Richard "Dick" L. Saplata

The Rosary will be prayed at 9:00 and visitation will be October 6th at 9:30am at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 13615 W 92nd St, Lenexa, KS 66215, with the Mass of Christian Burial following at 10:30am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation via their website www.michaeljfox.org or mail to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741.

Dick was born on March 31, 1944, in Kansas City, MO. He was the oldest child of Rudolph (Rudy) and Dorothy Saplata. After graduating from Southeast High School in Kansas City, Dick served in the Naval Air Reserve and worked for the United States Postal Service for several years. Following that, he spent over three decades working for the University of Missouri School of Dentistry helping dental students create beautiful smiles for their patients.

He was a loving son to his parents and a wonderful brother to his three younger sisters. He married Anne Pasley in 2002 and they lived together happily in Leawood, KS. Through Anne and her four loving children, Russell, David, Greg and Cathy, Dick came to know the joy of children and grandchildren; attending games and recitals and all the other family activities that grandparents joyfully do with their family.

A life-long passion for cars spurred ownership of dozens of them throughout his 81 years. His model car collection exceeded 100 and he proudly displayed them in his home office. He and Anne loved to decorate for Christmas and a visit to their home during the holidays was like a magical trip to the North Pole. They also liked to travel, with Eureka Springs being one of their favorite destinations. They also loved visiting family around the country and even outside the country.

Dick was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Anne Saplata, his parents, Rudy and Dorothy Saplata and his sister, Frances (Jean) Brodie. He is survived by sisters Elaine Leander (John) and Mary Jo Boyd (Tim), brother-in-law Al Brodie, stepchildren Russell Pasley (Sara), David Pasley, Greg Pasley (Sonia) and Cathy Mowry (Kevin), as well as six step-grandchildren, six nieces and nephews and numerous great nieces and nephews.