Phil Russell Greathouse

Phil "Rusty" Greathouse, 67, of Prairie Village, Kansas passed away while watching the KC Chiefs lose their game on Sunday, September 18, 2016. It was a hard day for all of us. Sharon, his wife of 38 years, was by his side.

Rusty was a gentle lion. He liked to say one of his greatest achievements was "not getting caught," and many of his oldest pals remember him as a fierce friend and loyal defender, even as early as third grade. He reached his tall height way before the other kids started to grow and became a bad boy with a big heart, a heart so big it couldn't help but win out in the long run. He became the kind of husband who happily renewed his wedding vows in an Elvis chapel in Vegas, even though he didn't like Elvis but Sharon really, really does. He made sure the family came together for birthdays and holidays throughout the year, every year. He loved to have the grandkids and great-grandkids over for slumber parties and entertain them with glow-in-the-dark yo-yo shows after lights out. As a friend remarked, Rusty was the kind of man who "sat back and watched everyone else, but got a kick out of watching!" We will miss his quiet, but giant, presence in our lives.

Rusty's dry and off-the-wall humor is famous with his family, friends and colleagues. He graduated from Southwest High and Penn Valley College. After attending Northwest Missouri State, he worked for Russ Berrie & Co., selling plush toys on the road in his unforgettable orange Cadillac. Later, he decided it was time to stop traveling and learn a new trade. That's when he accomplished two achievements that meant a lot to him -- he earned national certifications with the American Board of Opticianry and with the National Contact Lens Examiners. He worked at several optical shops before signing on with Costco to establish and manage the optical department. He always felt fortunate to work for Costco because the company's personal and business ethics matched his own. He was a well-liked boss and colleague who came up with nicknames for other employees. He also had a special talent for fine-tuning lenses for customers with the same care and pickiness he gave to his own. In recent years, his favorite hobbies were gardening and Sharon.

Rusty was born on August 7, 1949 in Kansas City, MO, the son of Roland A. and Phyllis (Russell) Greathouse. Rusty's father died while Rusty was still a boy. He often said it was his grandfather who taught him to be a man. Rusty married Sharon (Hiller) Greathouse in 1978. In addition to Sharon, he is survived by their children, Maggie (Greathouse) Endsley, her husband, Scott, and their children, Spencer and Lily, Lenexa; Deborah (Bloomer) Mance, her husband Gary, Prairie Village, and their children, Kathleen Mance and her partner David Ralabate, Prairie Village, and Stephen and Jessica Sharpe-Mance, Seattle, WA; Michael "Andy" Bloomer and his wife, Mary Wharff, Lawrence; great-grandchildren Bradley Mance and Coulomb Sharpe-Mance; six nieces and three nephews; sisters Susan (Greathouse) Wheatley, Draper, UT and Stacy Greathouse, Prairie Village; sister-in-law Elizabeth Quist, Front Royal, VA; and many good friends.

We will celebrate Rusty's life with a Final Kick-off on Sunday, September 25, 2016, program at 3 pm followed by a football game party. Please wear your favorite Chiefs gear and join us to cheer on the team and share stories of Rusty. McGilley and Hoge Johnson County Memorial Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Dr., Overland Park KS.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Salvation Army.