He was born in Kansas City, MO on June 12, 1948. Rick graduated from Saint Pius X High School in 1966 and received a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a master’s degree in Psychology from UMKC. He was married to Rose Marie (DiMaggio) Rau on June 2, 1973.
Rick worked in the Kansas City hospitality industry for over 30 years, managing hotels and theme parks. He retired from Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun in 2004 as the Vice President of Marketing. If you grew up in and around the Brooktree area in the 1990s, odds are, you were an extra in a Worlds of Fun commercial at some point thanks to Rick. He took great pride in his position as head of Marketing, procuring, and naming many iconic rides including The Mamba.
Since his retirement he had been active in SCORE, where he mentored up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
Rick is survived by his wife of 48 years, Rose Marie Rau, sons Kyle and Chris Rau, daughters-in-law, Lisa and Erin Rau and grandchildren Hayley (11), Lyla (8), Jackson (8) and Scarlett (6). Rick will be dearly missed by all his family and all who knew him.
