for several years. He regularly delivered communion to the sick at North Kansas City Hospital and to the homebound in the parish. He visited his sick friends and kept them company in their last days. He was active for decades in a group called “No Names” that visited residents of nursing homes. The Bible encourages us to “pray without ceasing.” Al kept a prayer journal and his very life was a prayer. An Episcopal priest said “Prayer is being present, sharing love, opening life to transcendence. It is not necessarily words addressed heavenward. Prayer is entering into the pain or joy of another person. Prayer is what I am doing when I love wastefully, passionately, and wondrously and invite others to do so.” And that was Al.

There was nothing Al liked better than connecting people and building relationships. Leave him alone for five minutes in a restaurant and he would know the life story of the wait staff and the people at the next table. He had a smile and a greeting for everyone he passed on our long walks. He engaged everyone in conversation from store clerks to the homeless on the street. He organized class reunions to keep his classmates connected and relished getting to talk to them every year when he participated in the St. Pius phonathon.

God gave us talents, and told us that the ultimate purpose is to use your talents to serve God and help others. Al’s talent and passion was in understanding the brain and using that knowledge to help people see the world differently. He was active in the church mental wellness group. He made presentations to students at St. Pius and showed them how to become “neuroletes.” He counseled parents who had trouble with their children. He was the acknowledged brain expert (and “token Catholic”) in a North Cross UMC adult Sunday School class.

Al didn’t have to tell people he was a Christian, he just lived his life as one. He didn’t have to tell people he prayed. He just did it.

And now for the prosaic obituary: Albert Michael Babich was born on November 25, 1947 in Kansas City, Kansas to Joe and Dorothy Babich. His family moved to Gladstone where Al attended eight years at St. Charles Borromeo Elementary School. He then attended St. Pius X High School, lettering in basketball and football, and graduating in 1966. He earned BA, MA, and Ed.S. degrees from the University of Missouri. He was a Missouri Professional Licensed Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. He co-authored the CITE Learning Styles instrument which was the number 1 instrument used across the country in vocational evaluation. He was Missouri Vocational Special Needs First Year Teacher of the Year; Region III Outstanding Special Needs Teacher of the Year; Career and Tech Ed Special Needs Outstanding Educator; Missouri Vocational Resource Educator of the Year; and many more. He worked variously as a teacher, basketball coach, special education liaison, elementary counselor, diagnostic consultant, vocational resource educator, and student services coordinator.

Al was preceded in death by his father and mother and brother, John. He is survived by Nina, his wife, love of his life, best friend, and travel buddy of 27 years; son, Michael (Erin); grandchildren, Carter and Baker; stepsons, Ross White and Zachary White (Maureen); step grandchildren, John and Nora; brother, Jim; sister, Donna Stock (Chris); and nieces and nephews, Bret Babich, Brittany Caple (Adam), Joseph Niblock; and Sarah Schneider (Joseph).

Al’s visitation will start at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 7, 2025 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, with Mass following at 11:00 a.m. Luncheon in Borromeo Hall will follow the Mass. Interment is at 1:30 pm at Resurrection Cemetery, Kansas City, MO. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Al’s name to the Kansas City Hospice through https://kchospice.org/donate/ The work they do is needed and amazing and Al was blessed by it.